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:mod:`!tracemalloc` --- Trace memory allocations

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:mod:!tracemalloc --- Trace memory allocations

.. module:: tracemalloc :synopsis: Trace memory allocations.

.. versionadded:: 3.4

Source code: :source:Lib/tracemalloc.py


The tracemalloc module is a debug tool to trace memory blocks allocated by Python. It provides the following information:

  • Traceback where an object was allocated
  • Statistics on allocated memory blocks per filename and per line number: total size, number and average size of allocated memory blocks
  • Compute the differences between two snapshots to detect memory leaks

To trace most memory blocks allocated by Python, the module should be started as early as possible by setting the :envvar:PYTHONTRACEMALLOC environment variable to 1, or by using :option:-X tracemalloc command line option. The :func:tracemalloc.start function can be called at runtime to start tracing Python memory allocations.

By default, a trace of an allocated memory block only stores the most recent frame (1 frame). To store 25 frames at startup: set the :envvar:PYTHONTRACEMALLOC environment variable to 25, or use the :option:-X tracemalloc=25 command line option.

Examples

Display the top 10 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Display the 10 files allocating the most memory::

import tracemalloc

tracemalloc.start()

# ... run your application ...

snapshot = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()
top_stats = snapshot.statistics('lineno')

print("[ Top 10 ]")
for stat in top_stats[:10]:
    print(stat)

Example of output of the Python test suite::

[ Top 10 ]
<frozen importlib._bootstrap>:716: size=4855 KiB, count=39328, average=126 B
<frozen importlib._bootstrap>:284: size=521 KiB, count=3199, average=167 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/collections/__init__.py:368: size=244 KiB, count=2315, average=108 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/unittest/case.py:381: size=185 KiB, count=779, average=243 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/unittest/case.py:402: size=154 KiB, count=378, average=416 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/abc.py:133: size=88.7 KiB, count=347, average=262 B
<frozen importlib._bootstrap>:1446: size=70.4 KiB, count=911, average=79 B
<frozen importlib._bootstrap>:1454: size=52.0 KiB, count=25, average=2131 B
<string>:5: size=49.7 KiB, count=148, average=344 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/sysconfig.py:411: size=48.0 KiB, count=1, average=48.0 KiB

We can see that Python loaded 4855 KiB data (bytecode and constants) from modules and that the :mod:collections module allocated 244 KiB to build :class:~collections.namedtuple types.

See :meth:Snapshot.statistics for more options.

Compute differences ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Take two snapshots and display the differences::

import tracemalloc
tracemalloc.start()
# ... start your application ...

snapshot1 = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()
# ... call the function leaking memory ...
snapshot2 = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()

top_stats = snapshot2.compare_to(snapshot1, 'lineno')

print("[ Top 10 differences ]")
for stat in top_stats[:10]:
    print(stat)

Example of output before/after running some tests of the Python test suite::

[ Top 10 differences ]
<frozen importlib._bootstrap>:716: size=8173 KiB (+4428 KiB), count=71332 (+39369), average=117 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/linecache.py:127: size=940 KiB (+940 KiB), count=8106 (+8106), average=119 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/unittest/case.py:571: size=298 KiB (+298 KiB), count=589 (+589), average=519 B
<frozen importlib._bootstrap>:284: size=1005 KiB (+166 KiB), count=7423 (+1526), average=139 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/mimetypes.py:217: size=112 KiB (+112 KiB), count=1334 (+1334), average=86 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/http/server.py:848: size=96.0 KiB (+96.0 KiB), count=1 (+1), average=96.0 KiB
/usr/lib/python3.4/inspect.py:1465: size=83.5 KiB (+83.5 KiB), count=109 (+109), average=784 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/unittest/mock.py:491: size=77.7 KiB (+77.7 KiB), count=143 (+143), average=557 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/urllib/parse.py:476: size=71.8 KiB (+71.8 KiB), count=969 (+969), average=76 B
/usr/lib/python3.4/contextlib.py:38: size=67.2 KiB (+67.2 KiB), count=126 (+126), average=546 B

We can see that Python has loaded 8173 KiB of module data (bytecode and constants), and that this is 4428 KiB more than had been loaded before the tests, when the previous snapshot was taken. Similarly, the :mod:linecache module has cached 940 KiB of Python source code to format tracebacks, all of it since the previous snapshot.

