Linux strace Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to strace on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including system call tracing, debugging, and process monitoring.

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Table of Contents

1. strace Installation
2. strace Basics
3. Tracing System Calls
4. Filtering
5. Troubleshooting

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strace Installation

Install strace

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install strace
sudo pacman -S strace

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install strace

Fedora:

sudo dnf install strace

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strace Basics

Trace Command

Basic usage:

# Trace command
strace ls

# Shows all system calls

Trace Process

Running process:

# Trace running process
strace -p PID

# -p = PID (traces process by PID)

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Tracing System Calls

System Calls

View calls:

# Show system calls
strace ls

# Shows:
# - open()
# - read()
# - write()
# - close()
# etc.

Summary

Statistics:

# Summary statistics
strace -c ls

# -c = count (shows summary)

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Filtering

Filter Calls

Specific calls:

# Filter system calls
strace -e open ls

# -e = trace (only open() calls)

Multiple Filters

Multiple calls:

# Multiple filters
strace -e open,read,write ls

# Traces multiple call types

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Troubleshooting

strace Not Found

Check installation:

# Check strace
which strace

# Install if missing
sudo pacman -S strace

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Summary

This guide covered strace usage, system call tracing, and debugging for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• ltrace Guide - Library call tracing
• Process Management - Process monitoring
• Debugging - Debugging tools
• strace Documentation: man strace

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.