# Visualizing external trace formats with Perfetto

In this guide, you'll learn about:

- The different external trace formats that Perfetto supports.
- How to generate and visualize these formats in the Perfetto UI.
- The limitations of each format and when to use them.

Perfetto is capable of opening and analyzing trace files generated by a variety
of external tools and systems, not just its own native protobuf format. You
might have existing traces in these formats if:

- You're already using other tracing tools and have accumulated data.
- Perfetto's recording capabilities aren't the primary fit for your data
  collection needs, but you wish to use its analysis tools.
- You have custom timestamped data which you can convert this into one of the
  external formats Perfetto understands (detailed below).
  - Alternatively, you might consider converting your data directly into
    Perfetto's
    [native TrackEvent protobuf format](/docs/reference/synthetic-track-event.md),
    which can offer more power and flexibility.

The main advantages of using Perfetto to examine these external traces are its
powerful analysis and visualization capabilities:

- **The Perfetto UI:** A versatile, web-based trace viewer designed to handle
  large and complex timeline data, offering rich interactive analysis.
- **Trace Processor:** A powerful SQL-based engine that allows for programmatic
  querying and in-depth analysis of timestamped data from these diverse formats.

Below, we detail the supported formats, provide context on their typical use
cases, and outline what to expect when loading them into Perfetto.

## Chrome JSON format

**Description:** The Chrome JSON trace format consists of a JSON array of event
objects. Each object represents a single trace event and typically includes
fields like `pid` (process ID), `tid` (thread ID), `ts` (timestamp in
microseconds), `ph` (phase, indicating event type like begin, end, instant,
counter, etc.), `name` (event name), `cat` (category), and `args`
(event-specific arguments). This format was originally developed for Chrome's
`about:tracing` (now `chrome://tracing`) tool.

**Common Scenarios:** While Chromium browser developers now primarily use
Perfetto's native protobuf format for trace collection, the Chrome JSON format
is still encountered in several situations:

- **Third-party Tools & Libraries:** Due to its longevity and relatively simple
  structure, many external tools, custom C++ instrumentation libraries, and
  libraries in other languages (e.g., Node.js, Python, Java) adopted the Chrome
  JSON format for emitting trace data. It's often chosen for its ease of
  generation and established "stability" as a known format.
- **Export from Chrome DevTools:** The "Performance" panel in modern Chrome
  DevTools can still export profiles in this JSON format.
- **Legacy Traces:** You might have older traces from Chrome that are in this
  format.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI:** Chrome JSON files can be opened directly in the Perfetto UI.
  The UI visualizes common event types, including:
  - `B` (begin) and `E` (end) events as slices.
  - `X` (complete) events as slices.
  - `I` (instant) events as single points on the timeline.
  - `C` (counter) events as counter tracks.
  - `M` (metadata) events for process and thread names, etc.
  - `s`, `t`, `f` (flow) events as connecting arrows between slices.
- **Trace Processor:** These events are parsed into Perfetto's standard SQL
  tables (e.g., `slice`, `track`, `process`, `thread`, `counter`, `args`). This
  allows you to analyze Chrome JSON traces using SQL queries.
- **Important Notes:**
  - Perfetto aims to adhere to the
    [Trace Event Format specification](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvAClvFfyA5R-PhYUmn5OOQtYMH4h6I0nSsKchNAySU/preview).
    It does not attempt to replicate specific rendering quirks or undocumented
    behaviors of the legacy `chrome://tracing` tool unless they are critical for
    basic trace understanding.
  - Perfetto enforces strict nesting for duration events (`B` and `E` pairs).
    Overlapping, non-nested events might not be visualized or processed as they
    are in the legacy `chrome://tracing` viewer, which could be more lenient.
    For more details, see the
    [FAQ on overlapping JSON events](/docs/faq.md#why-are-overlapping-events-in-json-traces-not-displayed-correctly).
  - Support for some less common or highly specific features of the JSON format
    might be limited. Refer to the
    [FAQ on obscure JSON features](/docs/faq.md#why-does-perfetto-not-support-some-obscure-json-format-feature).

**How to Generate:**

- **Programmatically by External Tools & Libraries:** This is the most common
  way this format is generated today. Due to its established nature and simple
  structure, various libraries and tools across different languages (e.g., for
  Node.js, Python, Java, C++) can produce trace files in the Chrome JSON format.
- **Export from Chrome DevTools:** The "Performance" panel in Chromium-based
  browsers allows you to record activity and then use the "Save profile..."
  (download) option to get a JSON file.
- **Historically from `chrome://tracing`:** Older versions of Chrome used this
  interface for saving traces.

**External Resources:**

- **Format Specification:**
  [Trace Event Format (Google Docs)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvAClvFfyA5R-PhYUmn5OOQtYMH4h6I0nSsKchNAySU/preview)
- **Original `about:tracing` tool context:**
  [The Trace Event Profiling Tool (Chromium Docs)](https://www.chromium.org/developers/how-tos/trace-event-profiling-tool/)

## {#firefox-json-format} Firefox Profiler JSON format

**Description:** The Firefox Profiler JSON format is primarily known for its use
by the [Firefox Profiler](https://profiler.firefox.com/), a web-based tool for
performance analysis. While the format can describe various types of timeline
data including "markers" (similar to trace events), its main strength, and
Perfetto's primary interest in it, lies in representing **CPU profiling data**,
especially sampled call stacks. This makes it an excellent target format for
visualizing flamegraphs and call trees from various profiling sources.

