Question 1

watchfiles vs watchdog which is better?

Accepted Answer

Watchfiles uses Rust for superior performance and modern async support, while Watchdog is pure Python with broader legacy compatibility. Choose Watchfiles for speed in async contexts, Watchdog for simplicity and older Python versions.

Question 2

how to use watchfiles to auto-reload a FastAPI server?

Accepted Answer

Use the `run_process` function with your FastAPI app instance. For example, wrap `uvicorn.run(app)` in a target function, and `run_process` will restart it on file changes, similar to development servers but with more control over reloading logic.

Question 3

why does watchfiles miss file changes on network drives?

Accepted Answer

Network file systems often have limited support for native OS notifications that Watchfiles relies on. You might need to enable polling mode or use alternative monitoring tools specifically designed for network volumes.

Question 4

can I filter out temporary files with watchfiles?

Accepted Answer

Yes, use the `watch_filter` parameter with built-in filters like `DefaultFilter` or create custom filters to ignore files like `.swp` or `__pycache__` directories, improving event relevance.

Question 5

how to install watchfiles without Rust on macOS?

Accepted Answer

Pre-built binaries are available via pip, so running `pip install watchfiles` should work seamlessly. If installation fails, ensure your Python version is compatible and pip is updated to fetch binaries automatically.

watchfiles

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