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Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

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Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#261

Post by cosmic_quanta »

mrweasel wrote: post #188
murkt wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ehh, Django ORM always was one of the worst parts of Django.

True, but it's the best ORM currently available for any language. It might not be the fastest, but it is the one that's has the highest level of developer comfort. Using Django is probably the reason why I can stand using SQLAlchemy, it's way to complicated for everything I do and it's just not a nice an experience.

> True, but it's the best ORM currently available for any language.

Such a strong assertion!

I've used multiple ORMs (not Django's), including some of Haskell's type-safe ORMs (e.g. Persistent and Beam). I could not imagine going back. What makes Django's ORM so great?

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#262

Post by andrewstuart »

paulddraper wrote: post #260
andrewstuart wrote: post #258

If you know you’ve got gigantic scale why would you not use a compiled language? Surely it makes massive difference to hardware utilization? I like Python and javascript but there’s perfectly fine tools around now for building systems that allow one server to do a lot more. They say you should not prematurely optimize. Equally you should not be prematurely unoptimised.

Using a compiled languages for web stuff is like using a Ferrari for a commute. It's better, but not the limiting factor.

Threads is intended to be massive scale.

I’d use the analogy of a Japanese bullet train as the compiled language and a diesel train as Python.

Python is my primary language along with JS but if I was building a new service for Meta I wouldn’t use either at the back end.

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#263

Post by amethyst »

zitterbewegung wrote: post #194
shaftoe444 wrote: post #191

> It's running on Instagram's #Cinder fork that includes a JIT, lazy-loaded modules, pre-compiled static modules, and a bunch of other interesting tweaks against vanilla Python 3.10. So not entirely just python 3.1.

I have ported code from Cinder to CPython . The fork has some optimizations that can be easily put in CPython and Facebook is open to port features. I’m not sure if Facebook wants to continually have a fork but CPython is open to have those features merged in if they make sense.

The Cinder team's longterm goal is to upstream as much as we can, and make the rest available as pip-installable extensions that anyone could theoretically install and use on CPython. The fewer internal changes and patches we need to maintain, the faster we can adopt upstream Python releases and all of the associated performance and tooling wins.

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#264

Post by callamdelaney »

andrewstuart wrote: post #258

If you know you’ve got gigantic scale why would you not use a compiled language? Surely it makes massive difference to hardware utilization? I like Python and javascript but there’s perfectly fine tools around now for building systems that allow one server to do a lot more. They say you should not prematurely optimize. Equally you should not be prematurely unoptimised.

Because Zuck probably told his team to make this a few weeks ago to annoy Musk. Weird ego thing going on.

Python is likely faster to push out an app like this than say rust or even go.

Also why spend time optimising something that will be dead in a few months?

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#266

Post by rewmie »

rafark wrote: post #152
pjmlp wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean the company that had to create their two PHP implementations and a translator to C++, to actually scale?

Facebook had hundreds of millions daily active users before writing a compiler.

> Facebook had hundreds of millions daily active users before writing a compiler.

In other words, Facebook felt compelled to write a compiler when they had hundreds of millions daily active users.

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#268

Post by PartiallyTyped »

Solvency wrote: post #267

Why has everyone on here been comparing Threads to Twitter when threads.com literally says its a Slack alternative for makers ? The product has absolutely nothing to do with a Twitter style social network.

Threads.com is not Threads.net. The latter owned by Instagram/Meta.

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#269

Post by jajajajajajajaj »

andrewstuart wrote: post #258

If you know you’ve got gigantic scale why would you not use a compiled language? Surely it makes massive difference to hardware utilization? I like Python and javascript but there’s perfectly fine tools around now for building systems that allow one server to do a lot more. They say you should not prematurely optimize. Equally you should not be prematurely unoptimised.

If you want the real answer, it’s because Instagram was acquired and the startup used Django. That’s it.

Re: Backend of Meta Threads is built with Python 3.10

#270

Post by super_flanker »

PartiallyTyped wrote: post #197
super_flanker wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really, especially Facebook (Meta) moves really fast. They have a slogan "Move fast, break things", okay not "Break things" anymore. But you get the gist, in my experience working at almost all of FAANG, Meta and Netflix move the fastest.

I think AWS must be the slowest of the bunch tbh. Too many meetings.

I agree, but Google is the slowest.
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