Debugging Tools
A list of debugging tools used for bug detection and fixing in software. Compare major tools like GDB and Chrome DevTools.
| No | Name | Description | Trend | License | Language | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GNU Debugger (GDB) | GNU project debugger. Supports languages like C, C++, Go, Rust. Controls program execution via command line interface to identify bugs. | Standard debugging tool in Unix/Linux environments. GUI usage increased with IDE adoption, but remains important in server environments. | GPL v3 | C C++ | Official |
| 2 | LLDB | High-performance debugger from LLVM project. Supports C, C++, Objective-C, Swift. Standard in macOS/iOS development as Xcode's default debugger. | Standard debugger in Apple environments. Importance increasing with Swift language adoption. Gradually expanding adoption in Linux environments. | Apache 2.0 | C C++ Swift | Official |
| 3 | Chrome DevTools | Web developer tools in Google Chrome browser. Enables debugging of JavaScript, CSS, network, and performance. Essential tool for frontend development. | Most important debugging tool for web developers. Essential for modern web development with remote debugging features and Lighthouse integration. | BSD | JavaScript Web | Official |
| 4 | Firefox Developer Tools | Web developer tools in Mozilla Firefox browser. Excellent visual debugging features for CSS Grid and Flexbox. Rich JavaScript and network analysis capabilities. | Sometimes surpasses Chrome DevTools in CSS-related debugging features, with strong support from frontend developers. Differentiates with unique features. | MPL 2.0 | JavaScript Web | Official |
| 5 | Visual Studio Debugger | Integrated debugger in Microsoft Visual Studio. Supports .NET, C++, JavaScript, etc. Powerful breakpoints, watch, and call stack analysis. | Standard debugger in Windows development environment. Cross-platform support with .NET Core made it available on macOS/Linux. | Proprietary | C# .NET C++ | Official |
| 6 | Xdebug | PHP debugging and profiling extension. Provides step debugging, stack traces, and code coverage analysis. Essential tool for PHP development. | De facto standard debugging tool in PHP development. Improved usability through IDE integration, widely used by PHP developers. | Xdebug License | PHP | Official |
| 7 | Node.js Inspector | Built-in debugger for Node.js. Integrates with Chrome DevTools, enabling server-side JavaScript debugging. Supports remote debugging. | Standard debugging tool for Node.js development. Improved usability through VS Code integration, essential for server-side JavaScript development. | MIT | JavaScript Node.js | Official |
| 8 | Python Debugger (pdb) | Python's standard debugger. Controls Python program execution via command line. Supports breakpoint setting, variable inspection, and step execution. | Continues as basic tool in Python development. Despite advanced IDE debuggers, maintains strong support for lightness and simplicity. | PSF | Python | Official |
| 9 | Valgrind | Memory debugging and profiling tool. Specialized in detecting memory leaks, uninitialized memory access, and buffer overflows. Important for C/C++ development. | Essential tool for detecting memory-related bugs in C/C++ development. Despite competition with tools like AddressSanitizer, continues with detailed analysis features. | GPL v2 | C C++ | Official |
| 10 | strace | Linux system call tracer. Monitors system calls and signals executed by programs. Used for system-level debugging. | Standard tool for system-level debugging in Linux environments. Increasing importance in container environments and microservices troubleshooting. | BSD | System Linux | Official |