Python/Profiling
From charlesreid1
Introduction
List of Python Profiling Tools
Built Into Python
Profiling tools provided by Python:
- cProfile is a C extension, the recommended method of profiling python programs, and is based on lsprof
profile is a module that adds significant overhead; reports time spent in calls to built-in functions and methodshotshot - not developed/supported anymore
Benefits:
- Easy
- Built-in
Downsides:
- As stated by rkern [1], "The current profiling tools supported in Python 2.7 and later only time function calls. This is a good first step for locating hotspots in one's program and is frequently all one needs to do to optimize the program. However, sometimes the cause of the hotspot is actually a single line in the function, and that line may not be obvious from just reading the source code."
Link: https://docs.python.org/2/library/profile.html
Line by Line
line_profiler module:
- Can time code by adding decorators
- Dumps a binary file that gives a line by line breakdown of time spent within a given function
To install:
$ pip install line_profiler
To profile:
@profile
def slow_function(a, b, c):
...
This results in a file called script_to_profile.py.lprof, which you can read with the line_prof module:
$ python -m line_profiler script_to_profile.py.lprof
Link to github: https://github.com/rkern/line_profiler
Graphviz Dot
Gprof2dot:
- Reads all sorts of input formats, outputs to graphviz dot
Gprof2dot link: https://github.com/jrfonseca/gprof2dot