Debug Toolbar Comparison¶
A comprehensive comparison of debug-toolbar against other popular Python debug toolbars and observability tools.
Quick Comparison Matrix¶
Feature |
debug-toolbar |
Django Debug Toolbar |
Flask Debug Toolbar |
FastAPI Debug Toolbar |
Sentry Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Async-First |
Yes |
No (experimental) |
No |
Partial |
Yes |
ASGI Native |
Yes |
No (WSGI) |
No (WSGI) |
Yes |
N/A |
Framework |
Litestar (+ agnostic core) |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Any (SDK-based) |
License |
MIT |
BSD-3 |
BSD-3 |
BSD-3 |
Apache-2.0 |
Panel Comparison¶
Core Debugging Panels¶
Panel |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Timer/Performance |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Request Info |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Response Info |
Yes |
Partial |
Partial |
Partial |
Yes |
Headers (categorized) |
Yes |
Basic |
Basic |
Basic |
Partial |
Logging |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Versions |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Routes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Settings/Config |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Database Panels¶
Panel |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQLAlchemy |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Django ORM |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Tortoise ORM |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
SQL Query Timing |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Query Parameters |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Duplicate Detection |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Slow Query Highlighting |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
EXPLAIN Plans |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
N+1 Detection |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Profiling & Performance¶
Panel |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cProfile |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
pyinstrument |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Flame Graphs |
Yes |
Plugin |
No |
No |
No |
CPU Time (user/sys) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Server-Timing Header |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Distributed Tracing |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Caching & Templates¶
Panel |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redis Tracking |
Yes |
Plugin |
No |
No |
No |
Memcached Tracking |
Yes |
Plugin |
No |
No |
No |
Cache Hit/Miss Stats |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Jinja2 Templates |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Mako Templates |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Django Templates |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Template Editor |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Security & Headers¶
Panel |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Security Header Detection |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
CORS Analysis |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Auth Header Redaction |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Sensitive Data Redaction |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Advanced Features¶
Feature |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
Spotlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Request History |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Snapshot Switching |
Basic |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
GraphQL Support |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
WebSocket Support |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Signals/Events Panel |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Static Files Panel |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Alerts Panel |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
AI/MCP Integration |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Desktop App |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Multi-Service |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Unique Strengths by Tool¶
debug-toolbar (Ours)¶
Strengths:
True async-first design using
contextvarsfor request-scoped dataFull ASGI compliance without blocking operations
Server-Timing header support (W3C standard)
Security-focused: Header analysis, CORS detection, sensitive data redaction
Multiple profiler backends: cProfile and pyinstrument with flame graphs
Cache tracking for Redis and Memcached with hit/miss stats
Advanced SQL analysis: Duplicate detection, N+1 detection, EXPLAIN plans
Memory profiling: tracemalloc and memray backends
Proactive alerts: Automatic detection of security, performance, and database issues
Lifecycle tracking: Events panel for Litestar hooks and exception handlers
Framework-agnostic core (can support other ASGI frameworks)
Best For: Modern async Python applications using Litestar, SQLAlchemy, Redis
Django Debug Toolbar¶
Strengths:
Most mature (10+ years of development)
Largest ecosystem of third-party panels
EXPLAIN plan integration for SQL queries
Signals panel for Django event debugging
Static files panel for asset tracking
Alerts panel for common mistakes (e.g., missing form enctype)
Request history with full snapshot switching
Best For: Django applications, teams familiar with Django ecosystem
Flask Debug Toolbar¶
Strengths:
Template editor - Edit templates interactively in browser
Profiler dump - Export profiling data to files
Simple integration with Flask applications
Best For: Flask applications needing quick debugging setup
FastAPI Debug Toolbar¶
Strengths:
Multi-ORM support: SQLAlchemy + Tortoise ORM
GraphQL/GraphiQL support
Swagger UI integration
FastAPI-native middleware
Best For: FastAPI applications using GraphQL or Tortoise ORM
Sentry Spotlight¶
Strengths:
AI/MCP integration - AI assistants can access telemetry
Distributed tracing across services
Desktop app for dedicated debugging window
Multi-service monitoring in single view
Error tracking with full context
User breadcrumbs for action tracking
Sidecar architecture - doesn’t interfere with production
Best For: Complex microservice architectures, teams using AI coding assistants, production-like debugging
Feature Gap Analysis¶
What We Have That Others Don’t¶
Comprehensive header security analysis with categorization
CORS header detection and analysis
Server-Timing HTTP header for browser DevTools integration
Dual profiler support (cProfile + pyinstrument switchable)
SQLAlchemy duplicate query detection
Async-safe cache tracking for Redis/Memcached
EXPLAIN query plans for PostgreSQL, SQLite, MySQL, MariaDB
Flame graph visualization in speedscope format
N+1 query detection with call stack and fix suggestions
Multi-backend memory profiling (tracemalloc + memray)
Proactive alerts panel for security, performance, and database issues
What We’re Missing (Roadmap)¶
Completed Features¶
~~EXPLAIN plan integration for SQL queries~~ Done
~~N+1 query detection with call stack~~ Done
~~Event/Signal panel for Litestar lifecycle events~~ Done
~~Alerts panel for common issues~~ Done
~~Memory profiling panel~~ Done
~~Flame graph visualization~~ Done
Medium Priority (Phase 9)¶
GraphQL panel for query inspection
WebSocket panel for WS debugging
Background tasks panel (SAQ/Celery)
Future Vision (Phase 10+)¶
AI/MCP integration for AI-assisted debugging
Distributed tracing support (OpenTelemetry)
Desktop app/Sidecar architecture option
Multi-framework support (Starlette, FastAPI adapters)
Migration Guides¶
From Django Debug Toolbar¶
If migrating from Django to Litestar:
TimerPanel -> TimerPanel (equivalent)
SQLPanel -> SQLAlchemyPanel (use Advanced-Alchemy)
HeadersPanel -> HeadersPanel (enhanced with security analysis)
SettingsPanel -> SettingsPanel (equivalent)
ProfilingPanel -> ProfilingPanel (enhanced with pyinstrument and flame graphs)
SignalsPanel -> EventsPanel (Litestar lifecycle hooks and exception handlers)
From FastAPI Debug Toolbar¶
SQLAlchemyPanel -> SQLAlchemyPanel (equivalent, with N+1 detection)
Default panels -> Core panels (TimerPanel, RequestPanel, etc.)
Added: CachePanel, TemplatesPanel, HeadersPanel (categorized), ProfilingPanel (with flame graphs), AlertsPanel, MemoryPanel, EventsPanel
Performance Comparison¶
Metric |
Ours |
Django |
Flask |
FastAPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Overhead (no panels) |
<1ms |
~2ms |
~1ms |
~1ms |
Overhead (all panels) |
~5-10ms |
~10-20ms |
~5-10ms |
~5ms |
Memory usage |
Low |
Medium |
Low |
Low |
Async blocking |
None |
Yes |
Yes |
Partial |
Note: Performance varies by configuration and workload
Conclusion¶
debug-toolbar excels in:
Modern async Python applications
Security-conscious debugging with proactive alerts
Performance analysis with W3C Server-Timing and flame graphs
SQLAlchemy query optimization with N+1 detection
Memory profiling with multiple backends
Comprehensive lifecycle event tracking
Choose Django Debug Toolbar if you need:
Django-specific features (static files, Django templates)
Largest plugin ecosystem
Long-term stability (10+ years)
Choose Sentry Spotlight if you need:
AI-assisted debugging
Distributed tracing
Multi-service monitoring
Production-like debugging environment