Search process by name ctypes windows - WAAAAY FASTER THAN psutil psutil.process_iter()

proc_by_name.py

import ctypes
import ctypes.wintypes

# Load the required libraries
psapi = ctypes.WinDLL('Psapi.dll')
kernel32 = ctypes.WinDLL('kernel32.dll')

# Define constants
PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION = 0x0400
PROCESS_VM_READ = 0x0010
MAX_PATH = 260

def get_pids_by_name_fast(process_name):
    process_name = process_name.encode('utf-8')
    pids = []

    # Allocate an array for the process IDs
    array_size = 1024
    pid_array = (ctypes.wintypes.DWORD * array_size)()
    bytes_returned = ctypes.wintypes.DWORD()

    # Call EnumProcesses to get the list of process IDs
    if not psapi.EnumProcesses(ctypes.byref(pid_array), ctypes.sizeof(pid_array), ctypes.byref(bytes_returned)):
        raise ctypes.WinError(ctypes.get_last_error())

    # Calculate the number of processes
    num_pids = bytes_returned.value // ctypes.sizeof(ctypes.wintypes.DWORD)

    # Iterate over all the process IDs
    for pid in pid_array[:num_pids]:
        # Open the process with necessary privileges
        h_process = kernel32.OpenProcess(PROCESS_QUERY_INFORMATION | PROCESS_VM_READ, False, pid)
        if h_process:
            exe_name = (ctypes.c_char * MAX_PATH)()
            h_module = ctypes.wintypes.HMODULE()
            needed = ctypes.wintypes.DWORD()

            # Get the first module, which is the executable
            if psapi.EnumProcessModules(h_process, ctypes.byref(h_module), ctypes.sizeof(h_module), ctypes.byref(needed)):
                psapi.GetModuleBaseNameA(h_process, h_module, ctypes.byref(exe_name), ctypes.sizeof(exe_name))
                if exe_name.value.lower() == process_name.lower():
                    pids.append(pid)

            kernel32.CloseHandle(h_process)

    return pids

# Example usage:
process_name = "python.exe"
matching_pids = get_pids_by_name_fast(process_name)

print(f"PIDs for processes named '{process_name}': {matching_pids}")