vllm-project--vllm-omni/docs/contributing/profiling.md

# Profiling Diffusion Models

> **Warning:** Profiling is for development and debugging only. It adds significant overhead and should not be enabled in production.

Diffusion profiling supports two backends through `profiler_config`:

- `torch`: detailed CPU/CUDA traces, operator tables, and optional memory snapshots
- `cuda`: low-overhead CUDA range control for NVIDIA Nsight Systems (`nsys`)

## 1. Configure `profiler_config`

Use `profiler_config` to enable profiling for a diffusion model. For diffusion usage, pass it directly to `Omni(...)` or `vllm serve`.

Minimal torch-profiler config:

```yaml
profiler_config:
  profiler: torch
  torch_profiler_dir: ./perf
```

Supported fields:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `profiler` | Profiler backend. Supported values: `torch`, `cuda`. Use `torch` for `trace.json`, Excel operator tables, and optional memory snapshots. Use `cuda` for Nsight Systems only. |
| `torch_profiler_dir` | Output directory for torch-profiler artifacts. Required when `profiler: torch`. |
| `torch_profiler_use_gzip` | Compress `trace_rank*.json` into `trace_rank*.json.gz`. |
| `torch_profiler_record_shapes` | Record input shapes and add a `by_shape` sheet to `ops_rank*.xlsx`. |
| `torch_profiler_with_stack` | Record call stacks, add a `by_stack` sheet to `ops_rank*.xlsx`, and export `stacks_cpu_rank*.txt` and `stacks_cuda_rank*.txt`. |
| `torch_profiler_with_memory` | Enable memory profiling and attempt to dump `memory_snapshot_rank*.pickle`. The pickle is only generated when the current backend supports memory history and snapshot APIs. |
| `torch_profiler_with_flops` | Enable FLOPs collection in `torch.profiler`. This does not add a separate output file. |
| `torch_profiler_dump_cuda_time_total` | Export an additional text summary `profiler_out_<rank>.txt` sorted by `self_cuda_time_total`. |
| `delay_iterations` | Number of worker iterations to skip before profiling starts. |
| `max_iterations` | Maximum number of worker iterations to capture before auto-stop. |
| `wait_iterations` | Torch-profiler wait iterations before warmup. |
| `warmup_iterations` | Torch-profiler warmup iterations. |
| `active_iterations` | Torch-profiler active iterations. |

For detailed explanations of the fields, please refer to upstream vLLM implementation [vllm/config/profiler.py](https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm/blob/v0.20.1/vllm/config/profiler.py)

### Minimal configurations by output

Only collect trace output:

```python
profiler_config = {
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
}
```

Outputs:

- `trace_rank*.json`
- `ops_rank*.xlsx` with a `summary` sheet

Collect compressed trace output:

```python
profiler_config = {
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
    "torch_profiler_use_gzip": True,
}
```

Outputs:

- `trace_rank*.json.gz`
- `ops_rank*.xlsx` with a `summary` sheet

Collect trace and full operator tables:

```python
profiler_config = {
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
    "torch_profiler_record_shapes": True,
    "torch_profiler_with_stack": True,
}
```

Outputs:

- `trace_rank*.json`
- `ops_rank*.xlsx` with `summary`, `by_shape`, and `by_stack`
- `stacks_cpu_rank*.txt`
- `stacks_cuda_rank*.txt`

Collect trace, operator tables, and memory snapshots:

```python
profiler_config = {
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
    "torch_profiler_record_shapes": True,
    "torch_profiler_with_stack": True,
    "torch_profiler_with_memory": True,
}
```

Outputs:

- `trace_rank*.json`
- `ops_rank*.xlsx` with `summary`, `by_shape`, and `by_stack`
- `stacks_cpu_rank*.txt`
- `stacks_cuda_rank*.txt`
- `memory_snapshot_rank*.pickle` when supported by the current backend

### Full torch-profiler configuration

If you want to enable the commonly used torch-profiler options together:

```python
profiler_config = {
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
    "torch_profiler_use_gzip": False,
    "torch_profiler_record_shapes": True,
    "torch_profiler_with_stack": True,
    "torch_profiler_with_memory": True,
    "torch_profiler_with_flops": False,
    "torch_profiler_dump_cuda_time_total": False,
    "delay_iterations": 0,
    "max_iterations": 0,
    "wait_iterations": 0,
    "warmup_iterations": 0,
    "active_iterations": 1,
}
```

