How to connect remote debugger to Python process?

Question

I'm tired of sticking

import pdb; pdb.set_trace() 

into my Python programs and debugging through the console. How to connect a remote debugger and insert breakpoints from a civilized user interface?

Answer 1

use winpdb . It is a platform-independent Python GPL graphic debugger with support for remote debugging over the network, multiple threads, namespace changes, built-in debugging, encrypted communications, and up to 20 times faster than pdb.

Features:

• GPL license. Winpdb is free software.
• Compatible with CPython 2.3 through 2.6 and Python 3000
• WxPython 2.6 compatible - 2.8
• Independent platform and tested on Ubuntu Gutsy and Windows XP.
• User Interfaces: rpdb2 is console based, and winpdb requires wxPython 2.6 or later.

Screenshot http://winpdb.org/images/screenshot_winpdb_small.jpg

Answer 2

Well, you can get something very similar to that using a twisted hatch that works as follows:

 from twisted.internet import reactor from twisted.cred import portal, checkers from twisted.conch import manhole, manhole_ssh def getManholeFactory(namespace): realm = manhole_ssh.TerminalRealm() def getManhole(_): return manhole.Manhole(namespace) realm.chainedProtocolFactory.protocolFactory = getManhole p = portal.Portal(realm) p.registerChecker( checkers.InMemoryUsernamePassword DatabaseDontUse(admin='foobar')) f = manhole_ssh.ConchFactory(p) return f reactor.listenTCP(2222, getManholeFactory(globals())) reactor.run() 

Then you just go into the program via ssh;

 $ ssh admin@localhost -p 2222 admin@localhost password: 

Using foobar as a password.

When you log in, you will get a standard python hint where you can simply pop out the data. This is not quite the same as receiving a trace sent to the host.

Now it can be difficult to integrate into the GUI program, in which case you may need to choose a different reactor, for example, for gtk-based programs used by gtk2reactor, etc.

If you want the actual trace to be sent, you need to create a socket channel for stderr, stdin and stdout, which goes through the network instead of printing to your local host. It should not be too difficult to perform using twisted ones.

Answer 3

A bit late, but here is a very easy solution for remote debugging http://michaeldehaan.net/post/35403909347/tips-on-using-debuggers-with-ansible :

• pip install epdb on the remote host.
• Make sure that the firewall setting does not allow non-local connections to port 8080 on the remote host, since epdb is used by default to listen on any address ( INADDR_ANY ), not 127.0.0.1.
• Instead of using import pdb; pdb.set_trace() import pdb; pdb.set_trace() in your program use import epdb; epdb.serve() import epdb; epdb.serve() .
• Secure login to a remote host since epdb.connect() uses telnet.
• Attach to the program using python -c 'import epdb; epdb.connect()' python -c 'import epdb; epdb.connect()' .

Configure the security bits according to your LAN settings and security.

Answer 4

Two solutions from modern IDEs:

• Cross-platform PTVS Remote Debugging

• PyCharm / PyDev Remote Debugging