Google Cloud Snapshot Debugger for Python

4.1 · active · verified Mon Apr 13

The Python Cloud Debugger client library (now known as Google Cloud Snapshot Debugger) allows you to inspect the state of a running Python application in Google Cloud without stopping or slowing it down. It works by capturing snapshots of application state. The current version is 4.1, with releases typically aligning with significant feature updates or bug fixes.

Warnings

breaking Version 4.0 of `google-python-cloud-debugger` removes support for the deprecated Cloud Debugger API backend. It now exclusively uses the Firebase Realtime Database backend.
Fix: Ensure your service account has permissions for Firebase Realtime Database and that your application can connect to Firebase. Existing integrations using the old API will break and require an update.
gotcha The PyPI package name is `google-python-cloud-debugger`, but the module you import and use is `snapshot_debugger`.
Fix: Always use `from snapshot_debugger import ...` or `import snapshot_debugger` in your code. Do not attempt to import `googleclouddebugger` which is for older, unsupported versions.
deprecated The original Cloud Debugger API has been deprecated by Google. The `google-python-cloud-debugger` library has shifted to use Firebase Realtime Database as its backend for snapshot debugging.
Fix: Migrate any existing Cloud Debugger API-specific configurations to leverage the Firebase Realtime Database backend. Ensure your environment and service accounts are configured for Firebase access.
gotcha Python 2.7 support was dropped in version 2.19. Modern versions of the library (>=3.x) require Python 3.7 or newer.
Fix: Ensure your application runs on Python 3.7 or a newer compatible version. Upgrade your Python runtime if you are still on 2.7 or an older 3.x version.

Install

pip install google-python-cloud-debugger Install latest version

Imports

start
```
from snapshot_debugger import start
```
Since version 3.0, and especially 4.0, the package `google-python-cloud-debugger` installs the module `snapshot_debugger`. The old `googleclouddebugger` module is no longer supported.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to initialize the Snapshot Debugger in your Python application. After calling `snapshot_debugger.start()`, your application will connect to the Google Cloud Console, allowing you to set breakpoints and inspect variables without redeploying. Ensure your Google Cloud project is configured for Cloud Debugger and the service account has the necessary permissions (e.g., Cloud Debugger, Firebase Realtime Database Admin).

import snapshot_debugger
import os

# snapshot_debugger.start() attempts to auto-detect project ID and config.
# For local testing, you might need to specify it or set environment variables.
# Example for App Engine, Cloud Functions, GKE etc. it usually works out of the box.
# For manual configuration if needed:
# snapshot_debugger.start(project_id='your-gcp-project-id', module='your-app-name', version='1.0')

# In a typical cloud environment, simply calling start() is sufficient.
# Ensure your service account has 'Cloud Debugger' role.
# For Firebase backend, the service account needs 'Firebase Realtime Database Admin' role.
snapshot_debugger.start()

print('Snapshot Debugger started. You can now set breakpoints in the Google Cloud Console.')

def main():
    x = 10
    y = 20
    z = x + y # Set a breakpoint here in Google Cloud Console
    print(f'Result: {z}')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

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