If the system has little free memory, snapshots can be written on disk using the :meth:Snapshot.dump method to analyze the snapshot offline. Then use the :meth:Snapshot.load method reload the snapshot.

Get the traceback of a memory block ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Code to display the traceback of the biggest memory block::

import tracemalloc

# Store 25 frames
tracemalloc.start(25)

# ... run your application ...

snapshot = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()
top_stats = snapshot.statistics('traceback')

# pick the biggest memory block
stat = top_stats[0]
print("%s memory blocks: %.1f KiB" % (stat.count, stat.size / 1024))
for line in stat.traceback.format():
    print(line)

Example of output of the Python test suite (traceback limited to 25 frames)::

903 memory blocks: 870.1 KiB
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 716
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1036
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 934
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1068
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 619
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1581
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1614
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/doctest.py", line 101
    import pdb
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 284
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 938
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1068
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 619
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1581
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1614
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/support/__init__.py", line 1728
    import doctest
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/test_pickletools.py", line 21
    support.run_doctest(pickletools)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/regrtest.py", line 1276
    test_runner()
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/regrtest.py", line 976
    display_failure=not verbose)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/regrtest.py", line 761
    match_tests=ns.match_tests)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/regrtest.py", line 1563
    main()
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/test/__main__.py", line 3
    regrtest.main_in_temp_cwd()
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/runpy.py", line 73
    exec(code, run_globals)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.4/runpy.py", line 160
    "__main__", fname, loader, pkg_name)

We can see that the most memory was allocated in the :mod:importlib module to load data (bytecode and constants) from modules: 870.1 KiB. The traceback is where the :mod:importlib loaded data most recently: on the import pdb line of the :mod:doctest module. The traceback may change if a new module is loaded.

Pretty top ^^^^^^^^^^

Code to display the 10 lines allocating the most memory with a pretty output, ignoring <frozen importlib._bootstrap> and <unknown> files::

import linecache
import os
import tracemalloc

def display_top(snapshot, key_type='lineno', limit=10):
    snapshot = snapshot.filter_traces((
        tracemalloc.Filter(False, "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>"),
        tracemalloc.Filter(False, "<unknown>"),
    ))
    top_stats = snapshot.statistics(key_type)

    print("Top %s lines" % limit)
    for index, stat in enumerate(top_stats[:limit], 1):
        frame = stat.traceback[0]
        print("#%s: %s:%s: %.1f KiB"
              % (index, frame.filename, frame.lineno, stat.size / 1024))
        line = linecache.getline(frame.filename, frame.lineno).strip()
        if line:
            print('    %s' % line)

    other = top_stats[limit:]
    if other:
        size = sum(stat.size for stat in other)
        print("%s other: %.1f KiB" % (len(other), size / 1024))
    total = sum(stat.size for stat in top_stats)
    print("Total allocated size: %.1f KiB" % (total / 1024))

tracemalloc.start()

# ... run your application ...

snapshot = tracemalloc.take_snapshot()
display_top(snapshot)

Example of output of the Python test suite::

