debugging tools - TarisMajor/5143-OpSystems GitHub Wiki

Debugging Tools: An Overview

Debugging is a critical aspect of software development, allowing developers to identify and fix errors in their code. Debugging tools help examine the behavior of a program, trace its execution, and identify the source of errors or performance issues. The tools used for debugging vary depending on the level of abstraction at which you want to observe the program, such as system-level interactions, code execution, or memory usage. Among the most commonly used debugging tools are strace and gdb, each serving distinct purposes for different types of debugging.

  1. Strace: A System Call Tracing Tool

Overview: strace is a command-line tool primarily used for monitoring system calls and signals in Unix-like operating systems (Linux, macOS, etc.). It allows developers to trace the interactions between a process and the kernel by logging system calls. This is particularly useful when debugging issues related to file I/O, network operations, process management, and memory.

  1. GDB: The GNU Debugger

Overview: gdb (GNU Debugger) is one of the most widely used debuggers for programs written in languages like C, C++, and others. It allows developers to inspect and control the execution of programs at the source code level. While strace focuses on system-level tracing, gdb operates at a much higher level, enabling line-by-line inspection of the code, variable states, and control flow.