Debugging Common Errors in Full Stack Python Development
Debugging is a crucial part of full stack Python development, especially when working across both backend and frontend layers. Here’s a breakdown of common errors encountered in full stack Python development and how to debug them effectively.
π§ Common Backend (Python/Django/Flask/FastAPI) Errors
1. Import Errors
Example: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'xyz'
Fix:
-
Ensure the package is installed (
pip install xyz
) -
Check virtual environment activation
-
Watch for circular imports
2. Database Connection Issues
Example: OperationalError: could not connect to server
Fix:
-
Verify
DATABASE_URL
or settings insettings.py
-
Ensure the DB server is running (PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.)
-
Use tools like
psql
ormysql
CLI to test connection
3. Migrations and ORM Issues
Example: django.db.utils.ProgrammingError: relation "table_name" does not exist
Fix:
-
Run
python manage.py makemigrations
andmigrate
-
Check for missing
__init__.py
in migration folders -
Inspect model changes carefully when reverting migrations
4. Serialization/Validation Errors (Django REST Framework or Pydantic)
Example: KeyError
, ValidationError
, TypeError
Fix:
-
Validate data types passed to serializers
-
Use
.get()
instead of direct key access in dictionaries -
Print/log input data to understand structure
5. CORS Errors
Example: Access to fetch at 'http://localhost:8000/api' from origin 'http://localhost:3000' has been blocked by CORS policy
Fix:
-
Add CORS headers using middleware (
django-cors-headers
for Django,flask-cors
for Flask) -
Configure frontend to match backend CORS settings
π Common Frontend Errors (React/Vue/HTML + JS with Python Backend)
1. Incorrect API URLs
Fix:
-
Double-check your fetch/axios URLs and HTTP methods
-
Watch out for trailing slashes (Django REST Framework cares!)
2. JSON Parsing Errors
Example: SyntaxError: Unexpected token < in JSON
Fix:
-
Backend might be sending HTML error instead of JSON
-
Inspect the response using browser dev tools or Postman
3. 404/500 Errors from Backend
Fix:
-
Use browser dev tools (Network tab) to view request details
-
Check backend logs (
print
,logging
, or tools like Sentry)
⚙️ Full Stack Integration Errors
1. Mismatch Between Frontend and Backend Data Structures
Fix:
-
Confirm expected request/response shape
-
Use tools like Swagger/OpenAPI or Postman collections
2. Async/Await Confusion in FastAPI
Fix:
-
Use
async def
only if calling async functions -
Avoid mixing sync/async unless necessary
π ️ Debugging Tools and Tips
-
Browser Dev Tools – inspect API requests, console errors
-
Postman / Insomnia – test APIs independently
-
Python Debuggers – use
pdb
,breakpoint()
, or IDE-integrated debugging -
Logging – use Python’s
logging
module, not justprint()
-
Linting/Static Analysis –
flake8
,pylint
,black
,mypy
help catch issues early -
Error Monitoring – Sentry, Rollbar for production
Comments
Post a Comment