Simple preforking echo server in Python.

unicorn.py

"""
Simple preforking echo server in Python.

Python port of http://tomayko.com/writings/unicorn-is-unix.
"""

import os
import sys
import socket

# Create a socket, bind it to localhost:4242, and start
# listening. Runs once in the parent; all forked children
# inherit the socket's file descriptor.
acceptor = socket.socket()
acceptor.bind(('localhost', 4242))
acceptor.listen(10)

# Ryan's Ruby code here traps EXIT and closes the socket. This
# isn't required in Python; the socket will be closed when the
# socket object gets garbage collected.
    
# Fork you some child processes. In the parent, the call to
# fork returns immediately with the pid of the child process;
# fork never returns in the child because we exit at the end
# of the block.
for i in range(3):
    pid = os.fork()
    
    # os.fork() returns 0 in the child process and the child's
    # process id in the parent. So if pid == 0 then we're in
    # the child process.
    if pid == 0:
        # now we're in the child process; trap (Ctrl-C)
        # interrupts by catching KeyboardInterrupt) and exit
        # immediately instead of dumping stack to stderr.
        childpid = os.getpid()
        print "Child %s listening on localhost:4242" % childpid
        try:
            while 1:
                # This is where the magic happens. accept(2)
                # blocks until a new connection is ready to be
                # dequeued.
                conn, addr = acceptor.accept()
                
                # For easier use, turn the socket connection
                # into a file-like object.
                flo = conn.makefile()
                flo.write('Child %s echo> ' % childpid)
                flo.flush()
                message = flo.readline()
                flo.write(message)
                conn.close()
                print "Child %s echo'd: %r" % \
                          (childpid, message.strip())
        except KeyboardInterrupt:
            sys.exit()

# Sit back and wait for all child processes to exit.
#
# Trap interrupts, write a note, and exit immediately in
# parent. This trap is not inherited by the forks because it
# runs after forking has commenced.
try:
    os.waitpid(-1, 0)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print "\nbailing"
    sys.exit()

acceptor.close()
before sys.exit() on line 67 is advised.