Skip to main content

ORCHER Python SDK

Crash-proof workflows, written as plain async Python.


PyPI Python versions CI Apache 2.0

Write async functions; ORCHER journals each step and resumes interrupted runs where they stopped.

  • Durable: every step journaled; crashed runs resume on another worker
  • Plain Python: @workflow and @task on async functions, no DSL
  • Deterministic replay: step ids, time and randomness stay the same on every replay
  • Smart retries: per-task policies and never-retry error types
  • Timers and events: sleep for days or wait for an outside event
  • Child workflows: compose and run workflows in parallel
  • Actors: stateful objects with a single writer per key
  • Testing: run workflows in memory with mocks and a fake clock
  • Multi-tenant: API keys, organizations and namespaces built in
  • Native core: the engine protocol and state machine run in Rust

Install

pip install orcher-sdk

The package installs as orcher:

import orcher

Quick start

Decorate a task and a workflow that calls it. Both register themselves when their module is imported, and the worker runs everything registered:

import asyncio
import os

from orcher import TaskContext, Worker, WorkflowContext, task, workflow


@task(name="send-confirmation", retry=3)
async def send_confirmation(ctx: TaskContext, order_id: str, email: str) -> str:
    return f"sent confirmation for {order_id} to {email}"


@workflow(name="confirm-order")
async def confirm_order(ctx: WorkflowContext, order_id: str, email: str) -> str:
    return await ctx.execute_task(send_confirmation, order_id=order_id, email=email)


async def main() -> None:
    worker = (
        Worker.builder()
        .server_url("http://localhost:50051")
        .namespace("default")
        .task_queue("orders")
        .api_key(os.environ.get("ORCHER_API_KEY"))  # for an engine that requires one
        .build()
    )
    await worker.run()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Tasks that need clients or connections can be methods of a @tasks class instead; hand the worker a built instance with worker.register_task_instance().

Start it from any process and wait for the result. A dict input reaches the workflow as keyword arguments:

import os

from orcher import Client, ClientConfig

config = ClientConfig(
    server_url="http://localhost:50051",
    api_key=os.environ.get("ORCHER_API_KEY"),  # for an engine that requires one
)
async with Client(config) as client:
    handle = await client.start_workflow(
        "confirm-order",
        task_queue="orders",
        args=({"order_id": "order-1", "email": "ada@example.com"},),
    )
    receipt = await handle.result()

Guide

Timers: sleep for minutes or months

A timer is recorded by the engine, so no worker is busy while it runs, and a restart doesn't reset it:

from datetime import timedelta

from orcher import WorkflowContext, workflow


@workflow(name="trial")
async def trial(ctx: WorkflowContext, email: str) -> None:
    await ctx.sleep(timedelta(days=14))
    await ctx.execute_task(send_trial_ended, email=email)
Events: wait for something outside the workflow

A workflow can park until a named event arrives, optionally with a deadline:

from datetime import timedelta

from orcher import WorkflowContext, workflow


@workflow(name="approval")
async def approval(ctx: WorkflowContext, request_id: str) -> str:
    try:
        approved = await ctx.wait_for_event_with_timeout("approved", timedelta(days=3))
    except TimeoutError:
        return f"{request_id} expired"
    return f"{request_id} approved" if approved else f"{request_id} rejected"

Send the event from a client:

handle = await client.get_workflow("approval-42")
await handle.send_event("approved", True)
Child workflows: compose workflows from workflows
from orcher import WorkflowContext, workflow


@workflow(name="ship-order")
async def ship_order(ctx: WorkflowContext, order_id: str) -> str:
    label = await ctx.execute_child_workflow("print-label", args=(order_id,))
    return f"{order_id} shipped with {label}"

ctx.start_child_workflow() returns a handle instead, to run several children at once and collect their results later.

Retries: decide which failures are worth retrying

A failure's type is the exception's class name (CardDeclined, not payments.CardDeclined). List the types never to retry in the task's policy. An exception whose non_retryable attribute is true is never retried, whatever the policy allows:

from orcher import RetryPolicy, TaskContext, task


class CardDeclined(Exception):
    pass


class AccountClosed(Exception):
    non_retryable = True


@task(
    name="charge",
    retry_policy=RetryPolicy(max_attempts=5, non_retryable_error_types=["CardDeclined"]),
)
async def charge(ctx: TaskContext, order_id: str) -> str:
    # Runs once:
    raise CardDeclined(f"card declined for {order_id}")
    # Also runs once, listed or not:
    # raise AccountClosed(f"account closed for {order_id}")

Any other exception is retried. non_retryable can also be set on a single instance before it is raised.

Large payloads: what fits, and what happens when it doesn't

Workers and clients send and receive gRPC messages of up to 32 MiB; set ORCHER_MAX_MESSAGE_BYTES to change that. The engine accepts one payload (an input, a result, an event) of up to 8 MiB unless configured otherwise. A task whose result is too large fails straight away with a PayloadTooLarge failure that says how large it was, and is not retried: store large data elsewhere and pass a reference.

