OpenCensus Runtime Context

0.1.3 verified Tue May 12 auth: no python install: verified deprecated

OpenCensus Runtime Context is a Python library that provides in-process context propagation, using `contextvars` for Python 3.6+ (with asyncio support) and thread-local storage for older Python versions (2.7, 3.4, 3.5). While the `opencensus-python` repository still exists, the broader OpenCensus project has merged with OpenTracing to form OpenTelemetry, which is now the recommended successor for observability. This library's last release was in August 2022, version 0.1.3. [1, 2, 3, 9]

pip install opencensus-context

Common errors

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'opencensus.context' ↓

cause The Python interpreter cannot find the 'opencensus.context' module, typically because the 'opencensus-context' library is not installed or not accessible in the current environment.

fix

Ensure the library is installed using pip: pip install opencensus-context or pip install opencensus (as opencensus-context is usually installed with opencensus).

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'opencensus' ↓

cause The core 'opencensus' library, which includes 'opencensus-context' by default, is not installed or not found by the Python interpreter.

fix

Install the main OpenCensus library: pip install opencensus.

error TypeError: bases must be types ↓

cause This error often occurs due to conflicts with dependency versions, particularly with 'protobuf' when used with 'opencensus-ext-azure', affecting the wider OpenCensus ecosystem which includes 'opencensus-context'.

fix

Downgrade conflicting dependencies, for example, a common fix is to downgrade 'protobuf' to a version compatible with your 'opencensus' and related 'opencensus-ext' libraries, e.g., pip install protobuf==3.20.3 or pip install google-api-core==2.9.0.

error error: subprocess-exited-with-error × python setup.py egg_info did not run successfully. ... ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'version' ↓

cause This indicates an installation failure for `opencensus-context` (or a related OpenCensus package), often occurring with specific `pip` flags (like `--no-binary`) or in certain build environments, due to issues with package metadata generation.

fix

Try installing without --no-binary if it's being used. Ensure setuptools is up-to-date (pip install --upgrade setuptools). If packaging for a specific distribution, check for available source distributions or pre-built wheels.

error ImportError: cannot import name 'RuntimeContext' from 'opencensus.context' ↓

cause Developers often incorrectly try to import `RuntimeContext` directly from `opencensus.context`, but it is located in the `opencensus.common.runtime_context` module.

fix

Correct the import statement to from opencensus.common.runtime_context import RuntimeContext.

Warnings

breaking OpenCensus has officially merged with OpenTracing to form OpenTelemetry, which is considered the next major version. Users are strongly encouraged to migrate to OpenTelemetry for active development, new features, and continued support. Most OpenCensus GitHub repositories (except `opencensus-python`) were archived on July 31st, 2023. [3, 9, 10, 12] ↓

fix Plan a migration to OpenTelemetry. Official bridge libraries are available for Python to help with incremental migration. Be aware of potential breaking changes due to semantic conventions, data model differences, and API feature differences. [3, 8, 9, 11]

deprecated Azure Monitor OpenCensus exporters are on the path to deprecation and will be officially unsupported by September 2024. Users are advised to migrate to Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Distro or exporters. [14] ↓

fix For Azure Monitor users, migrate to the Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry Distro or the Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry exporters. Note that Microsoft does not recommend or support the OpenTelemetry OpenCensus shim for Azure Monitor users. [14, 16]

gotcha `opencensus-context` uses `contextvars` for Python 3.6+ for asyncio support and thread-local storage for older Python versions (2.7, 3.4, 3.5). This might lead to unexpected behavior if not accounted for when porting code between Python versions, especially with asynchronous patterns. [1, 2] ↓

fix Ensure that your target Python version's context propagation mechanism is understood, especially when dealing with concurrent or asynchronous code. For Python < 3.6, explicit context propagation might be more frequently required in complex scenarios.

breaking OpenTelemetry-based monitoring for Python officially supports Python 3.7 and later. If you are using OpenCensus with Python 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, or 3.6, you will need to upgrade your Python version to migrate to OpenTelemetry-based solutions, as these older Python versions are end-of-life and unsupported by OpenTelemetry. [16] ↓

fix Upgrade your Python environment to 3.7 or later before attempting to migrate from OpenCensus to OpenTelemetry. If an upgrade is not feasible, OpenTelemetry solutions will not be officially supported.

gotcha Attempting to access `RuntimeContext.current_context()` directly will result in an `AttributeError` because `current_context` is not a registered context slot. Context variables should be managed using `RuntimeContext.set_opencensus_context()` and `RuntimeContext.get_opencensus_context()`. ↓

fix Use `RuntimeContext.set_opencensus_context('key', value)` and `RuntimeContext.get_opencensus_context('key')` to manage context variables.

Install compatibility verified last tested: 2026-05-12

python os / libc status wheel install import disk

3.10 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.01s 17.8M

3.10 alpine (musl) - - 0.01s 17.8M

3.10 slim (glibc) wheel 1.5s 0.01s 18M

3.10 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 18M

3.11 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.03s 19.7M

3.11 alpine (musl) - - 0.03s 19.7M

3.11 slim (glibc) wheel 1.5s 0.02s 20M

3.11 slim (glibc) - - 0.02s 20M

3.12 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.02s 11.6M

3.12 alpine (musl) - - 0.02s 11.6M

3.12 slim (glibc) wheel 1.4s 0.02s 12M

3.12 slim (glibc) - - 0.02s 12M

3.13 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.02s 11.3M

3.13 alpine (musl) - - 0.02s 11.2M

3.13 slim (glibc) wheel 1.4s 0.02s 12M

3.13 slim (glibc) - - 0.02s 12M

3.9 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.02s 17.3M

3.9 alpine (musl) - - 0.02s 17.3M

3.9 slim (glibc) wheel 1.7s 0.01s 18M

3.9 slim (glibc) - - 0.01s 18M

Imports

RuntimeContext

from opencensus.common.runtime_context import RuntimeContext

Quickstart last tested: 2026-04-24

This example demonstrates how to explicitly propagate the runtime context to a new thread using `RuntimeContext.with_current_context`. By default, context propagation happens automatically within a process, following control flow for threads and asynchronous coroutines. The context is a dictionary-like object. [1, 2]

from threading import Thread
from opencensus.common.runtime_context import RuntimeContext

def work(name):
    # The context is automatically propagated to new threads started via with_current_context
    current_context = RuntimeContext.current_context()
    print(f"Worker '{name}' in context: {current_context}")

# Create a context on the main thread
RuntimeContext.current_context()['request_id'] = 'main_req_123'

# Propagate context explicitly to a new thread
thread = Thread(
    target=RuntimeContext.with_current_context(work),
    args=('child_thread_A',),
)
thread.start()
thread.join()

# Another example with a simple function call in the current context
def another_work(name):
    current_context = RuntimeContext.current_context()
    print(f"Another worker '{name}' in context: {current_context}")

another_work('direct_call_B')