Python Standard Library

The profile Module

The profile module is the standard Python profiler.

Like the disassembler and the debugger, you can run the profiler from the command line:

$ profile.py hello.py

hello again, and welcome to the show

         3 function calls in 0.785 CPU seconds

  Ordered by: standard name

  ncalls  tottime  percall  cumtime  percall filename:lineno(function)
       1  0.001    0.001    0.002    0.002 <string>:1(?)
       1  0.001    0.001    0.001    0.001 hello.py:1(?)
       1  0.783    0.783    0.785    0.785 profile:0(execfile('hello.py'))
       0  0.000             0.000          profile:0(profiler)

It can also be used to profile part of a program, as Example 11-4 shows.

Example 11-4. Using the profile Module

File: profile-example-1.py

import profile

def func1():
    for i in range(1000):
        pass

def func2():
    for i in range(1000):
        func1()

profile.run("func2()")

        1003 function calls in 2.380 CPU seconds

  Ordered by: standard name

  ncalls  tottime  percall  cumtime  percall filename:lineno(function)
       1  0.000    0.000    2.040    2.040 <string>:1(?)
    1000  1.950    0.002    1.950    0.002 profile-example-1.py:3(func1)
       1  0.090    0.090    2.040    2.040 profile-example-1.py:7(func2)
       1  0.340    0.340    2.380    2.380 profile:0(func2())
       0  0.000             0.000          profile:0(profiler)

You can modify the report to suit your needs, via the pstats module.