Multiple, simultaneous user sessions?

[helperfunction]

@p.colbert

@helperfunction

global variables in Server code are shared across all users

That happens in Uplink code, but not Server code.

@p.colbert

When any of these instances calls a Server Module function, Anvil starts a new copy of a Server-side program, containing that function, to service the call. That program generally runs until the function completes.

So, the Server-side program (with its global variables) does not “live long enough” to share anything. This is mainly to prevent security problems. If the Server-side program kept running, and was reachable from both User B and User A, then you might have to work fairly hard to prevent User B from mangling user A’s data (or vice versa). But the way Anvil works, you scarcely have to think about it.

There is a way to preserve global data. See Sessions and Cookies. These methods are strictly limited, to keep users from stepping on each others’ data.

Thanks for the explanation! If the Server Code allows global variables that are not shared across different users, I think it would make sense to put my Python program in the Server Code instead of using Uplink (so that there wouldn’t be Media Object file conversion hurdles).

The only issue (related to my other question post) is that I cannot use custom libraries in the Anvil server. On a paid plan, I still wouldn’t have access to very specific libraries that I can simply pip install on Colab. Many of these libraries are Github repos.

I wonder if there’s a way to install your own libraries for your server-side program, such as through a requirements.txt file, instead of having to request them to be manually installed by Anvil.