Top 10 lines
#1: Lib/base64.py:414: 419.8 KiB
    _b85chars2 = [(a + b) for a in _b85chars for b in _b85chars]
#2: Lib/base64.py:306: 419.8 KiB
    _a85chars2 = [(a + b) for a in _a85chars for b in _a85chars]
#3: collections/__init__.py:368: 293.6 KiB
    exec(class_definition, namespace)
#4: Lib/abc.py:133: 115.2 KiB
    cls = super().__new__(mcls, name, bases, namespace)
#5: unittest/case.py:574: 103.1 KiB
    testMethod()
#6: Lib/linecache.py:127: 95.4 KiB
    lines = fp.readlines()
#7: urllib/parse.py:476: 71.8 KiB
    for a in _hexdig for b in _hexdig}
#8: <string>:5: 62.0 KiB
#9: Lib/_weakrefset.py:37: 60.0 KiB
    self.data = set()
#10: Lib/base64.py:142: 59.8 KiB
    _b32tab2 = [a + b for a in _b32tab for b in _b32tab]
6220 other: 3602.8 KiB
Total allocated size: 5303.1 KiB

See :meth:Snapshot.statistics for more options.

Record the current and peak size of all traced memory blocks


The following code computes two sums like ``0 + 1 + 2 + ...`` inefficiently, by
creating a list of those numbers. This list consumes a lot of memory
temporarily. We can use :func:`get_traced_memory` and :func:`reset_peak` to
observe the small memory usage after the sum is computed as well as the peak
memory usage during the computations::

  import tracemalloc

  tracemalloc.start()

  # Example code: compute a sum with a large temporary list
  large_sum = sum(list(range(100000)))

  first_size, first_peak = tracemalloc.get_traced_memory()

  tracemalloc.reset_peak()

  # Example code: compute a sum with a small temporary list
  small_sum = sum(list(range(1000)))

  second_size, second_peak = tracemalloc.get_traced_memory()

  print(f"{first_size=}, {first_peak=}")
  print(f"{second_size=}, {second_peak=}")

Output::

  first_size=664, first_peak=3592984
  second_size=804, second_peak=29704

Using :func:`reset_peak` ensured we could accurately record the peak during the
computation of ``small_sum``, even though it is much smaller than the overall
peak size of memory blocks since the :func:`start` call. Without the call to
:func:`reset_peak`, ``second_peak`` would still be the peak from the
computation ``large_sum`` (that is, equal to ``first_peak``). In this case,
both peaks are much higher than the final memory usage, and which suggests we
could optimise (by removing the unnecessary call to :class:`list`, and writing
``sum(range(...))``).

API
---

Functions
^^^^^^^^^

.. function:: clear_traces()

   Clear traces of memory blocks allocated by Python.

   See also :func:`stop`.


.. function:: get_object_traceback(obj)

   Get the traceback where the Python object *obj* was allocated.
   Return a :class:`Traceback` instance, or ``None`` if the :mod:`!tracemalloc`
   module is not tracing memory allocations or did not trace the allocation of
   the object.

   See also :func:`gc.get_referrers` and :func:`sys.getsizeof` functions.


.. function:: get_traceback_limit()

   Get the maximum number of frames stored in the traceback of a trace.

   The :mod:`!tracemalloc` module must be tracing memory allocations to
   get the limit, otherwise an exception is raised.

   The limit is set by the :func:`start` function.


.. function:: get_traced_memory()

   Get the current size and peak size of memory blocks traced by the
   :mod:`!tracemalloc` module as a tuple: ``(current: int, peak: int)``.


.. function:: reset_peak()

   Set the peak size of memory blocks traced by the :mod:`!tracemalloc` module
   to the current size.

   Do nothing if the :mod:`!tracemalloc` module is not tracing memory
   allocations.

   This function only modifies the recorded peak size, and does not modify or
   clear any traces, unlike :func:`clear_traces`. Snapshots taken with
   :func:`take_snapshot` before a call to :func:`reset_peak` can be
   meaningfully compared to snapshots taken after the call.

   See also :func:`get_traced_memory`.

   .. versionadded:: 3.9


.. function:: get_tracemalloc_memory()

   Get the memory usage in bytes of the :mod:`!tracemalloc` module used to store
   traces of memory blocks.
   Return an :class:`int`.


.. function:: is_tracing()

    ``True`` if the :mod:`!tracemalloc` module is tracing Python memory
    allocations, ``False`` otherwise.

