i am looking for an abstract and clean way to exchange strings between two python programs. The protocol is really simple: client/server sends a string to the server/client and it takes the corresponding action – via a handler, i suppose – and replies OR NOT to the other side with another string. Strings can be three things: an acknowledgement, signalling one side that the other on is still alive; a pickled class containing a command, if going from the “client” to the “server”, or a response, if going from the “server” to the “client”; and finally a “lock” command, that signals a side of the conversation that the other is working and no further questions should be asked until another lock packet is received.
I have been looking at the python’s built in SocketServer.TCPServer, but it’s way too low level, it does not easily support reconnection and the client has to use the socket interface, which i preferred to be encapsulated.
I then explored the twisted framework, particularly the LineOnlyReceiver protocol and server examples, but i found the initial learning curve to be too steep, the online documentation assuming a little too much knowledge and a general lack of examples and good documentation (except the 2005 O’reilly book, is this still valid?).
I then tryied the pyliblo library, which is perfect for the task, alas it is monodirectional, there is no way to “answer” a client, and i need the answer to be associated to the specific command.
So my question is: is there an existing framework/library/module that allows me to have a client object in the server, to read the commands from and send the replies to, and a server object in the client, to read the replies from and send the commands to, that i can use after a simple setup (client, the server address is host:port, server, you are listening on port X) having the underlying socket, reconnection engine and so on handled?
thanks in advance to any answer (pardon my english and inexperience, this is my first question)
Python also provides an asyncchat module that simplifies much of the server/client behavior common to chat-like communications.