Advanced Python Debugging Techniques Using GDB
summary
Shows how to attach gdb to a Python PID and use the cpython python-gdb support (python gdb.py) and gcore to inspect live or core-dumped interpreters, requiring debug symbols. Demonstrates concrete fixes: a 40,000-job thread pool stalls because requests has no default timeout; a custom work-queue races by checking empty then get under 10 threads; a ctypes wrapper dereferences NULL when key is None causing a segfault; a readers/writers deadlock arises when an exception leaves a lock unreleased.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Introduction to GDB
- 1:00The necessity of GDB
- 2:53GDB integration and setup
- 4:48Preparing production servers
- 7:10Debugging remote processes
- 9:58Core GDB commands
- 13:06Example 1: Network deadlock
- 22:29Example 2: Queue race condition
- 29:36Example 3: CTypes segmentation
- 34:08Example 4: Reader-writer deadlock
- 39:58Conclusion and Q&A
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