ophyd-async

What it is and what it does

ophyd-async is a Python library that abstracts hardware control for scientific experiments, designed to work with the Bluesky Run Engine. It replaces the synchronous ophyd library with an asynchronous approach, allowing multiple hardware signals to be controlled and read in parallel without the complexity of threading. The library supports multiple control systems—EPICS CA, EPICS PVA, and Tango—making it suitable for diverse beamline and lab environments.

The package was built specifically to enable fly scanning and other advanced experiment patterns where coordinating multiple devices in parallel is essential. It separates device logic from hardware interfaces, reducing class hierarchy complexity. Devices written in ophyd-async can coexist with older synchronous ophyd devices in the same experiment, enabling gradual migration of hardware control code.

Use it for:

• Orchestrating parallel hardware control in fly-scanning experiments where multiple PVs must be coordinated asynchronously.
• Migrating existing ophyd device code to async one device at a time while maintaining compatibility with legacy synchronous devices.
• Interfacing with EPICS PVA or Tango control systems in addition to traditional EPICS CA for multi-protocol beamline setups.
• Building custom device abstractions that separate experiment logic from hardware-specific details without deep class hierarchies.
• Implementing complex scanning patterns like those used with PandABox or Delta Tau PMAC controllers that require precise timing.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

ophyd-async provides asynchronous hardware abstraction for experiment orchestration and data acquisition, supporting EPICS PVA, EPICS CA, and Tango control systems alongside the Bluesky Run Engine.

Yes, if you are building or migrating experiment orchestration code for scientific hardware with Bluesky. The async design and multi-protocol support (EPICS PVA, EPICS CA, Tango) make it well-suited for modern beamline and lab automation. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, and carries a permissive BSD license. However, it is still in Alpha status, so evaluate stability requirements for production use.

Install

ophyd-async on PyPI

pip install ophyd-async

uv add ophyd-async

poetry add ophyd-async

Installing ophyd-async

Before you install

Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Active maintenance with a release 10 days ago. Requires Python 3.11 or later and depends on 10 runtime packages including bluesky, numpy, and pydantic.

License in practice

BSD 3-Clause License (permissive). You may use, modify, and distribute this software freely in commercial or private projects, provided you retain the copyright notice and disclaimer.

Quickstart

pip install ophyd-async

import ophyd_async
from bluesky import RunEngine
from ophyd_async.core import Device

# Define and use async devices with RunEngine

Requires Python 3.11 or later. Intended for use with Bluesky Run Engine in experiment orchestration workflows.

Verify before relying

• Specific EPICS PVA and Tango version compatibility requirements not listed in fact sheet.
• Performance characteristics of parallel signal access compared to threaded approaches.
• Maturity level beyond 'Alpha' classification and production readiness guarantees.

Package facts

Evidence: ophyd_async-0.21.1-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Scientific/Engineering packages