**Common Scenarios:** The most common reason Perfetto users encounter this
format is for:

- **Visualizing Linux `perf` (or Android `simpleperf`) CPU profiles:**
  Developers often collect CPU samples using `perf record` on Linux or
  `simpleperf` on Android. These native profiles can then be converted into the
  Firefox Profiler JSON format to leverage the interactive and user-friendly
  visualizations offered by tools like `profiler.firefox.com` or, as relevant
  here, for import into Perfetto.
- **Using cross-platform profiling tools:** Some profiling tools and libraries
  are designed to output or convert their data into this format, facilitating
  analysis with the Firefox Profiler UI.
- **Analyzing profiles from Firefox:** Less commonly for Perfetto users, one
  might have profiles captured directly within the Firefox browser itself.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto provides _partial support_ for the
  Firefox Profiler JSON format, with a strong focus on **CPU sample data**.
  - When you open a Firefox Profiler JSON file, Perfetto attempts to parse call
    stacks, sample timestamps, and thread/process information.
  - This data is imported into standard Perfetto SQL tables like `perf_sample`,
    `stack_profile_callsite`, `stack_profile_frame`, and
    `stack_profile_mapping`.
  - In the Perfetto UI, this allows for the visualization of CPU profiles as
    flamegraphs.
- **Supported Format Variants:** Perfetto supports two variants of the Firefox
  Profiler JSON format:
  - **Legacy format:** Uses `stringTable` and tables with `schema` + `data`
    arrays (e.g., `frameTable.schema` and `frameTable.data`). This is the format
    historically generated by tools like `perf script report gecko`.
  - **Preprocessed format:** Uses `stringArray` and tables with separate column
    arrays (e.g., `frameTable.func`, `funcTable.name`). This is the format used
    by Firefox Profiler's preprocessed output and indicated by the
    `meta.preprocessedProfileVersion` field.
- **Limitations:**
  - Support for Firefox Profiler "markers" (timeline events like slices or
    instants) is generally **not available** in Perfetto.
  - Other advanced features specific to the Firefox Profiler's internal data
    representation or UI hints (like custom track colors or rich
    browser-specific metadata) are typically not imported.
  - **The primary expectation when loading this format into Perfetto should be
    to analyze CPU callstack samples.**

**How to Generate:** The most relevant generation path for Perfetto users
involves converting native CPU profiles from Linux `perf` or Android
`simpleperf`.

<?tabs>

TAB: <code>perf</code> profiles on Linux

1.  **Record a profile with `perf record`:** Capture CPU samples
    for a specific command/process or  system-wide, generating a `perf.data` file.

    ```bash
    # Example: Profile at 99Hz for 1 seconds with DWARF call graphs
    sudo perf record -F 99 -g --call-graph dwarf --output perf.data --  find ~ -name 'foo'
    ```

    Refer to `man perf-record` for detailed command options. Ensure debug
    symbols for your binaries are accessible for proper symbolization.

2.  **Convert `perf.data` to Firefox Profiler JSON:** Use the `gecko` report
    script with `perf script`.

    ```bash
    sudo perf script report gecko --save-only my_linux_profile.json
    ```

    This command processes the `perf.data` file and outputs `my_linux_profile.json` in a
    format compatible with the Firefox Profiler. If `report gecko` is not available
    in your `perf` version, consult your distribution's documentation for
    alternatives or additional `perf` scripting packages.

3. **Open this trace in ui.perfetto.dev**

    Navigate to [ui.perfetto.dev](https://ui.perfetto.dev) and upload the `my_linux_profile.json`
    file into the UI. Once the trace opens, you should be able select either individual
    CPU samples or ranges of time containing CPU samples to get a flamegraph of all
    the samples in that region.

    Here's an example of what that looks like

    ![](/docs/images/perf-profile-in-ui.png)

TAB: <code>simpleperf</code> profiles on Android

On Android, `simpleperf` is used for CPU profiling. The necessary Python scripts
(`app_profiler.py`, `gecko_profile_generator.py`) can be obtained by downloading
them directly from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) using git. You will also
need the NDK.

1.  **Download the `simpleperf` scripts:**
    ```bash
    git clone https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/extras --depth=1
    ```

    After cloning, the scripts will be located in the `extras/simpleperf/scripts` subdirectory.
    Note: this method provides the post-processing scripts, but you will also need a compatible
    `simpleperf` binary to record the profile. This binary is typically available on your Android
    device and `app_profiler.py` will find it automatically.

2.  **Record a profile using `app_profiler.py`:** This script invokes the recording on-device and
    puls the profile to the host machine over ADB.

    ```bash
    # Replace <your.app.package.name>
    python extras/simpleperf/scripts/app_profiler.py \
        --app <your.app.package.name> \
        -r "-g --duration 10" \
        -o perf.data
    ```

    - This command profiles the specified app for 10 seconds with DWARF call graphs (`-g`).
    - It writes `perf.data` and a `binary_cache/` (for symbols).
    - For more details, see the [simpleperf
      documentation](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/extras/+/refs/heads/main/simpleperf/doc/README.md)).

3.  **Convert `simpleperf` data to Firefox Profiler JSON:** Use the
    `gecko_profile_generator.py` script from the same AOSP checkout.
      ```bash
      python extras/simpleperf/scripts/gecko_profile_generator.py \
          --symfs binary_cache \
          -i perf.data \
          > gecko_profile.json
      ```

    * This converts the `simpleperf` data, using symbols from the `binary_cache`, into the Firefox
      Profiler JSON format.

4. **Open this trace in ui.perfetto.dev**
    Navigate to [ui.perfetto.dev](https://ui.perfetto.dev) and upload the `gecko_profile.json`
    file into the UI. Once the trace opens, you should be able select either individual
    CPU samples or ranges of time containing CPU samples to get a flamegraph of all
    the samples in that region.

    Here's an example of what that looks like

    ![](/docs/images/perf-profile-in-ui.png)

</tabs?>

Other methods (less common for Perfetto import scenarios):

- **From Firefox Browser:** Using the built-in profiler (e.g., via
  `about:profiling` or developer tools) and saving the profile.

