{"id":8508,"library":"pypprof","title":"Pypprof HTTP Profiling Endpoints","description":"pypprof (version 0.0.1) adds HTTP-based endpoints to Python applications for collecting CPU and heap profiles, similar to Go's `net/http/pprof`. It leverages `zprofile` and `mprofile` under the hood for profile collection. The last release was in 2019, indicating the library is in a maintenance state rather than active development.","status":"maintenance","version":"0.0.1","language":"en","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/timpalpant/pypprof","tags":["profiling","performance","pprof","http","debug"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install pypprof","lang":"bash","label":"Install pypprof"}],"dependencies":[{"reason":"Used for CPU profiling.","package":"zprofile","optional":false},{"reason":"Used for heap (memory) profiling. Required for Python >= 3.4, and for Python < 3.4, it needs manual installation and Python patching. Only supported on linux/amd64.","package":"mprofile","optional":true}],"imports":[{"symbol":"start_pprof_server","correct":"from pypprof.net_http import start_pprof_server"}],"quickstart":{"code":"from pypprof.net_http import start_pprof_server\nimport time\nimport threading\n\ndef my_heavy_computation():\n    total = 0\n    for i in range(10000000):\n        total += i * i\n    return total\n\ndef background_task():\n    while True:\n        print(f\"Performing heavy computation: {my_heavy_computation()}\")\n        time.sleep(1)\n\nif __name__ == \"__main__\":\n    # Start the pprof server on port 8081\n    print(\"Starting pypprof server on port 8081...\")\n    start_pprof_server(port=8081)\n    print(\"pypprof server started. Access profiles at http://localhost:8081/debug/pprof/\")\n    print(\"To fetch a CPU profile: go tool pprof -http=:8088 :8081/debug/pprof/profile\")\n    print(\"To fetch a heap profile: go tool pprof :8081/debug/pprof/heap\")\n\n    # Run a background task to generate some CPU load for profiling\n    worker_thread = threading.Thread(target=background_task, daemon=True)\n    worker_thread.start()\n\n    try:\n        while True:\n            time.sleep(10) # Keep the main thread alive\n    except KeyboardInterrupt:\n        print(\"Exiting.\")\n","lang":"python","description":"This quickstart demonstrates how to integrate `pypprof` into a simple Python application to expose profiling endpoints. After running, you can access CPU and heap profiles via `go tool pprof` (requires Go installed) or `curl` against the exposed `/debug/pprof/` endpoints. A background thread continuously performs a CPU-intensive task to generate data for profiling."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Evaluate alternative, actively maintained profiling libraries like `memory_profiler`, `cProfile`, `pyinstrument`, or framework-specific wrappers like `flask-pypprof` for Flask applications.","message":"The `pypprof` library (version 0.0.1) was last released in October 2019 and is classified as 'Pre-Alpha' on PyPI. It is not actively maintained, and users might encounter compatibility issues with newer Python versions or modern application frameworks. Consider more actively developed profiling solutions for new projects.","severity":"deprecated","affected_versions":"<=0.0.1"},{"fix":"For Python < 3.4, refer to the `mprofile` documentation for manual installation and patching instructions. For newer Python versions, `mprofile` should be a more straightforward dependency.","message":"Memory profiling functionality, which relies on the `mprofile` dependency, is only fully supported by default for Python >= 3.4. For Python versions between 2.7 and 3.3, memory profiling requires manually patching your Python installation and installing `mprofile`.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"Python < 3.4 (>= 2.7)"},{"fix":"Ensure your application runs on a `linux/amd64` environment if memory profiling is critical. Alternatively, disable memory profiling or explore other profiling tools that support your target architecture.","message":"The `mprofile` dependency, essential for memory profiling in `pypprof`, is known to only work on `linux/amd64` architectures. It does not support `linux/arm64` or other platforms, which can lead to failures when attempting memory profiling on unsupported systems.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"<=0.0.1"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z","problems":[{"fix":"Install the Go programming language (go.dev/doc/install) and ensure its binaries are accessible in your system's PATH. This will enable you to use `go tool pprof` for visualizing profiles.","cause":"The `go tool pprof` command is part of the Go programming language toolchain and is required to interactively view the profiles generated by `pypprof`. This error indicates that Go is not installed or not in your system's PATH.","error":"go tool pprof: no such file or directory"},{"fix":"First, ensure `pypprof` is installed by running `pip install pypprof`. If it is, double-check the import statement for any typos, it should be `from pypprof.net_http import start_pprof_server`.","cause":"This error typically occurs if `pypprof` is not installed correctly, or if there is a typo in the import statement.","error":"ImportError: cannot import name 'start_pprof_server' from 'pypprof.net_http'"},{"fix":"To fix this, you must run `pypprof` on a `linux/amd64` machine. If that's not possible, you will need to disable memory profiling or use an alternative profiling tool that supports your system's architecture.","cause":"This error directly indicates that you are trying to use `mprofile` (and thus memory profiling in `pypprof`) on an unsupported architecture, such as `linux/arm64`.","error":"mprofile.exceptions.MProfileException: failed to install hooks: mprofile only works on linux/amd64"}]}