# Short-n-long
An example demonstrating running flows as both a short-lived application and a
server.
### Monitoring and Running
For an enhanced development experience, use the provided `run.sh` script to start the sample with automatic reloading:
```bash
./run.sh
```
This script uses `watchmedo` to monitor changes in:
- `src/` (Python logic)
- `../../packages` (Genkit core)
- `../../plugins` (Genkit plugins)
- File patterns: `*.py`, `*.prompt`, `*.json`
Changes will automatically trigger a restart of the sample. You can also pass command-line arguments directly to the script, e.g., `./run.sh --some-flag`.
## Setup environment
### How to Get Your Gemini API Key
To use the Google GenAI plugin, you need a Gemini API key.
1. **Visit AI Studio**: Go to [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/).
2. **Create API Key**: Click on "Get API key" and create a key in a new or existing Google Cloud project.
For more details, check out the [official documentation](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/api-key).
Export the API key as env variable `GEMINI_API_KEY` in your shell configuration.
```bash
export GEMINI_API_KEY='<Your api key>'
```
## Run the sample
To start the short-lived application normally.
```bash
uv run src/main.py
```
To start the short-lived application in dev mode:
```bash
genkit start -- uv run src/main.py
```
To start as a server normally:
```bash
uv run src/main.py --server
```
To start as a server in dev mode:
```bash
genkit start -- uv run src/main.py --server
```
## Running with a specific version of Python
```bash
genkit start -- uv run --python python3.10 src/main.py
```
## Testing This Demo
1. **Prerequisites**:
```bash
export GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key
```
2. **Run the server** (two modes):
```bash
cd py/samples/short-n-long
# Short mode (development with DevUI)
./run.sh
# Long mode (production server)
uv run python src/main.py --mode=long
```
3. **Test the API directly**:
```bash
# Call a flow via HTTP
curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/say_hi \\
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \\
-d '{"name": "World"}'
```
4. **Open DevUI** (short mode) at http://localhost:4000
5. **Test the flows**:
- [ ] `say_hi` - Simple generation
- [ ] `say_hi_stream` - Streaming response
- [ ] `simple_generate_with_tools_flow` - Tool calling
- [ ] `generate_character` - Structured output
6. **Expected behavior**:
- Server starts and accepts HTTP requests
- Lifecycle hooks run on startup/shutdown
- All flows work via HTTP API
- Proper graceful shutdown on SIGTERM