**External Resources:**

- **Firefox Profiler Tool:**
  [profiler.firefox.com](https://profiler.firefox.com/)
- **Documentation on the format (can be technical):**
  - [Gecko Profile Format (GitHub)](https://github.com/firefox-devtools/profiler/blob/main/docs-developer/gecko-profile-format.md)
  - [Processed Profile Format (GitHub)](https://github.com/firefox-devtools/profiler/blob/main/docs-developer/processed-profile-format.md)
- **Linux `perf` tool:**
  [perf Wiki](https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page),
  [man page](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/perf.1.html)
- **Android `simpleperf` tool:**
  [Simpleperf usage](https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/extras/+/refs/heads/main/simpleperf/doc/README.md)

## Android systrace format

**Description:** Android Systrace was the **legacy** system-wide tracing tool
for Android, used primarily before the introduction of Perfetto with Android 9
(Pie). It captures kernel activity via `ftrace` (e.g., CPU scheduling, I/O) and
userspace annotations via ATrace (e.g., `android.os.Trace`). Systrace typically
produces an interactive HTML file embedding trace data in a text-based format.

**Common Scenarios (Primarily Legacy):** You will typically only encounter the
Android Systrace format when dealing with **older data or legacy workflows**,
such as:

- Analyzing traces generated on Android systems prior to Android 9 (Pie).
- Working with historical traces recorded using the `systrace.py` command-line
  tool.
- Examining traces from very old versions of Android Studio's profiler.

**For any current or new tracing on Android (version 9 Pie and newer), Perfetto
is the standard and strongly recommended tool.**

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI:** Perfetto can directly open Android Systrace HTML files,
  parsing the embedded ftrace and ATrace data for visualization. This is
  primarily for compatibility with historical traces.
- **Trace Processor:** The Trace Processor also supports parsing the raw textual
  ftrace data found within Systrace reports. This data is imported into standard
  Perfetto SQL tables (e.g., `slice`, `sched_slice`, `ftrace_event`), making it
  queryable via SQL.
- **Important Note:** Perfetto's support for Systrace is for **backward
  compatibility.** Systrace is a deprecated tool for trace collection on modern
  Android (Android 9 Pie and newer). Perfetto has superseded it, offering
  significantly more data sources, lower overhead, and more advanced analysis
  capabilities. **New tracing efforts should exclusively use Perfetto.**

**How to Generate (Legacy Methods):** The methods below describe how Systrace
files were historically created and are provided for context when dealing with
older traces. **These methods are deprecated and should not be used for new
trace collection on Android 9 (Pie) or newer.**

- **Using `systrace.py` (Deprecated):** Historically, these traces were
  generated using the `systrace.py` script from the Android SDK Platform Tools.
  An example command might look like:
  ```bash
  # python <sdk>/platform-tools/systrace/systrace.py -a <your.app.package.name> -o mytrace.html sched freq idle am wm
  ```
- **Android Studio (Older Versions - Deprecated):** Earlier versions of Android
  Studio's profiler used Systrace. Modern Android Studio now uses Perfetto.

**External Resources:**

- **Systrace Command-Line Reference (Legacy):**
  [developer.android.com/topic/performance/tracing/command-line](https://developer.android.com/topic/performance/tracing/command-line)
  (This page also highlights that Perfetto replaces Systrace for Android 9+)
- **Understanding ATrace (Userspace Annotations - relevant for data in
  Systrace):**
  [ATrace: Android system and app trace events](/docs/data-sources/atrace.md)

## Perf textual format (from `perf script`)

**Description:** The "Perf textual format" typically refers to the
human-readable textual output generated by the `perf script` command on Linux.
This command processes a `perf.data` file (created by `perf record`) and prints
a chronological log of the recorded events. The output is highly configurable
via `perf script` options but commonly includes CPU samples with their call
stacks, timestamps, process/thread identifiers, CPU number, and event names.

**Common Scenarios:** This format is often used for:

- Manually inspecting the contents of a `perf.data` file for quick analysis or
  debugging.
- As an intermediate input for various third-party scripts and tools, such as
  Brendan Gregg's [FlameGraph](https://github.com/brendangregg/FlameGraph)
  scripts, which parse `perf script` output to generate flame graphs.
- Working with existing `perf script` outputs from older profiling sessions or
  automated systems.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto's Trace Processor can parse
  textual output generated by `perf script`.
  - The primary focus of this importer is on **CPU samples and their associated
    call stacks**.
  - When such data is parsed, it populates Perfetto's standard profiling tables
    (e.g., `cpu_profile_stack_sample_table` for the samples, and
    `stack_profile_callsite`, `stack_profile_frame`, `stack_profile_mapping` for
    the call stack information).
  - This allows the CPU profile data from the `perf script` output to be
    visualized as a flamegraph in the Perfetto UI and queried using SQL.
- **Limitations:**
  - The output format of `perf script` is very flexible depending on the
    arguments passed to it (e.g., using the `-F` flag). Perfetto's parser likely
    expects a common or default-like output structure for samples. Highly
    customized or unusual `perf script` textual outputs might not parse
    correctly or completely.
  - Support for other types of events (beyond CPU samples with callstacks) that
    `perf script` might output (e.g., raw tracepoints if `-D` is used, or other
    event types) may be limited when importing directly as "Perf textual
    format."
  - For robust visualization of CPU profiles from `perf.data` with a
    feature-rich intermediate format, consider converting `perf.data` to the
    [Firefox Profiler JSON format](#firefox-profiler-json-format), which
    Perfetto also supports for sample data.

**How to Generate:**

1.  **Record a profile with `perf record`:** First, capture profiling data using
    `perf record`. This creates a `perf.data` file.

    ```bash
    # Example: Profile at 99Hz for 1 seconds with DWARF call graphs
    sudo perf record -F 99 -g --call-graph dwarf --output perf.data --  find ~ -name 'foo'
    ```

    Refer to `man perf-record` for detailed command options. Ensure debug
    symbols for your binaries are accessible for proper symbolization by
    `perf script`.

2.  **Generate textual output with `perf script`:** Process the `perf.data` file
    to produce the textual output.

    ```bash
    # Default output
    sudo perf script -i perf.data > my_perf_output.txt
    ```

    For more detailed output that is often useful for other tools (and
    potentially for Perfetto's parser if it looks for specific fields), you
    might specify the fields:

    ```bash
    perf script -i perf.data -F comm,pid,tid,cpu,time,event,ip,sym,dso,trace > my_perf_output_detailed.txt
    ```

    Refer to `man perf-script` for its extensive formatting options.

