Python Debugging: The Print Statement Confession

#python#coding#debugging#softwaredevelopment

Aaron Rose       
Software Engineer & Technology Writer

Let's be honest about something. When your Django app is throwing 500s in production at midnight, you're not firing up PyCharm's remote debugger. You're throwing print("WTF IS HAPPENING") into your code and checking the logs.

And that's perfectly fine.

The Dirty Secret

Every developer has that moment. Your beautiful, well-tested code works locally. Deploy it? Disaster. The fancy debugger can't connect to the production server, but print() statements? They show up in the logs like clockwork.

def process_payment(amount, user_id):
    print(f"Processing: ${amount} for {user_id}")  # Your new best friend
    # actual payment logic here

Why Print Statements Actually Win

They work everywhere. Docker container? Check. AWS Lambda? Check. That Raspberry Pi in the server closet? Absolutely.

They survive restarts. Set a breakpoint, restart your app, and oops - it's gone. Print statements stick around through deployments, server crashes, and that time you accidentally closed your IDE.

They show the timeline. Debuggers show you a snapshot. Print statements show you the whole story:

def mysterious_bug():
    print("=== Starting the chaos ===")
    for item in data:
        print(f"Processing {item}")
        result = transform(item)
        if not result:
            print(f"ALERT: Transform failed for {item}")

The Smart Way to Print Debug

Don't just spray print("here") everywhere. Be tactical:

Add context: Instead of print(user), try print(f"User after validation: {user}")

Use timestamps for race conditions: print(f"[{time.time()}] Function started")

Make them grep-friendly: Prefix with something like DEBUG: so you can find them later

The Real Talk

Modern debuggers are incredible tools. But they're built for controlled environments with perfect network connections and cooperative servers. Real-world debugging happens in messy, urgent situations where print() is your most reliable ally.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the right solution. Your bootcamp instructor might judge you for it, but your 3 AM debugging session won't.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have 23 print statements to remove from production code...

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Aaron Rose is a software engineer and technology writer at tech-reader.blog and the author of The Rose Theory series on math and physics.