requests-tracker

What it is and what it does

Django Requests Tracker is a development-only middleware for Django that intercepts and logs HTTP requests, responses, and database activity. It displays a searchable, sortable list of all requests sent to your application, showing HTTP method, path, view name, status code, query count, and execution time. Clicking into any request reveals detailed information: all SQL queries executed in that request's context with execution times and stacktraces, request and response headers, and the current Django settings (with sensitive values masked). It identifies common ORM problems like N+1 queries by labeling similar and duplicate queries.

The tool is designed specifically for REST API development and local debugging—it only activates in DEBUG mode and only for requests from INTERNAL_IPS. It depends on django and sqlparse, making installation straightforward. Configuration is optional and includes patterns to ignore certain paths or SQL queries, stacktrace display toggles, and SQL performance thresholds. The interface is web-based and accessed via a dedicated URL path in your project.

Use it for:

• Debug N+1 query problems by viewing duplicate and similar query labels in request details.
• Inspect SQL execution times and stacktraces to identify slow or unexpected database calls during API development.
• Search and filter requests by path, view name, headers, or SQL content to isolate problematic endpoints.
• View masked Django settings in the running process to verify environment variables and configuration logic.
• Monitor request/response headers and status codes across multiple API calls without leaving the browser.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

A Django development middleware that collects and displays HTTP requests, responses, SQL queries, headers, and settings for debugging REST APIs during local development.

Yes, if you are actively developing a Django REST API locally. The tool is lightweight, low-friction to install, and provides valuable debugging insights for SQL and request inspection. However, maintenance is dormant (last release November 2023, last commit April 2024), so verify compatibility with your Django version before relying on it for new projects. Not suitable for production use.

Install

requests-tracker on PyPI

pip install requests-tracker

uv add requests-tracker

poetry add requests-tracker

Installing requests-tracker

Before you install

Low friction install with only django and sqlparse as dependencies. Maintenance is dormant—last commit was 2024-04-18 and no releases since 2023-11-04—but the repository remains active and supports current Python versions (3.8–3.12).

License in practice

MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions, making it safe for both commercial and open-source projects.

Quickstart

pip install requests-tracker

# In settings.py (DEBUG mode only)
INSTALLED_APPS += ["requests_tracker"]
MIDDLEWARE += ["requests_tracker.middleware.requests_tracker_middleware"]
INTERNAL_IPS = ["127.0.0.1"]

# In urls.py
if settings.DEBUG:
    urlpatterns += [path("__requests_tracker__/", include("requests_tracker.urls"))]

Requires django.contrib.staticfiles in INSTALLED_APPS and DjangoTemplates backend with APP_DIRS=True; intended for DEBUG mode only.

Verify before relying

• Whether the tool works with async Django views and ASGI servers beyond the optional static file configuration mentioned.
• Current compatibility with Django versions released after 2023-11-04 (the latest release date).
• Performance impact of tracking all requests and SQL queries in a production-like development environment.

Package facts

Evidence: requests_tracker-0.3.3-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: django, python, sql, middlware, api, rest, debug, htmx, django-rest-framework, django-ninja, requests-tracker, django-requests-tracker, development

Tags

More Software Development packages