## 2. Profiling Diffusion with PyTorch Profiler

Single-stage diffusion models use `start_profile()` / `stop_profile()` controls. The profiler only writes artifacts after profiling has been started and then stopped.

```python
from vllm_omni import Omni

omni = Omni(
    model="Wan-AI/Wan2.2-I2V-A14B-Diffusers",
    profiler_config={
        "profiler": "torch",
        "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
    },
)

omni.start_profile()
...
omni.stop_profile()
```

For diffusion offline example scripts under `examples/offline_inference/`, pass `--profiler-config` as a JSON object. The script enables profiling when this argument is set and wraps generation with `start_profile()` / `stop_profile()`.

Example:

```bash
python examples/offline_inference/image_to_video/image_to_video.py \
  --model Wan-AI/Wan2.2-I2V-A14B-Diffusers \
  --image input.jpg \
  --prompt "A cat playing with yarn" \
  --profiler-config '{
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "./perf",
    "torch_profiler_record_shapes": true,
    "torch_profiler_with_stack": true
  }'
```

Examples:

1. [Image edit example](https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm-omni/blob/main/examples/offline_inference/image_to_image/image_edit.py)
2. [Image to video example](https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm-omni/tree/main/examples/offline_inference/image_to_video)

## 3. Profiling Diffusion with Nsight Systems (`nsys`)

For Nsight Systems, use `profiler: cuda` and wrap the process with `nsys profile`.

```bash
nsys profile \
  --trace-fork-before-exec=true \
  --cuda-graph-trace=node \
  --capture-range=cudaProfilerApi \
  --capture-range-end=repeat \
  -o diffusion_trace \
  python image_to_video.py ...
```

The Python process being profiled must create the diffusion engine with:

```python
profiler_config = {"profiler": "cuda"}
```

Then call `start_profile()` before the requests you want to capture and `stop_profile()` after them. The diffusion worker processes open and close the CUDA capture range themselves, so `nsys` sees the actual GPU work instead of only the parent process.

## 4. Profiling Online Serving

When `profiler_config.profiler` is set for a diffusion model, the server exposes:

- `POST /start_profile`
- `POST /stop_profile`

### Start the server

Single-stage diffusion serving with torch profiler:

```bash
vllm serve Wan-AI/Wan2.2-I2V-A14B-Diffusers \
  --omni \
  --port 8091 \
  --profiler-config '{
    "profiler": "torch",
    "torch_profiler_dir": "/tmp/vllm_profile_wan22_i2v",
    "torch_profiler_with_stack": true,
    "torch_profiler_with_flops": false,
    "torch_profiler_use_gzip": true,
    "torch_profiler_dump_cuda_time_total": false,
    "torch_profiler_record_shapes": true,
    "torch_profiler_with_memory": true,
    "delay_iterations": 0,
    "max_iterations": 0,
    "wait_iterations": 0,
    "warmup_iterations": 0,
    "active_iterations": 1
  }'
```

Single-stage diffusion serving with Nsight Systems:

```bash
nsys profile \
  --trace-fork-before-exec=true \
  --cuda-graph-trace=node \
  --capture-range=cudaProfilerApi \
  --capture-range-end=repeat \
  -o serving_trace \
  vllm serve Wan-AI/Wan2.2-I2V-A14B-Diffusers \
    --omni \
    --port 8091 \
    --profiler-config '{"profiler": "cuda"}'
```

### Control capture

Example profiling flow for an online Qwen-Image request:

```bash
# Start profiling.
curl -X POST http://localhost:8091/start_profile

# Send a Qwen-Image generation request while profiling is active.
curl http://localhost:8091/v1/images/generations \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "Qwen/Qwen-Image",
    "prompt": "A red vintage bicycle parked beside a quiet canal at sunset"
  }'

# Stop profiling and flush profiler artifacts.
curl -X POST http://localhost:8091/stop_profile
```

## 5. Diffusion Pipeline Profiler

For lightweight per-stage pipeline timing such as `vae.decode` or `diffuse`, see [Diffusion Pipeline Profiler](model/adding_diffusion_model.md#diffusion-pipeline-profiler-performance-profiling). That utility logs stage durations only and does not generate torch-profiler artifacts such as `trace.json`, Excel tables, or memory snapshots.