    See also :func:`start` and :func:`stop` functions.


.. function:: start(nframe: int=1)

   Start tracing Python memory allocations: install hooks on Python memory
   allocators. Collected tracebacks of traces will be limited to *nframe*
   frames. By default, a trace of a memory block only stores the most recent
   frame: the limit is ``1``. *nframe* must be greater or equal to ``1``.

   You can still read the original number of total frames that composed the
   traceback by looking at the :attr:`Traceback.total_nframe` attribute.

   Storing more than ``1`` frame is only useful to compute statistics grouped
   by ``'traceback'`` or to compute cumulative statistics: see the
   :meth:`Snapshot.compare_to` and :meth:`Snapshot.statistics` methods.

   Storing more frames increases the memory and CPU overhead of the
   :mod:`!tracemalloc` module. Use the :func:`get_tracemalloc_memory` function
   to measure how much memory is used by the :mod:`!tracemalloc` module.

   The :envvar:`PYTHONTRACEMALLOC` environment variable
   (``PYTHONTRACEMALLOC=NFRAME``) and the :option:`-X` ``tracemalloc=NFRAME``
   command line option can be used to start tracing at startup.

   See also :func:`stop`, :func:`is_tracing` and :func:`get_traceback_limit`
   functions.


.. function:: stop()

   Stop tracing Python memory allocations: uninstall hooks on Python memory
   allocators. Also clears all previously collected traces of memory blocks
   allocated by Python.

   Call :func:`take_snapshot` function to take a snapshot of traces before
   clearing them.

   See also :func:`start`, :func:`is_tracing` and :func:`clear_traces`
   functions.


.. function:: take_snapshot()

   Take a snapshot of traces of memory blocks allocated by Python. Return a new
   :class:`Snapshot` instance.

   The snapshot does not include memory blocks allocated before the
   :mod:`!tracemalloc` module started to trace memory allocations.

   Tracebacks of traces are limited to :func:`get_traceback_limit` frames. Use
   the *nframe* parameter of the :func:`start` function to store more frames.

   The :mod:`!tracemalloc` module must be tracing memory allocations to take a
   snapshot, see the :func:`start` function.

   See also the :func:`get_object_traceback` function.


DomainFilter
^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. class:: DomainFilter(inclusive: bool, domain: int)

   Filter traces of memory blocks by their address space (domain).

   .. versionadded:: 3.6

   .. attribute:: inclusive

      If *inclusive* is ``True`` (include), match memory blocks allocated
      in the address space :attr:`domain`.

      If *inclusive* is ``False`` (exclude), match memory blocks not allocated
      in the address space :attr:`domain`.

   .. attribute:: domain

      Address space of a memory block (``int``). Read-only property.


Filter
^^^^^^

.. class:: Filter(inclusive: bool, filename_pattern: str, lineno: int=None, all_frames: bool=False, domain: int=None)

   Filter on traces of memory blocks.

   See the :func:`fnmatch.fnmatch` function for the syntax of
   *filename_pattern*. The ``'.pyc'`` file extension is
   replaced with ``'.py'``.

   Examples:

   * ``Filter(True, subprocess.__file__)`` only includes traces of the
     :mod:`subprocess` module
   * ``Filter(False, tracemalloc.__file__)`` excludes traces of the
     :mod:`!tracemalloc` module
   * ``Filter(False, "<unknown>")`` excludes empty tracebacks


   .. versionchanged:: 3.5
      The ``'.pyo'`` file extension is no longer replaced with ``'.py'``.

   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
      Added the :attr:`domain` attribute.


   .. attribute:: domain

      Address space of a memory block (``int`` or ``None``).

      tracemalloc uses the domain ``0`` to trace memory allocations made by
      Python. C extensions can use other domains to trace other resources.

   .. attribute:: inclusive

      If *inclusive* is ``True`` (include), only match memory blocks allocated
      in a file with a name matching :attr:`filename_pattern` at line number
      :attr:`lineno`.

