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Bridging Elixir and Python with Oban

The popular Elixir job processing library, Oban, now extends to Python, offering a seamless way to bridge the two ecosystems. This integration allows developers to leverage specialized functionalities from either language, such as Python's PDF rendering or machine learning, directly within an Elixir application. The approach uses a shared PostgreSQL database as a language-agnostic job queue, providing a pragmatic solution for polyglot systems.

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Feb 19, 12:00 PM
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Feb 19, 10:00 PM
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The Lowdown

The article introduces Oban for Python, a new extension to the popular Elixir job processing library, designed to facilitate transparent job exchange between Elixir and Python applications. It proposes a novel approach to inter-language communication by using a shared PostgreSQL database as a durable job queue, enabling teams to integrate specialized functionalities from either ecosystem.

  • Problem Solved: The primary goal is to integrate functionalities that are either exclusive or more mature in one language (e.g., Python's machine learning, PDF rendering) into applications predominantly built in another (e.g., Elixir).
  • Core Mechanism: Both Oban for Elixir and Oban for Python interact with the same oban_jobs table in PostgreSQL, effectively using the database as a common, language-agnostic task broker. Job arguments are stored as JSON, ensuring compatibility.
  • Example Demo ("Badge Forge"): A micro-application is presented where an Elixir component enqueues jobs to generate conference badges, and a Python worker utilizes the WeasyPrint library to create the PDFs from HTML/CSS.
  • Two-Way Communication: Following PDF generation, the Python worker enqueues a confirmation job back to an Elixir worker, illustrating seamless, bi-directional job flow between the two languages.
  • Independent Operation: While sharing the database for job coordination, each Oban instance (Elixir or Python) maintains its own cluster leadership, ensuring independent operation. Real-time coordination is also possible via Postgres PubSub.
  • Monitoring: The article highlights the utility of a standalone Oban Web Docker image for visualizing job activity and metrics from all connected Oban instances, regardless of the originating language, providing unified observability.
  • Versatility: The demonstrated bridging pattern is emphasized as practical and equally applicable in both directions, allowing Python applications to leverage Elixir's strengths with the same ease.

This integration not only simplifies cross-language functionality but also opens new architectural possibilities for building polyglot applications that efficiently utilize the best tools from different programming environments.