What is the difference between asyncio.gather and asyncio.create_task?

Question

Accepted Answer

**asyncio.gather** runs multiple coroutines concurrently and returns results in order. **asyncio.create_task** schedules a coroutine as a Task.

```python
import asyncio

async def slow(n):
    await asyncio.sleep(n)
    return n

# gather — run all, return results
async def main_gather():
    results = await asyncio.gather(
        slow(3), slow(1), slow(2)
    )
    print(results)  # [3, 1, 2] — order preserved

# create_task — schedule and await individually
async def main_tasks():
    t1 = asyncio.create_task(slow(3))
    t2 = asyncio.create_task(slow(1))
    t3 = asyncio.create_task(slow(2))
    print(await t1)  # 3
    print(await t2)  # 1
    print(await t3)  # 2
```

**Key differences:**
- `gather` returns results as a list.
- `create_task` returns a Task object.
- `gather` is simpler for collecting results.
- `create_task` gives more control over individual tasks.

Python: What is the difference between asyncio.gather and asyncio.create_task?