3.  **Open this trace in ui.perfetto.dev**

    Navigate to [ui.perfetto.dev](https://ui.perfetto.dev) and upload the
    `my_perf_output.txt` file into the UI. Once the trace opens, you should be
    able select either individual CPU samples or ranges of time containing CPU
    samples to get a flamegraph of all the samples in that region.

    Here's an example of what that looks like

    ![](/docs/images/perf-profile-in-ui.png)

**External Resources:**

- **`perf-script` man page:** `man perf-script` (or search online, e.g.,
  [perf-script Linux man page](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/perf-script.1.html))
- **`perf` tool general information:**
  [perf Wiki (kernel.org)](https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page)
- **Brendan Gregg's `perf` examples:**
  [Brendan Gregg's perf page](https://www.brendangregg.com/perf.html) (Contains
  many examples of `perf script` usage, especially for flame graphs)

## Simpleperf proto format

**Description:** Simpleperf is Android's profiling tool built on top of the
Linux perf framework. The "Simpleperf proto format" refers to the binary
protobuf format generated by the `simpleperf report-sample --protobuf` command.
This format contains CPU samples with call stacks, process/thread information,
file mappings, and symbol tables in a compact binary representation. Android
Studio's CPU profiler uses this format internally when displaying simpleperf
profiles.

**Common Scenarios:** This format is used for:

- Profiling Android applications and system services using simpleperf
- Analyzing CPU performance on Android devices
- Capturing stack samples with symbol information for both native and managed
  code
- Working with profiles collected by Android Studio's CPU profiler (which
  converts simpleperf data to this proto format)

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto's Trace Processor can directly
  parse simpleperf's protobuf format.
  - The importer processes **CPU samples with call stacks**, file mappings, and
    symbol tables
  - Samples are imported into `cpu_profile_stack_sample` table with full call
    stack information
  - Call stacks are stored in standard profiling tables
    (`stack_profile_callsite`, `stack_profile_frame`, `stack_profile_mapping`)
  - Thread and process information is extracted and stored in the process/thread
    tables
  - This allows simpleperf profiles to be visualized as flamegraphs in the
    Perfetto UI and queried using SQL
- **Limitations:**
  - Context switch records in simpleperf format are not yet imported
  - Event type metadata is stored but not yet used for filtering or
    categorization

**How to Generate:**

1.  **Record a profile with simpleperf:** First, capture profiling data using
    `simpleperf record`.

    ```bash
    # Example: Profile an Android app with call graphs
    adb shell simpleperf record -p <pid> -g --duration 10
    adb pull /data/local/tmp/perf.data simpleperf.data
    ```

    Refer to `simpleperf record --help` for detailed command options.

2.  **Convert to proto format:** Use `simpleperf report-sample` to convert the
    raw recording to protobuf format:

    ```bash
    # Convert to proto format with call chains
    simpleperf report-sample --protobuf --show-callchain \
      -i simpleperf.data -o simpleperf.proto

    # Optionally provide symbol directories for better symbolization
    simpleperf report-sample --protobuf --show-callchain \
      -i simpleperf.data -o simpleperf.proto \
      --symdir /path/to/symbols
    ```

    The `--show-callchain` flag is required to include call stack information in
    the output.

3.  **Open in ui.perfetto.dev**

    Navigate to [ui.perfetto.dev](https://ui.perfetto.dev) and upload the
    `simpleperf.proto` file. The trace will be imported and you can view
    flamegraphs of the CPU samples by selecting time ranges in the UI.

## Linux ftrace textual format

**Description:** The Linux ftrace textual format is the raw, human-readable
output generated by the Linux kernel's `ftrace` tracing infrastructure. Each
line in this text-based format typically represents a single trace event and
follows a common structure:
`TASK-PID CPU# [MARKERS] TIMESTAMP FUNCTION --- ARGS`. For example, a
`sched_switch` event might look like:
`bash-1234 [002] ...1 5075.958079: sched_switch: prev_comm=bash prev_pid=1234 prev_prio=120 prev_state=R ==> next_comm=trace-cmd next_pid=5678 next_prio=120`.
This format can be quite verbose but is fundamental to how ftrace operates and
is exposed via the `tracefs` filesystem (usually mounted at
`/sys/kernel/tracing`).

**Common Scenarios:** You are likely to encounter or use this format when:

- Analyzing ftrace data captured using the `trace-cmd` utility, specifically
  with commands like `trace-cmd report` or `trace-cmd stream`.
- Directly reading from ftrace buffer files in `tracefs`, such as
  `/sys/kernel/tracing/trace`.
- Working with older Linux kernel debugging workflows or custom scripts that
  produce this textual output.
- Inspecting the raw data embedded within Android Systrace HTML files, as they
  use this underlying format.

**Perfetto Support:** Perfetto's support for the ftrace textual format is
primarily for **legacy compatibility and is maintained on a best-effort basis.**

- **Perfetto UI:** The Perfetto UI can directly open ftrace textual log files
  (often with `.txt` or `.ftrace` extensions). It visualizes known event types
  by parsing the text lines. For instance:
  - `sched_switch` events are displayed as scheduling slices on CPU tracks.
  - `print` events that match the ATrace format are shown as userspace slices.
  - Other ftrace events present in the text file might not be visualized if they
    don't map to recognized Perfetto UI elements.
- **Trace Processor:** When parsing ftrace textual logs, Perfetto's Trace
  Processor will:
  - Parse recognized events (e.g., `sched_switch`, `sched_waking`,
    `cpu_frequency`, atrace-compatible `print` events) into their corresponding
    structured SQL tables (e.g., `sched_slice`, `slice`, `counter`).
  - **Unlike Perfetto's native ftrace protobuf ingestion, unrecognized or
    generic ftrace events from a textual ftrace file are generally not populated
    into a broad `ftrace_event` catch-all table.** Support is typically limited
    to events that have specific parsers for creating structured tables.
- **Recommendation:** For new tracing activities on systems where Perfetto is
  available (especially Android 9+ or Linux systems with Perfetto installed),
  **using Perfetto's native ftrace data source is strongly recommended.**
  Perfetto's direct collection records ftrace data into its own efficient binary
  protobuf format, offering better performance, richer features (including
  parsing of generic ftrace events into the protobuf `GenericFtraceEvent` type),
  and more robust support. Importing the textual format should be reserved for
  analyzing pre-existing logs.