## 6. Analyze Results

Torch-profiler output:

- Chrome/Perfetto trace: `trace_rank*.json` or `trace_rank*.json.gz`
- Excel workbook: `ops_rank*.xlsx` with `summary`, and optional `by_shape` / `by_stack` sheets
- Stack exports: `stacks_cpu_rank*.txt` and `stacks_cuda_rank*.txt` when stack capture is enabled
- Memory snapshot: `memory_snapshot_rank*.pickle` when memory capture is enabled and supported by the backend
- Optional CUDA-time text summary: `profiler_out_<rank>.txt` when `torch_profiler_dump_cuda_time_total` is enabled

CUDA profiler / Nsight Systems output:

- `.nsys-rep` report files written by `nsys -o ...`

Recommended viewers:

- [Perfetto](https://ui.perfetto.dev/) for torch traces
- `nsys stats <report>.nsys-rep` for CLI summaries
- Nsight Systems GUI for CUDA kernel timelines

For upstream background on the underlying vLLM profiling infrastructure, see the [vLLM profiling guide](https://docs.vllm.ai/en/stable/contributing/profiling/).

## 7. Orchestrator Monitor

> **Warning:** Diagnostic only. Adds lightweight counters on the orchestrator poll loop and per-replica queue depth. Disable in production unless you are actively debugging orchestrator saturation.

Multi-stage omni pipelines route client-facing outputs and inter-stage connector traffic through a single-process orchestrator. When that loop is saturated (for example by large multimodal payloads on the poll path), TTFT and stability can degrade even when GPU stages are healthy. The orchestrator monitor records time-series signals to confirm whether the orchestrator or downstream stage queues are the bottleneck.

Enable on the stage-0 (orchestrator) process:

```bash
vllm serve Qwen/Qwen3-Omni-30B-A3B-Instruct --omni --port 8091 \
  --stage-id 0 \
  --enable-orch-monitor
```

Optional output path override:

```bash
export VLLM_OMNI_ORCH_MONITOR_PATH=/tmp/vllm_omni_orch_monitor.json
```

If unset, the monitor writes `./vllm_omni_orch_monitor_<MMDDHHMM>.json` at shutdown.

### Recorded metrics

Each 1-second window records:

| Series | Description |
|---|---|
| `windows.duration_s` | Wall time covered by the window |
| `windows.loop_idle` / `windows.loop_active` | Orchestrator poll-loop iterations with no work vs. active forwarding |
| `replicas.<stage,replica>.outputs_queue_size` | MP client `outputs_queue` backlog for that replica |
| `replicas.<stage,replica>.inflight` | Requests currently bound/routed to the replica |

On shutdown the server also logs a short summary (`loop_active_pct`, per-replica queue averages/maxima).

### Relationship to other diagnostics

This monitor is intentionally separate from the existing profiling tools:

| Tool | Scope | Output |
|---|---|---|
| `--enable-diffusion-pipeline-profiler` | Diffusion stage functions (`vae.decode`, `diffuse`, …) | Per-request `stage_durations` / logs |
| `--enable-ar-profiler` | AR stage generation time | Per-request `stage_durations` |
| `profiler_config` (`torch` / `cuda`) | GPU/CPU kernels inside a stage worker | `trace.json`, Nsight, operator tables |
| Prometheus `/metrics` (`vllm:omni_*`) | Pipeline SLOs and cross-stage transfer | Continuous scrape endpoint |
| `--enable-orch-monitor` | Orchestrator poll loop + replica queue backlog | Single JSON file at shutdown |

The orchestrator monitor does not use `torch.profiler` because the bottleneck signal lives in the orchestrator process (poll-loop duty cycle and queue depth), not inside stage workers. It complements Prometheus metrics when you need a post-run time series for a benchmark or regression run.

Process liveness monitors (`monitor_engine_liveness`, worker/engine-core monitors) are unrelated: they detect crashed workers, not orchestrator load.