opencensus-proto
OpenCensus Proto
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No, unless you are maintaining legacy code already using OpenCensus. The package is abandoned and superseded by OpenTelemetry, which the maintainers recommend for all new work. If you are starting a new observability project, use OpenTelemetry instead. If you must maintain existing OpenCensus integration, this package will install without friction, but plan a migration path.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- This package provides only proto definitions; you will need grpcio and a working protoc compiler or pre-generated Python bindings to use the messages meaningfully.
- Installation is straightforward with no complex dependencies beyond grpcio, but the package is abandoned as of 2023-05-02 and archived.
- The project was superseded by OpenTelemetry, which the maintainers recommend for new work.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache-2.0 (permissive) — Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing use in most commercial and open-source projects without significant restriction.
last release 2019-04-12 (2681 days) · last repo commit 2023-05-02 · 80 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 96,306 downloads/mo, #13,221 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install opencensus-proto
from opencensus.proto.trace.v1 import trace_pb2
span = trace_pb2.Span()- Whether pre-generated Python bindings are included or if you must compile protos yourself
- Compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.7, given the classifier list ends there
- Whether this package is still functional or if OpenTelemetry proto packages are required for current systems
What it is and what it does
OpenCensus Proto is a collection of Protocol Buffer message definitions for the OpenCensus observability framework, defining the wire format for tracing spans, metrics, and related metadata. It exists to ensure consistent serialization across different language implementations (Go, Java, C++, Python, etc.) so that observability data can be exchanged reliably in distributed systems.
However, the package is no longer maintained. OpenCensus and OpenTracing merged into OpenTelemetry in 2023, and all OpenCensus repositories except the Python implementation were archived on July 31st, 2023. The maintainers explicitly recommend migrating to OpenTelemetry, which has achieved feature parity and offers migration bridges for gradual transition. This package should be considered end-of-life for new projects.
Use it for
- Deserializing OpenCensus trace and metrics data received from legacy systems still using the older framework
- Maintaining existing Python services that depend on opencensus-proto for proto message definitions
- Interoperating with non-Python OpenCensus implementations (Go, Java) that still emit proto-formatted observability data
- Understanding the proto schema of historical observability data stored in OpenCensus format
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 OpenCensus.
The package is abandoned and superseded by OpenTelemetry, which the maintainers recommend for all new work. If you are starting a new observability project, use OpenTelemetry instead. If you must maintain existing OpenCensus integration, this package will install without friction, but plan a migration path.
Install
opencensus-proto on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with no complex dependencies beyond grpcio, but the package is abandoned as of 2023-05-02 and archived. The project was superseded by OpenTelemetry, which the maintainers recommend for new work.
This package provides only proto definitions; you will need grpcio and a working protoc compiler or pre-generated Python bindings to use the messages meaningfully.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing use in most commercial and open-source projects without significant restriction.
Quickstart
pip install opencensus-proto
from opencensus.proto.trace.v1 import trace_pb2
span = trace_pb2.Span()Verify before relying
- Whether pre-generated Python bindings are included or if you must compile protos yourself
- Compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.7, given the classifier list ends there
- Whether this package is still functional or if OpenTelemetry proto packages are required for current systems
Package facts
| License | Apache-2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagegrpcio |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,681 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 96,306 / month, #13,221 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaIntended 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 :: 3.7 |
Evidence: opencensus_proto-0.1.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also opentelemetry-exporter-otlp-proto-common · opentelemetry-instrumentation-grpc · proto-google-cloud-datastore-v1 · opencensus · opentelemetry-proto · opentelemetry-exporter-zipkin-proto-http · opentelemetry-exporter-jaeger-proto-grpc · opensearch-protobufs · opentelemetry-instrumentation-confluent-kafka