**How to Generate (for context on existing logs):** These methods describe how
ftrace textual logs are typically created using `tracefs` (usually mounted at
`/sys/kernel/tracing`). **For new tracing, prefer using Perfetto's ftrace data
source directly.**

- **Using `trace-cmd`:** `trace-cmd` is a user-space frontend for ftrace.

  ```bash
  # Example: Record scheduling and syscall events
  sudo trace-cmd record -e sched -e syscalls
  # After stopping (Ctrl-C or by duration), generate the textual report:
  trace-cmd report > my_ftrace_log.txt
  ```

  Or for a live stream:

  ```bash
  sudo trace-cmd stream -e sched:sched_waking -e irq:irq_handler_entry > my_ftrace_log.txt
  ```

  (Stop with Ctrl-C). Refer to `man trace-cmd` for more options.

- **Directly from `tracefs` (more manual):** You can interact with ftrace via
  the `/sys/kernel/tracing/` interface.
  ```bash
  # Example: Enable sched_switch and printk events
  sudo sh -c 'echo sched:sched_switch print > /sys/kernel/tracing/set_event'
  # Enable tracing
  sudo sh -c 'echo 1 > /sys/kernel/tracing/tracing_on'
  # ... allow the system to run or perform actions you want to trace ...
  # Capture the trace buffer
  sudo cat /sys/kernel/tracing/trace > my_ftrace_log.txt
  # Disable tracing and clear events
  sudo sh -c 'echo 0 > /sys/kernel/tracing/tracing_on'
  sudo sh -c 'echo > /sys/kernel/tracing/set_event'   # Clear events
  ```

**External Resources:**

- **Official Ftrace Documentation:**
  [Ftrace - Function Tracing (kernel.org)](https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/trace/ftrace.html)
  (Primary source: `Documentation/trace/ftrace.txt` or `ftrace.rst` in the Linux
  kernel source)
- **`trace-cmd` Man Page:** `man trace-cmd` (or find it online, e.g., on
  [Arch Linux man pages](https://man.archlinux.org/man/trace-cmd.1.en))
- **Tracefs Documentation:**
  [The Tracefs Pseudo Filesystem (kernel.org)](https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/trace/tracefs.html)

## ART method tracing format

**Description:** The Android Runtime (ART) method tracing format (commonly found
in `.trace` files) is a binary format specific to Android. It captures detailed
information about the execution of Java and Kotlin methods within an Android
application, essentially logging the entry and exit points of each called
method. This allows for a fine-grained analysis of an app's runtime behavior at
the method level.

**Common Scenarios:** This format is typically used when:

- Needing to deeply profile the performance of specific Java or Kotlin code
  paths in an Android app to identify performance bottlenecks or understand
  complex call sequences.
- Analyzing traces generated by Android Studio's CPU Profiler, specifically when
  using the "Trace Java Methods" recording configuration.
- Working with traces created programmatically from within an application using
  the `android.os.Debug.startMethodTracing()` API.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI:** `.trace` files can be opened directly in the Perfetto UI. The
  method calls are typically visualized as a flamegraph, providing an intuitive
  way to see where time is spent. They are also be displayed as nested slices on
  the timeline for each thread.
- **Trace Processor:** Perfetto's Trace Processor has built-in support for
  parsing ART method trace files (`.trace`).
  - Each method invocation (entry and exit) is imported as a distinct slice into
    the `slice` table. These slices are associated with their respective threads
    and processes.
  - This enables detailed SQL-based analysis of method execution times, call
    counts, stack depth, and relationships between different methods.
- **Important Note on Overhead:** ART method tracing, by its nature of
  instrumenting every method call, can introduce significant performance
  overhead to the application being profiled. This overhead might alter the very
  behavior you are trying to measure. For less intrusive CPU profiling of
  Java/Kotlin code, consider using Android Studio's "Sample Java Methods" option
  or Perfetto's system-wide callstack sampling capabilities, though these
  provide statistical data rather than an exact log of all method calls.

**How to Generate:**

- **Android Studio CPU Profiler:**
  1.  Open the Android Studio Profiler (View > Tool Windows > Profiler).
  2.  Select your device and the application process you want to profile.
  3.  In the CPU profiler section, choose the "Trace Java Methods" recording
      configuration from the dropdown menu.
  4.  Click "Record," perform the actions in your app that you want to profile,
      and then click "Stop."
  5.  The collected `.trace` file can then be exported from the Android Studio
      profiler interface for use in Perfetto.
- **Programmatically within an app:** You can instrument your app's Java/Kotlin
  code to start and stop method tracing using the `android.os.Debug` class:

  ```java
  import android.os.Debug;
  // ...
  // In your application code:
  // To start tracing:
  // Debug.startMethodTracing("myAppTraceName");
  // The .trace file will typically be saved to a location like:
  // /sdcard/Android/data/<your_app_package_name>/files/myAppTraceName.trace
  // or /data/data/<your_app_package_name>/files/myAppTraceName.trace depending on Android version and permissions.

  // ... execute the code you want to profile ...

  // To stop tracing:
  // Debug.stopMethodTracing();
  ```

  After stopping, you'll need to pull the generated `.trace` file from the
  device using ADB (e.g.,
  `adb pull /sdcard/Android/data/<your_app_package_name>/files/myAppTraceName.trace .`).
  The exact path can vary, so check your app's specific file storage location.

