py-spy

Profile running process

$ py-spy top --pid [pid]

$ py-spy record -o [profile.svg] --pid [pid]

$ py-spy dump --pid [pid]

$ py-spy record -o [output.svg] -- python [script.py]

py-spy command [options]

py-spy is a sampling profiler for Python programs that works by reading the process memory of a running Python interpreter without requiring any code modifications or restarts. This approach introduces minimal overhead, making it suitable for profiling production workloads.
The top subcommand provides a live view of where Python is spending time, similar to the Unix top utility. The record subcommand generates flame graphs in SVG, speedscope, or raw format for detailed analysis, and dump captures stack traces from all threads at a single point in time. Written in Rust, py-spy supports CPython interpreters and can attach to already-running processes by PID.

top

Live top-like view.

Record to file.

Dump stack traces.

Target process ID.

Output file.

Sample rate.

Requires root for other users' processes. No code modification needed.

py-spy was created for low-overhead Python profiling.

perf(1), python(1), cProfile(1)