namespaces.rst

Using Namespaces

A namespace is a logical grouping of jobs and named actors. When an actor is named, its name must be unique within the namespace.

In order to set your applications namespace, it should be specified when you first connect to the cluster.

Python

ray.init(namespace="hello")
# or using ray client
ray.init("ray://<head_node_host>:10001", namespace="world")

Java

System.setProperty("ray.job.namespace", "hello"); // set it before Ray.init()
Ray.init();

Please refer to Driver Options for ways of configuring a Java application.

Named actors are only accessible within their namespaces.

Python

# `ray start --head` has been run to launch a local cluster.
import ray

@ray.remote
class Actor:
    pass

# Job 1 creates two actors, "orange" and "purple" in the "colors" namespace.
with ray.init("ray://localhost:10001", namespace="colors"):
    Actor.options(name="orange", lifetime="detached")
    Actor.options(name="purple", lifetime="detached")

# Job 2 is now connecting to a different namespace.
with ray.init("ray://localhost:10001", namespace="fruits")
    # This fails because "orange" was defined in the "colors" namespace.
    ray.get_actor("orange")
    # This succceeds because the name "orange" is unused in this namespace.
    Actor.options(name="orange", lifetime="detached")
    Actor.options(name="watermelon", lifetime="detached")

# Job 3 connects to the original "colors" namespace
context = ray.init("ray://localhost:10001", namespace="colors")
# This fails because "watermelon" was in the fruits namespace.
ray.get_actor("watermelon")
# This returns the "orange" actor we created in the first job, not the second.
ray.get_actor("orange")
context.disconnect()
# We are manually managing the scope of the connection in this example.

Java

// `ray start --head` has been run to launch a local cluster.

// Job 1 creates two actors, "orange" and "purple" in the "colors" namespace.
System.setProperty("ray.address", "localhost:10001");
System.setProperty("ray.job.namespace", "colors");
try {
    Ray.init();
    Ray.actor(Actor::new).setName("orange").remote();
    Ray.actor(Actor::new).setName("purple").remote();
} finally {
    Ray.shutdown();
}

// Job 2 is now connecting to a different namespace.
System.setProperty("ray.address", "localhost:10001");
System.setProperty("ray.job.namespace", "fruits");
try {
    Ray.init();
    // This fails because "orange" was defined in the "colors" namespace.
    Ray.getActor("orange").isPresent(); // return false
    // This succceeds because the name "orange" is unused in this namespace.
    Ray.actor(Actor::new).setName("orange").remote();
    Ray.actor(Actor::new).setName("watermelon").remote();
} finally {
    Ray.shutdown();
}

// Job 3 connects to the original "colors" namespace.
System.setProperty("ray.address", "localhost:10001");
System.setProperty("ray.job.namespace", "colors");
try {
    Ray.init();
    // This fails because "watermelon" was in the fruits namespace.
    Ray.getActor("watermelon").isPresent(); // return false
    // This returns the "orange" actor we created in the first job, not the second.
    Ray.getActor("orange").isPresent(); // return true
} finally {
    Ray.shutdown();
}

Anonymous namespaces

When a namespace is not specified, Ray will place your job in an anonymous namespace. In an anonymous namespace, your job will have its own namespace and will not have access to actors in other namespaces.

Python

# `ray start --head` has been run to launch a local cluster

import ray

@ray.remote
class Actor:
    pass

# Job 1 connects to an anonymous namespace by default
ctx = ray.init("ray://localhost:10001")
Actor.options(name="my_actor", lifetime="detached")
ctx.disconnect()

# Job 2 connects to a _different_ anonymous namespace by default
ctx = ray.init("ray://localhost:10001")
# This succeeds because the second job is in its own namespace.
Actor.options(name="my_actor", lifetime="detached")
ctx.disconnect()

Java

// `ray start --head` has been run to launch a local cluster.

// Job 1 connects to an anonymous namespace by default.
System.setProperty("ray.address", "localhost:10001");
try {
    Ray.init();
    Ray.actor(Actor::new).setName("my_actor").remote();
} finally {
    Ray.shutdown();
}

// Job 2 connects to a _different_ anonymous namespace by default
System.setProperty("ray.address", "localhost:10001");
try {
    Ray.init();
    // This succeeds because the second job is in its own namespace.
    Ray.actor(Actor::new).setName("my_actor").remote();
} finally {
    Ray.shutdown();
}

Note

Anonymous namespaces are implemented as UUID's. This makes it possible for a future job to manually connect to an existing anonymous namespace, but it is not recommended.

Getting the current namespace

You can access to the current namespace using runtime_context APIs <runtime-context-apis>.

Python

import ray
ray.init(address="auto", namespace="colors")
# Will print the information about "colors" namespace.
print(ray.get_runtime_context().namespace)

Java

System.setProperty("ray.job.namespace", "colors");
try {
    Ray.init();
    // Will print the information about "colors" namespace.
    System.out.println(Ray.getRuntimeContext().getNamespace());
} finally {
    Ray.shutdown();
}