Time and randomness: the replay-safe way

ctx.time reads the time the engine recorded, and ctx.random is seeded from the run, so both give the same answer every time the workflow is replayed:

from orcher import WorkflowContext, workflow


@workflow(name="invoice")
async def invoice(ctx: WorkflowContext, customer: str) -> str:
    number = ctx.random.uuid()
    issued_at = ctx.time.now()
    return f"invoice {number} for {customer}, issued at {issued_at.isoformat()}"
Testing: run workflows in memory

orcher.testing runs a workflow without an engine, with its tasks mocked by name. With pytest and pytest-asyncio:

import pytest

from orcher.testing import TestWorkflowEnvironment

from orders import confirm_order


@pytest.mark.asyncio
async def test_confirms_the_order() -> None:
    env = TestWorkflowEnvironment()
    env.mock_task("send-confirmation").returns("sent")

    receipt = await env.execute_workflow(
        confirm_order, {"order_id": "order-1", "email": "ada@example.com"}
    )

    assert receipt == "sent"
    env.assert_task_called_with(
        "send-confirmation", {"order_id": "order-1", "email": "ada@example.com"}
    )

Mocks can also raise, return a sequence or compute their result, and the environment controls the clock.


Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for how to build, test and propose a change.

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

"Python" and the Python logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Python Software Foundation, shown here to indicate the language this SDK is for.

Metadata

Release files for orcher-sdk 0.4.4

For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.

Source distribution (sdist)

Source distribution for orcher-sdk 0.4.4
File Size Uploaded
orcher_sdk-0.4.4.tar.gz 255.3 kB Details

Built distributions (wheels)

Table of built distributions (wheels) for orcher-sdk 0.4.4
File
orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl CPython 3.11 abi3 Linux musl 1.2+ x86-64 Details
orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl CPython 3.11 abi3 Linux musl 1.2+ ARM64 Details
orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl CPython 3.11 abi3 Linux glibc 2.17+ x86-64 Details
orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl CPython 3.11 abi3 Linux glibc 2.17+ ARM64 Details
orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl CPython 3.11 abi3 macOS 11.0+ ARM64 Details
orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl CPython 3.11 abi3 macOS 10.12+ x86-64 Details

Total release size: 32.4 MB

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4.tar.gz

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4.tar.gz
Size 255.3 kB
Tags Source
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
5186941f595dcd3846091652157ace05072f42444e6e5cfcaab91a795514b173
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
f12be91dc1856b29ccecc055eb1df80605cb3c95832defdfe364401d85f53742
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl
Size 5.7 MB
Tags CPython 3.11 Linux musl 1.2+ x86-64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
d0bed265721160bd6901e3ca8a1755cad3874b0e459052615974a3fc23bf19ce
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
1d87d426c48ef2d7e6a40f95136786811fd8e4f5f12f19ff64acd48ac8822781
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl
Size 5.7 MB
Tags CPython 3.11 Linux musl 1.2+ ARM64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
7d56165dd36caf3f5492d2ee240af154ac3ec0917f44f2521831af7d092622df
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
96ddc8f2e066f3f5b76185967b340f90ee88397594981f8de00e944160ad3060
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl
Size 5.3 MB
Tags CPython 3.11 Linux glibc 2.17+ x86-64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
608cecda43576f5bb78f9346cb8f679db4637d4bab8ab65713f3bcd2e3832cd0
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
6c32daf09365beae31f89b15f1e111dffec886f13e57c1cf0b81e676384a946b
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl
Size 5.6 MB
Tags CPython 3.11 Linux glibc 2.17+ ARM64 abi3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
eb7a02dff5170cf6ef69922ba43e678c4c708d4efa447be3d4d78e20b55d6e38
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
4dc5b053c431f5eb9acdf71975e88022ce2dc09a1727729ba385f378468fc755
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
Size 4.9 MB
Tags CPython 3.11 abi3 macOS 11.0+ ARM64
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
67c4e0dfb3e7d53c449ed8e963a9bdb2d6ef09b4716a5b0989612667e8fba40f
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
a4a687c22e2c2387a01888e74ccf33601f9b34cbccc9ef5d8f9938a22785e839
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl

Download URL orcher_sdk-0.4.4-cp311-abi3-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl
Size 5.0 MB
Tags CPython 3.11 abi3 macOS 10.12+ x86-64
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
696a959bc269644843a6a68ee517af83b8d16f9320179de324a255d362c30cfc
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
4c0bf7740431026a1a6bfb627b886ab5b020ee00761df91f25d4a25de9bb6a9c
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Oct 8, 2026.

Transparency log

Release history Release notifications | RSS feed

0.4.9

7 release files

0.4.8

7 release files

0.4.7

7 release files

0.4.6

7 release files

0.4.5

7 release files

This release

0.4.4 This release

7 release files

0.4.3

7 release files

0.4.2

7 release files

0.4.1

7 release files

0.4.0

7 release files

Anthropic, PBC Visionary sponsor Bloomberg Visionary sponsor Hudson River Trading Visionary sponsor Meta Visionary sponsor NVIDIA Visionary sponsor Microsoft Sustainability sponsor Depot Continuous Integration AWS Cloud computing and Security Sponsor Datadog Monitoring Fastly CDN Google Download Analytics Sentry Error logging StatusPage Status page