opencensus
A stats collection and distributed tracing framework
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you are maintaining legacy code already using it. The project is archived and abandoned, with the last release on 2024-01-03 and no active maintenance. For new projects, use an actively maintained alternative. If you must use opencensus, pin to version 0.11.4 and plan a migration.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Project is archived and abandoned; no active maintenance or support for Python versions beyond 3.9.
- Installation is straightforward with low friction.
- However, the project is archived and abandoned, with the last release on 2024-01-03 and no active maintenance despite a recent commit on 2025-06-12.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely in commercial and open-source projects without copyleft obligations.
last release 2024-01-03 (954 days) · last repo commit 2025-06-12 · 676 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 23,992,088 downloads/mo, #929 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install opencensus
from opencensus.trace.tracer import Tracer
from opencensus.trace.samplers import AlwaysOnSampler
tracer = Tracer(sampler=AlwaysOnSampler())
with tracer.span(name='my_operation'):
# code to trace
pass- Whether the 2025-06-12 commit represents actual maintenance or automated repository updates
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.9
- Whether extension packages remain functional and maintained
- Recommended successor or migration path for new projects
What it is and what it does
OpenCensus is a framework for instrumenting Python applications to collect distributed traces and performance statistics. It provides a tracer that wraps code sections in spans, capturing timing and metadata as requests flow through your system. You initialize a tracer with a sampler (to control which requests are traced), an exporter (to send traces somewhere), and optional propagators (to pass trace context across service boundaries). The core package includes built-in exporters that print or log traces, plus hooks to integrate with popular web frameworks and client libraries.
The package depends on opencensus-context, six, and google-api-core. It supports Python 2.7 through 3.9 according to its classifiers, though the project is now archived and no longer maintained. While it has substantial download volume, its abandonment means no bug fixes, security patches, or support for newer Python versions will be released.
Use it for
- Trace HTTP requests through a Flask or Django application to identify slow endpoints and bottlenecks
- Propagate trace IDs across microservices to correlate logs and spans from a single user request
- Export traces to Jaeger, Zipkin, or Datadog for visualization and analysis of distributed request flows
- Instrument database calls to measure query latency and identify performance problems
- Sample a percentage of requests in production to collect performance data without overwhelming your backend
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No, unless you are maintaining legacy code already using it.
The project is archived and abandoned, with the last release on 2024-01-03 and no active maintenance. For new projects, use an actively maintained alternative. If you must use opencensus, pin to version 0.11.4 and plan a migration.
Install
opencensus on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with low friction. However, the project is archived and abandoned, with the last release on 2024-01-03 and no active maintenance despite a recent commit on 2025-06-12.
Project is archived and abandoned; no active maintenance or support for Python versions beyond 3.9.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely in commercial and open-source projects without copyleft obligations.
Quickstart
pip install opencensus
from opencensus.trace.tracer import Tracer
from opencensus.trace.samplers import AlwaysOnSampler
tracer = Tracer(sampler=AlwaysOnSampler())
with tracer.span(name='my_operation'):
# code to trace
passVerify before relying
- Whether the 2025-06-12 commit represents actual maintenance or automated repository updates
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.9
- Whether extension packages remain functional and maintained
- Recommended successor or migration path for new projects
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagesopencensus-contextsixgoogle-api-core |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 954 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 23,992,088 / month, #929 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9 |
Evidence: opencensus-0.11.4-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also opencensus-context · opencensus-ext-flask · opencensus-ext-logging · opencensus-ext-requests · opencensus-ext-azure · opencensus-proto · jaeger-client · azure-core-tracing-opentelemetry · opentelemetry-propagator-b3