**External Resources:**

- **Android Developer - `Debug` class documentation:**
  [developer.android.com/reference/android/os/Debug](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/Debug)
  (See `startMethodTracing()` and `stopMethodTracing()`)
- **Android Developer - Inspect CPU activity with CPU Profiler:**
  [developer.android.com/studio/profile/cpu-profiler](https://developer.android.com/studio/profile/cpu-profiler)
  (Provides details on "Trace Java Methods")

## macOS Instruments format (XML export)

**Description:** Apple's Instruments tool, part of Xcode, is used for
performance analysis on macOS and iOS. While Instruments saves its full data in
a proprietary `.trace` package format, Perfetto's support focuses on an **XML
format** that can be exported from these Instruments traces. This XML export is
primarily useful for extracting CPU profiling data (stack samples).

**Common Scenarios:** This import path is relevant when:

- You have CPU performance data (e.g., from the Time Profiler instrument)
  collected using Apple's Instruments.
- You wish to visualize this CPU stack sample data as a flamegraph or analyze it
  using Perfetto's tools.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto can parse the XML file exported
  from a macOS Instruments trace.
  - The primary focus of this import is on **CPU stack samples**.
  - Data such as call stacks, sample timestamps, and thread information is
    extracted and loaded into Perfetto's profiling tables, specifically
    `cpu_profile_stack_sample` for the samples themselves, and
    `stack_profile_callsite`, `stack_profile_frame`, `stack_profile_mapping` for
    the call stack information.
  - This enables the visualization of the CPU profile as a flamegraph within the
    Perfetto UI and allows for SQL-based querying of the sample data.
- **Limitations:**
  - Support is mainly targeted at CPU stack sample data from the XML export.
  - Other rich data types or specific features from the diverse set of tools
    within Instruments (e.g., detailed memory allocations, custom os_signpost
    data if not in a compatible part of the XML) may not be supported or fully
    represented through this XML import path.

**How to Generate:** Traces are originally collected using the Instruments
application in Xcode or the `xctrace` command-line utility, which produce a
`.trace` package. The XML file that Perfetto ingests is an export from such a
trace. (The specific steps for exporting to this XML format from Instruments
would need to be followed within the Instruments tool itself; Perfetto then
consumes the resulting XML file).

**External Resources:**

- **Apple Developer - Instruments:** For general information on what Instruments
  can do, refer to the official
  [Instruments User Guide](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/DeveloperTools/Conceptual/InstrumentsUserGuide/)
  or search for current Instruments documentation on
  [developer.apple.com](https://developer.apple.com).

## Ninja logs format (`.ninja_log`)

**Description:** The Ninja build system, known for its speed and use in projects
like Chromium and Android, generates a log file typically named `.ninja_log`.
This file is a tab-separated text file that records metadata about each command
(build step) executed during the build process. Key information for each entry
includes the start time (in milliseconds), end time (in milliseconds), the
restat mtime (in milliseconds), the primary output file path of the build step,
and a hash of the command itself. The format is versioned, with new versions
occasionally adding fields.

**Common Scenarios:** This format is used when:

- Analyzing the performance of software builds that utilize the Ninja build
  system.
- Identifying which build steps are taking the longest, understanding the degree
  of parallelism in the build, and diagnosing potential bottlenecks that slow
  down compilation or linking.
- Visualizing the build process over time.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto's Trace Processor can parse
  `.ninja_log` files.
  - Each build step recorded in the `.ninja_log` is typically imported as a
    distinct slice into the `slice` table.
  - To visualize these build steps on a timeline, Perfetto often synthesizes
    process and thread information. For instance, all build steps might be
    grouped under a single "Ninja Build" process, with individual tracks
    potentially created for each unique output file path or based on other
    heuristics to represent concurrency.
  - The timestamps (start and end times) are converted from milliseconds to
    nanoseconds for consistency within Perfetto.
  - This allows the build process to be visualized in the Perfetto UI, showing
    the duration and concurrency of various compilation, linking, and other
    build tasks, which can be very helpful for understanding the build's
    critical path.
- **Limitations:** The `.ninja_log` only records completed commands. It doesn't
  provide information about dependencies directly in its per-step log format,
  though this can sometimes be inferred by analyzing the sequence and timing of
  output files.

**How to Generate:**

- **Automatically by Ninja:** The Ninja build system automatically creates and
  incrementally updates the `.ninja_log` file in the root of your build output
  directory (e.g., `out/Default/`, `build/`, etc.) every time it runs a build.
- No special flags are typically needed to enable the generation of `.ninja_log`
  as it is a standard feature for build auditing and `ninja -t recompact` usage.

**External Resources:**

- **Ninja Build System Manual - Log File:**
  [ninja-build.org/manual.html#\_log_file](https://ninja-build.org/manual.html#_log_file)
- **Ninja Build System Home:** [ninja-build.org](https://ninja-build.org/)

## {#logcat-format} Android logcat textual format

**Description:** Android logcat is the command-line tool used to access messages
from Android's system-wide logging service, `logd`. The textual output from
`adb logcat` is what Perfetto can import. This output can vary significantly
based on the formatting options specified (e.g., via `adb logcat -v <format>`),
but typically includes a timestamp, log priority (Verbose, Debug, Info, Warn,
Error, Fatal/Assert), a tag identifying the source of the log, the Process ID
(PID), often the Thread ID (TID), and the log message itself.

**Common Scenarios:** You might work with textual logcat files when:

- Performing traditional debugging of Android applications or system services
  using their textual log output.
- Analyzing log files previously saved from `adb logcat` sessions.
- Extracting logcat information from Android bug reports (where logcat data is
  embedded within `bugreport.txt` or as separate files).

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto's Trace Processor can parse
  textual logcat files.
  - Imported log messages are populated into the `android_logs` SQL table. This
    is the same table used when Perfetto collects logcat data natively via its
    [Android Log data source](/docs/data-sources/android-log.md).
  - In the Perfetto UI, these logs appear in the "Android Logs" panel, where
    they are displayed chronologically and can be filtered. This allows
    correlation of log messages with other trace events on the main timeline.
- **Supported Formats:** Perfetto's parser is designed to handle common
  `adb logcat` output formats, with good support for `logcat -v long` and
  `logcat -v threadtime`. Other, more esoteric or heavily customized logcat
  formats might not be fully parsed.

