@Marvin, can you give me a summary of Asyncio used in conjunction with Prefect? And is it possible to use asyncio.run within a sync flow?

Asyncio can be used with Prefect to manage asynchronous IO-bound and high-level structured network code. An example of an async flow in Prefect using asyncio is as follows:

python
import asyncio
from prefect import flow

async def some_async_function():
    await asyncio.sleep(1)
    return "I'm an async function"

@flow(log_prints=True) # send `print` statements as INFO logs
async def my_async_workflow():
    print("I can call any python code here, including prefect tasks or flows")
    await some_async_function()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(my_async_workflow()) # run it like a normal async python function
    
    # or serve it as a long-lived process
    # my_async_workflow.serve("my-deployment-name")

Example Code: Async Basic Flow Yes, it is possible to use

asyncio.run()

within a synchronous flow in Prefect. The example demonstrates how to define an async flow where

asyncio.run()

is used just like you would in a normal async Python function. When using async within Prefect, it's important to be mindful of the flow's runtime environment to ensure compatibility and proper execution. For more examples or information about the specific use of asyncio with Prefect, you might want to explore further documentation, tutorials, or community discussions, as the tool results didn't provide an extensive guide on the topic.

@Marvin, can you add an async function as entrypoint in prefect.yaml deployment?

It seems that the documentation excerpts did not directly address the question of whether an async function can be set as the entrypoint in a

prefect.yaml

deployment file. As far as best practices and general deployment configurations go, the

prefect.yaml

file does not typically specify entrypoint functions in the same way a Dockerfile might. Instead, it includes deployment configurations, build instructions, and instructions for preparing the execution environment. To define an async function as the entrypoint, the usual method is to have a Python script with an async flow or function that gets executed when your Prefect flow runs. The

prefect.yaml

deployment might refer to your script or module that contains this async flow/function. For detailed guidance on how to set up your specific Prefect deployment with an async entrypoint, you should consult the latest Prefect deployment documentation. If this is a functionality that is or becomes available, details on how to properly configure it should be documented there. As of now, without clear documentation or examples, I would suggest reviewing the Prefect community discussions or reaching out to the Prefect support team for more tailored assistance on setting an async function as an entrypoint in a

prefect.yaml

deployment.