      If *inclusive* is ``False`` (exclude), ignore memory blocks allocated in
      a file with a name matching :attr:`filename_pattern` at line number
      :attr:`lineno`.

   .. attribute:: lineno

      Line number (``int``) of the filter. If *lineno* is ``None``, the filter
      matches any line number.

   .. attribute:: filename_pattern

      Filename pattern of the filter (``str``). Read-only property.

   .. attribute:: all_frames

      If *all_frames* is ``True``, all frames of the traceback are checked. If
      *all_frames* is ``False``, only the most recent frame is checked.

      This attribute has no effect if the traceback limit is ``1``.  See the
      :func:`get_traceback_limit` function and :attr:`Snapshot.traceback_limit`
      attribute.


Frame
^^^^^

.. class:: Frame

   Frame of a traceback.

   The :class:`Traceback` class is a sequence of :class:`Frame` instances.

   .. attribute:: filename

      Filename (``str``).

   .. attribute:: lineno

      Line number (``int``).


Snapshot
^^^^^^^^

.. class:: Snapshot

   Snapshot of traces of memory blocks allocated by Python.

   The :func:`take_snapshot` function creates a snapshot instance.

   .. method:: compare_to(old_snapshot: Snapshot, key_type: str, cumulative: bool=False)

      Compute the differences with an old snapshot. Get statistics as a sorted
      list of :class:`StatisticDiff` instances grouped by *key_type*.

      See the :meth:`Snapshot.statistics` method for *key_type* and *cumulative*
      parameters.

      The result is sorted from the biggest to the smallest by: absolute value
      of :attr:`StatisticDiff.size_diff`, :attr:`StatisticDiff.size`, absolute
      value of :attr:`StatisticDiff.count_diff`, :attr:`Statistic.count` and
      then by :attr:`StatisticDiff.traceback`.


   .. method:: dump(filename)

      Write the snapshot into a file.

      Use :meth:`load` to reload the snapshot.


   .. method:: filter_traces(filters)

      Create a new :class:`Snapshot` instance with a filtered :attr:`traces`
      sequence, *filters* is a list of :class:`DomainFilter` and
      :class:`Filter` instances.  If *filters* is an empty list, return a new
      :class:`Snapshot` instance with a copy of the traces.

      All inclusive filters are applied at once, a trace is ignored if no
      inclusive filters match it. A trace is ignored if at least one exclusive
      filter matches it.

      .. versionchanged:: 3.6
         :class:`DomainFilter` instances are now also accepted in *filters*.


   .. classmethod:: load(filename)

      Load a snapshot from a file.

      See also :meth:`dump`.


   .. method:: statistics(key_type: str, cumulative: bool=False)

      Get statistics as a sorted list of :class:`Statistic` instances grouped
      by *key_type*:

      =====================  ========================
      key_type               description
      =====================  ========================
      ``'filename'``         filename
      ``'lineno'``           filename and line number
      ``'traceback'``        traceback
      =====================  ========================

      If *cumulative* is ``True``, cumulate size and count of memory blocks of
      all frames of the traceback of a trace, not only the most recent frame.
      The cumulative mode can only be used with *key_type* equal to
      ``'filename'`` and ``'lineno'``.

      The result is sorted from the biggest to the smallest by:
      :attr:`Statistic.size`, :attr:`Statistic.count` and then by
      :attr:`Statistic.traceback`.


   .. attribute:: traceback_limit

      Maximum number of frames stored in the traceback of :attr:`traces`:
      result of the :func:`get_traceback_limit` when the snapshot was taken.

   .. attribute:: traces

      Traces of all memory blocks allocated by Python: sequence of
      :class:`Trace` instances.

      The sequence has an undefined order. Use the :meth:`Snapshot.statistics`
      method to get a sorted list of statistics.


Statistic
^^^^^^^^^

.. class:: Statistic

   Statistic on memory allocations.