**How to Generate Textual Logcat Files:**

- **Using `adb logcat`:** The primary method is via the `adb logcat` command,
  redirecting its output to a file.
  - To dump the current contents of the log buffers and then exit (useful for a
    snapshot):
    ```bash
    # Dumps logs in 'long' format
    adb logcat -d -v long > logcat_dump_long.txt
    # Dumps logs in 'threadtime' format (timestamp, PID, TID, priority, tag, message)
    adb logcat -d -v threadtime > logcat_dump_threadtime.txt
    ```
  - To stream live logs to a file (press Ctrl-C to stop):
    ```bash
    adb logcat -v long > logcat_stream_long.txt
    # Or, for a more parse-friendly streaming format:
    adb logcat -v threadtime > logcat_stream_threadtime.txt
    ```
- **From Android Bug Reports:** Logcat data is a standard component of bug
  reports generated by `adb bugreport`. You can often find the logcat output
  within the main `bugreport.txt` file or as separate log files within the bug
  report archive.

**External Resources:**

- **`logcat` Command-Line Tool (Official Android Documentation):**
  [developer.android.com/studio/command-line/logcat](https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/logcat)
- **Reading and Writing Logs (General Overview):**
  [developer.android.com/studio/debug/am-logcat](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/am-logcat)

## {#bugreport-format} Android bugreport zip format (.zip)

**Description:** An Android bugreport is a `.zip` archive generated by Android
devices, containing a comprehensive snapshot of diagnostic information from an
Android device at a particular point in time. This archive bundles various logs
(like logcat), system properties, process information, stack traces for ANRs and
crashes, and importantly, a system trace (typically a Perfetto trace on modern
Android versions). It also contains detailed `dumpstate` output, which includes
board-level information and specific service dumps like `batterystats`.

**Common Scenarios:** Bugreport zip files are primarily used for:

- Capturing extensive diagnostic data when reporting bugs or analyzing complex
  issues on Android devices, whether for app development or platform-level
  debugging.
- Providing detailed system state information to Google, device manufacturers
  (OEMs), or other developers to help diagnose problems.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI & Trace Processor:** Perfetto can directly open and process
  Android bugreport `.zip` files.
  - When a bugreport zip is loaded, Perfetto automatically:
    - Scans the archive for **Perfetto trace files** (`.pftrace`,
      `.perfetto-trace`) in known locations (e.g.,
      `FS/data/misc/perfetto-traces/`, `proto/perfetto-trace.gz`). The primary
      Perfetto trace found is loaded for visualization and SQL querying.
    - Parses the main **`dumpstate` board-level information** (often found in
      files like `bugreport-*.txt` or `dumpstate_board.txt`) into the
      `dumpstate` SQL table. This table includes system properties, kernel
      version, build fingerprints, and other hardware/software details.
    - Extracts detailed **battery statistics** from the `batterystats` section
      of the dumpstate into the `battery_stats` SQL table. This provides
      information on battery levels, charging status, and power events over
      time.
  - This integrated approach allows users to analyze not only the system trace
    but also key system state (from `dumpstate`) and battery information (from
    `battery_stats`) from the bugreport within a unified Perfetto environment,
    without needing to manually extract these components.
  - **Note:** Perfetto's focus when processing bugreports is on its own native
    trace format and specific, structured parts of the `dumpstate` like
    `batterystats`. It generally does **not** attempt to import or parse legacy
    Systrace files (`systrace.html` or `systrace.txt`) that might be present in
    older bugreports. For analyzing those, you'd typically extract them manually
    and open them as per the [Android systrace format](#android-systrace-format)
    section.

**How to Generate:**

- **Using `adb bugreport` (from a computer connected to the device):** This is
  the most common method for developers.

  ```bash
  adb bugreport ./my_bugreport_filename.zip
  ```

  This command instructs the connected Android device to generate a bug report
  and saves it as a `.zip` file to the specified path on your computer.

- **From Developer Options on the Android device:**
  1.  Enable Developer Options on your Android device (usually by going to
      Settings > About phone and tapping "Build number" seven times).
  2.  Navigate to Settings > System > Developer options.
  3.  Find and tap the "Bug report" or "Take bug report" option. The exact
      wording and sub-menu might vary slightly depending on the Android version
      and device manufacturer.
  4.  You might be prompted to choose the type of bug report (e.g., "Interactive
      report" for more details during capture, or "Full report" for the most
      comprehensive data).
  5.  After the bug report is generated (which can take a few minutes), a
      notification will appear. Tapping this notification typically allows you
      to share the `.zip` file (e.g., via email, a file sharing app, or by
      saving it to cloud storage).

**External Resources:**

- **Capture and read bug reports (Official Android Documentation):**
  [developer.android.com/studio/debug/bug-report](https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/bug-report)

## Fuchsia tracing format (.fxt)

**Description:** The Fuchsia trace format (typically found in `.fxt` files) is a
binary format used by the Fuchsia operating system. It's designed for
high-performance, low-overhead recording of diagnostic information from both
userspace components and the Zircon kernel. The format features compact,
memory-aligned records and is extensible, with trace data often written directly
into Zircon Virtual Memory Objects (VMOs) for efficiency.

**Common Scenarios:** This format is primarily encountered when:

- Working with traces recorded on a Fuchsia OS device or emulator for debugging
  system behavior or analyzing performance.
- In some niche, non-Fuchsia use cases where a binary, compact, and streamable
  format with similarities to Chrome JSON's event structure is desired.
  - However, for such custom tracing needs outside of the Fuchsia ecosystem,
    generating Perfetto's
    [native TrackEvent protobuf format](/docs/reference/synthetic-track-event.md)
    is generally recommended as it is more feature-rich and better supported by
    Perfetto tools.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI:** `.fxt` files can be opened directly in the Perfetto UI for
  visualization. The UI can display various Fuchsia-specific events and system
  activities.
- **Trace Processor:** Perfetto's Trace Processor supports parsing the Fuchsia
  binary format. This allows the trace data, including events, scheduling
  records, and logs, to be imported into standard Perfetto SQL tables, making it
  available for query-based analysis.

