Show HN: EcoTrace – Lightweight carbon footprint and energy tracker for Python

v1.4.0 — Feature Release. Pausable tracking API, WebhookExporter, side-by-side CLI diff comparison, filtered CSV exporting, and log maintenance commands — all with zero new mandatory dependencies.

EcoTrace is a lightweight library for granular carbon footprint measurement of Python applications. No configuration files, no background services—just real-time hardware-level transparency.

Real-time monitoring | 50+ Global Zones | AI-powered insights | Zero-configuration

[!TIP]

VS Code Extension:Monitor application carbon footprint in real-time during development.[Download here].

Function-level carbon measurement with real-time monitoring

Feature Release.v1.4.0 adds pausable tracking, side-by-side run comparisons, webhook integrations, filtered CSV exporting, and log rotation capabilities.

Pausing API— Temporarily disable carbon tracking usingEcoTrace.()

andEcoTrace.resume()

to exclude setup and teardown overhead.Run Comparisons (— Perform side-by-side carbon and execution duration comparisons between two specific runs.ecotrace diff

)Webhook Integration (— Stream carbon emissions data to Slack, Teams, Discord, or a custom API in real-time.WebhookExporter

)Filtered CSV Exporting— Export filtered subsets of measurement logs with--csv

format and--run

/--func

filters.Log Maintenance Commands— Rotate and trim logs viaecotrace clean

, and permanently delete logs usingecotrace reset

.Multi-Run History— Every session gets a uniqueRunID

. Useecotrace history

to compare runs andecotrace trends

for an ASCII carbon trend chart.— Programmatic access to all session metrics as a typed dict. Ideal for notebooks, dashboards, and CI assertions.get_summary()

API

pip install ecotrace

Optional extras:

pip install ecotrace[gpu]   # NVIDIA GPU support
pip install ecotrace[ai]    # Gemini AI insights
pip install ecotrace[all]   # Everything

Measure any script without changing a single line of code:

ecotrace run my_script.py

Decorate functions for granular instrumentation:

from ecotrace import EcoTrace

eco = EcoTrace(region_code="US")

@eco.track
def my_function():
    pass

my_function()

eco.generate_pdf_report("carbon_audit.pdf")
print(f"Total Carbon Emitted: {eco.total_carbon} gCO2")

Set a limit and let EcoTrace enforce it:

eco = EcoTrace(
    region_code="TR",
    carbon_limit=5.0,                   # 5 gCO2 budget
    on_budget_exceeded=lambda t, l: print(f"Budget exceeded: {t:.4f}/{l:.4f} gCO2")
)

@eco.track
def training_pipeline():
    ...

training_pipeline()
print(f"Remaining budget: {eco.remaining_budget} gCO2")

When initialized, EcoTrace performs automated hardware detection:

[EcoTrace] INFO: [INFO] EcoTrace instrumentation session initialized (STATIC).
[EcoTrace] INFO: -----------------------------------------------------
[EcoTrace] INFO: Region        : TR (475 gCO2/kWh)
[EcoTrace] INFO: Hardware Logic: 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H
[EcoTrace] INFO: Specifications: 20 Cores | 45.0W TDP
[EcoTrace] INFO: Energy Sensor : Boavizta Advanced Estimation
[EcoTrace] INFO: Memory Config : 15.6 GB DDR4
[EcoTrace] INFO: GPU Accelerator: Intel Iris Xe Graphics (15.0W TDP)
[EcoTrace] INFO: -----------------------------------------------------

At process exit, a session summary is printed automatically:

Duration : 12.34s Functions : 5 tracked Total Carbon : 0.00312000 gCO2 Region : TR (475 gCO2/kWh) Budget : 0.003120 / 5.000000 gCO2 (0.1%) [OK]

Enforce carbon budgets in your pipeline with our official GitHub Action. Add this to your `.github/workflows/ci.yml`

:

• name: EcoTrace Carbon Gate uses: Zwony/ecotrace@v1.3.0 with: budget: '10.0' region: 'US'

You can also run the gate manually:

ecotrace gate --budget 10.0

If total emissions exceed the budget, the gate fails with exit code 1 — preventing carbon-heavy code from being merged.

| Feature | EcoTrace v1.0 |
CodeCarbon | CarbonTracker |
|---|---|---|---|
Sampling Interval |
50ms |
15s | Per Epoch |
Isolation |
Process-scoped |
System-wide | System-wide |
Budget Enforcement |
Built-in |
No | No |
CI/CD Gate |
Built-in |
No | No |
Idle Noise Subtraction |
Automatic |
No | No |
Async Support |
Native |
Limited | No |

**Deep Transparency:** Derived from verified manufacturer TDP specifications rather than category averages.**Fail-Safe Architecture:** Guaranteed application continuity even if hardware drivers or API keys are missing.**Actionable AI:** Integrates with Google Gemini to provide specific code optimization advice (optional).

Full documentation is available at [ ecotrace.readthedocs.io](https://ecotrace.readthedocs.io/en/latest/).

— How the energy model and process isolation work.**Architecture and Science**— GPU tracking, AI insights, benchmarks, and comparison tables.** Advanced Usage**— Technical documentation for core classes and functions.** API Reference**— Troubleshooting, region codes, and hardware compatibility.** Support and Reference**

We welcome contributions! Please see our [ CONTRIBUTING.MD](/Zwony/ecotrace/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.MD) for guidelines on reporting bugs, suggesting features, or contributing hardware data.

**Emre Ozkal** — [GitHub](https://github.com/Zwony) · [ecotraceteam@gmail.com](mailto:ecotraceteam@gmail.com)

MIT License — Use it however you like.

*Developed for sustainable software development practices.*