{"categories":[{"label":"Debuggers","url":"https://skillfed.io/packages/category/software-development-debuggers"}],"enrichment":{"capability":"PyStack inspects the stack frames of a running Python process or core dump file, showing what code is executing or what caused a crash, without modifying the target process.","skillfed_tags":["debugging","production-diagnostics","linux-only"],"use_cases":["Diagnose why a production Python service is hanging or unresponsive by inspecting its current call stack without restarting.","Analyze a core dump from a crashed Python process to understand the execution state at the time of failure.","Debug deadlocks or GIL contention by checking which threads hold the lock and what code they are running.","Inspect native function calls mixed with Python frames to troubleshoot crashes in C extensions or mixed-language code.","Examine local variables and function arguments in stack frames to understand program state without interactive debugging."],"what_it_does":"PyStack is a command-line debugger that attaches to running Python processes or analyzes core dump files to extract and display their call stacks. It works by reading process memory directly, making it safe for production use since it does not execute code or modify memory in the target process. The tool can show which threads hold the Python GIL, whether garbage collection is running, and optionally display native C/C++/Rust frames alongside Python frames, local variables, and function arguments.\n\nThe package is built on low-level system introspection and is designed to work even with optimized or stripped Python binaries. It supports multiple interpreters in the same process and can tolerate memory corruption, making it useful for diagnosing hangs, deadlocks, and crashes in production systems. PyStack requires Linux and system libraries (libdw, libelf) to build, but pre-built wheels are available for Python 3.9 through 3.15.","worth_installing":"Yes, if you develop or operate Python services on Linux and need non-intrusive runtime diagnostics. PyStack fills a gap between interactive debuggers (which require stopping execution) and coarse-grained monitoring. The active maintenance, zero security vulnerabilities, permissive license, and broad Python version support make it low-risk. The main barrier is the Linux-only requirement and system library dependencies; if you're on a different OS or cannot install libdw and libelf, it is not an option."},"id":"pystack","links":{"html":"https://skillfed.io/packages/pystack","md":"https://skillfed.io/packages/pystack.md","pypi":"https://pypi.org/project/pystack/"},"maintenance":{"status":"active"},"meta":{"latest_release":"2026-08-07","license_spdx":null,"license_treatment":"permissive","name":"pystack","python_support":"supports_current","summary":"Analysis of the stack of remote python processes"},"popularity":{"monthly_downloads":335257,"position":7477,"tier":"top_15000"},"security":{"n_vulnerabilities":0},"version":"1.7.1"}