   :func:`Snapshot.statistics` returns a list of :class:`Statistic` instances.

   See also the :class:`StatisticDiff` class.

   .. attribute:: count

      Number of memory blocks (``int``).

   .. attribute:: size

      Total size of memory blocks in bytes (``int``).

   .. attribute:: traceback

      Traceback where the memory block was allocated, :class:`Traceback`
      instance.


StatisticDiff
^^^^^^^^^^^^^

.. class:: StatisticDiff

   Statistic difference on memory allocations between an old and a new
   :class:`Snapshot` instance.

   :func:`Snapshot.compare_to` returns a list of :class:`StatisticDiff`
   instances. See also the :class:`Statistic` class.

   .. attribute:: count

      Number of memory blocks in the new snapshot (``int``): ``0`` if
      the memory blocks have been released in the new snapshot.

   .. attribute:: count_diff

      Difference of number of memory blocks between the old and the new
      snapshots (``int``): ``0`` if the memory blocks have been allocated in
      the new snapshot.

   .. attribute:: size

      Total size of memory blocks in bytes in the new snapshot (``int``):
      ``0`` if the memory blocks have been released in the new snapshot.

   .. attribute:: size_diff

      Difference of total size of memory blocks in bytes between the old and
      the new snapshots (``int``): ``0`` if the memory blocks have been
      allocated in the new snapshot.

   .. attribute:: traceback

      Traceback where the memory blocks were allocated, :class:`Traceback`
      instance.


Trace
^^^^^

.. class:: Trace

   Trace of a memory block.

   The :attr:`Snapshot.traces` attribute is a sequence of :class:`Trace`
   instances.

   .. versionchanged:: 3.6
      Added the :attr:`domain` attribute.

   .. attribute:: domain

      Address space of a memory block (``int``). Read-only property.

      tracemalloc uses the domain ``0`` to trace memory allocations made by
      Python. C extensions can use other domains to trace other resources.

   .. attribute:: size

      Size of the memory block in bytes (``int``).

   .. attribute:: traceback

      Traceback where the memory block was allocated, :class:`Traceback`
      instance.


Traceback
^^^^^^^^^

.. class:: Traceback

   Sequence of :class:`Frame` instances sorted from the oldest frame to the
   most recent frame.

   A traceback contains at least ``1`` frame. If the ``tracemalloc`` module
   failed to get a frame, the filename ``"<unknown>"`` at line number ``0`` is
   used.

   When a snapshot is taken, tracebacks of traces are limited to
   :func:`get_traceback_limit` frames. See the :func:`take_snapshot` function.
   The original number of frames of the traceback is stored in the
   :attr:`Traceback.total_nframe` attribute. That allows one to know if a traceback
   has been truncated by the traceback limit.

   The :attr:`Trace.traceback` attribute is a :class:`Traceback` instance.

   .. versionchanged:: 3.7
      Frames are now sorted from the oldest to the most recent, instead of most recent to oldest.

   .. attribute:: total_nframe

      Total number of frames that composed the traceback before truncation.
      This attribute can be set to ``None`` if the information is not
      available.

   .. versionchanged:: 3.9
      The :attr:`Traceback.total_nframe` attribute was added.

   .. method:: format(limit=None, most_recent_first=False)

      Format the traceback as a list of lines. Use the :mod:`linecache` module to
      retrieve lines from the source code. If *limit* is set, format the *limit*
      most recent frames if *limit* is positive. Otherwise, format the
      ``abs(limit)`` oldest frames. If *most_recent_first* is ``True``, the order
      of the formatted frames is reversed, returning the most recent frame first
      instead of last.

      Similar to the :func:`traceback.format_tb` function, except that
      :meth:`.format` does not include newlines.

      Example::

          print("Traceback (most recent call first):")
          for line in traceback:
              print(line)

      Output::

          Traceback (most recent call first):
            File "test.py", line 9
              obj = Object()
            File "test.py", line 12
              tb = tracemalloc.get_object_traceback(f())