**How to Generate:**

- **On Fuchsia OS:**
  - **Using `ffx` (Fuchsia's developer tool):** The primary way to record traces
    on a Fuchsia system from a development host is using the `ffx trace start`
    command.
  - **On-target `trace` utility:** Fuchsia devices also include a `trace`
    utility that can control tracing and save trace data.
  - **Kernel-specific tracing with `ktrace`:** For Zircon kernel-level tracing,
    the `ktrace` command-line utility can be used.
- **Programmatically by custom tools:** Some projects might also generate this
  format programmatically for specific non-Fuchsia use cases, particularly if a
  binary, compact, and streamable trace format is needed.

**External Resources:**

- **Official Fuchsia Tracing Documentation:**
  [Fuchsia Tracing Guides](https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/development/tracing)
- **Fuchsia Trace Format Specification:**
  [Fuchsia trace format](https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/reference/tracing/trace-format)
- **Tutorial on recording and visualizing:**
  [Record and visualize a trace (Fuchsia Docs)](https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/development/tracing/tutorial/record-and-visualize-a-trace)

## pprof format

**Description:** The `pprof` format is a protocol buffer-based format used for
storing CPU profile data. `pprof` is a tool for visualization and analysis of
profiling data. It reads a collection of profiling samples in `profile.proto`
format and generates reports to visualize and help analyze the data. It was
developed for and is used by the [Go programming language's pprof profiler](https://pkg.go.dev/runtime/pprof),
but has since been adopted by a wide range of other profilers for other
languages (e.g. Python, C++, Rust, etc.).

**Common Scenarios:** The most common reason Perfetto users encounter this
format is for:

- **Visualizing Go CPU profiles:** Developers often collect CPU samples using
  the Go pprof profiler and need a way to visualize them.
- **Using cross-platform profiling tools:** Some profiling tools and libraries
  are designed to output or convert their data into this format, facilitating
  analysis with pprof-compatible tools.
- **Analyzing Linux `perf` profiles:** `pprof` can read `perf.data` files
  generated by the [Linux perf](https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page)
  tool by using the `perf_to_profile` program from the
  [perf_data_converter](https://github.com/google/perf_data_converter) package.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI:** When a `pprof` file is opened, Perfetto visualizes the
  profiling data as an interactive flamegraph. If the `pprof` file contains
  multiple metrics (e.g., CPU time and memory allocations), the UI allows you
  to switch between them, displaying a separate flamegraph for each metric.
  This enables intuitive analysis of call stacks and helps identify performance
  hotspots across different dimensions.

  Here's an example of what that looks like

  ![](/docs/images/pprof-in-ui.png)

**How to Generate:** The most relevant generation path for Perfetto users
involves collecting CPU profiles from Go programs or converting `perf.data` files.

1.  **Collect a CPU profile from a Go program:** You can either use the
    `runtime/pprof` package to programmatically collect a profile or use the
    `net/http/pprof` package to expose a profiling endpoint on a running server.

    To collect a profile from a running server, you can use the `go tool pprof`
    command:

    ```bash
    go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/profile?seconds=30
    ```

    This will collect a 30-second CPU profile and open it in the pprof tool.
    You can then save the profile to a file using the `save` command in the
    pprof tool.

2.  **Convert Linux `perf.data` to pprof format:** Use the `perf_to_profile`
    tool from the `perf_data_converter` package.

    ```bash
    perf_to_profile -i perf.data -o perf.pprof
    ```

**External Resources:**

- **pprof GitHub Repository:**
  [https://github.com/google/pprof](https://github.com/google/pprof)
- **Go pprof documentation:**
  [https://pkg.go.dev/runtime/pprof](https://pkg.go.dev/runtime/pprof)
- **pprof format specification:**
  [https://github.com/google/pprof/blob/main/proto/profile.proto](https://github.com/google/pprof/blob/main/proto/profile.proto)
- **Linux `perf` tool:**
  [perf Wiki](https://perf.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Main_Page)
- **`perf_data_converter` GitHub Repository:**
  [https://github.com/google/perf_data_converter](https://github.com/google/perf_data_converter)

## Collapsed Stack format

**Description:** The Collapsed Stack format is a simple text-based format for
representing profiling data, commonly used with Brendan Gregg's FlameGraph
tools. Each line contains a semicolon-separated stack trace (from root to leaf)
followed by a space and a sample count. This format is popular for its
simplicity and is often used as an intermediate format when generating flame
graphs from various profiling sources.

**Format Specification:**

```
frame1;frame2;frame3 count
# Lines starting with # are comments
```

- Each line represents a unique stack trace with its sample count
- Frames are separated by semicolons (`;`)
- The root frame comes first, the leaf frame comes last
- The count is a positive integer separated from the stack by a space
- Lines starting with `#` are treated as comments
- Empty lines and leading/trailing whitespace are ignored

**Common Scenarios:** This format is typically used when:

- Working with output from `perf script` that has been processed through
  `stackcollapse-perf.pl` or similar tools.
- Using Brendan Gregg's FlameGraph toolchain for generating SVG flame graphs.
- Converting profiles from various sources into a universal, simple format.
- Analyzing profiles that have been aggregated or pre-processed.

**Perfetto Support:**

- **Perfetto UI:** When a collapsed stack file is opened, Perfetto visualizes
  the profiling data as an interactive flamegraph, similar to pprof files.

**How to Generate:**

The most common generation paths involve processing `perf` output:

```bash
# Record a profile
sudo perf record -F 99 -g -- ./my_program

# Convert to collapsed stack format
perf script | stackcollapse-perf.pl > profile.collapsed

# Open in Perfetto
# Navigate to ui.perfetto.dev and upload profile.collapsed
```

**External Resources:**

- **FlameGraph GitHub Repository:**
  [https://github.com/brendangregg/FlameGraph](https://github.com/brendangregg/FlameGraph)
- **Brendan Gregg's Flame Graphs page:**
  [https://www.brendangregg.com/flamegraphs.html](https://www.brendangregg.com/flamegraphs.html)
