Debugging involves identifying, tracing, and correcting errors or defects in software code to ensure that the application runs as intended. It’s a vital part of software development that enhances both functionality and the overall user experience.

The debugging process can be intricate—bugs have the potential to compromise even well-written code. Fortunately, there are several tools that simplify this task. For example, some debuggers allow you to set breakpoints, pausing execution at specific points to inspect the program’s behaviour. Other tools can record actions for playback, which is particularly useful when replicating the steps leading to a bug. Some tools even enable testing in a virtual machine environment, offering a safe space to debug without impacting the live application.

In this post, I’ll explore a range of debugging tools and techniques that can help you streamline your development workflow. While debugging can sometimes seem overwhelming, with the right approach, it becomes a manageable—and even enjoyable—part of software development. So stay tuned for a deep dive into debugging tools and practices.

What is Debugging?

Debugging is the process of identifying, analysing, and resolving bugs or errors in code to ensure that software operates as expected. It plays a crucial role in maintaining software quality, often involving specialised tools designed to detect and fix errors efficiently.

What is Online Debugging?

Online debugging allows developers and testers to troubleshoot specific components of an application in real-time using web browsers. This process is critical for evaluating how an application performs across different devices and browser versions, given the fragmented nature of the web ecosystem.

To ensure a consistent user experience across all platforms, developers can leverage cloud-based testing platforms, which provide access to real device clouds. These platforms also integrate with browser DevTools, enabling developers to inspect and debug HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on real devices. This approach makes debugging more practical and accurate.

Why is Online Debugging Important?

Debugging is essential for identifying and fixing bugs before software reaches end users. Online debugging, in particular, provides several benefits:

• Improves Software Quality: Streamlines development, ensuring high-quality products for customers.
• Early Error Detection: Allows immediate identification and correction of issues before deployment.
• Quality Assurance: Helps evaluate the overall system quality.
• Team Collaboration: Enables different teams to identify areas needing improvement and conduct more thorough testing.
• Delivery Confidence: Ensures consistent application or website quality from a release perspective.

Steps Involved in Debugging

Effective debugging follows a series of steps aimed at resolving code errors while improving software quality:

1. Locate the Error: Identifying the issue early helps save time and resources.
2. Pinpoint the Fault: Once the error is detected, determine its precise location in the code.
3. Analyse the Error: Carefully evaluate the issue to understand its impact on the system.
4. Fix and Validate: Correct the error and verify the system’s functionality to ensure the problem is resolved.

Debugging Environments

Several debugging environments are available, particularly when using Visual Studio or the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). These include:

• WinDbg Preview: A modern debugger with a user-friendly interface.
• Windows Debugger (WinDbg): A powerful tool for debugging Windows programs, drivers, and the OS itself.
• Kernel Debugger (KD): Specifically designed for debugging kernel-mode components.
• NTKD: A kernel-mode debugger for Windows NT systems.
• Console Debugger (CDB): A command-line debugger offering a simple interface.
• NT Symbolic Debugger (NTSD): Another command-line debugger for Windows operating systems.

These environments support x86, x64, and Arm CPU architectures, allowing developers to trace complex software issues, set breakpoints, inspect variables, and analyse program execution.

Best Debugging Tools

Now, let’s take a look at some of the best debugging tools available this year, each offering unique features to suit various budgets and project needs. These tools are used by developers and testers worldwide to simplify their work and ensure the delivery of robust applications.

1. Airbrake

Airbrake is one of the leading cloud-based error and bug-reporting solutions, designed to meet the needs of small to midsize businesses. As a developer-centric tool, it integrates seamlessly with popular apps, making it an ideal choice for developers looking to streamline their debugging process.

Its standout features include ease of setup, robust error monitoring, and smooth integration into existing workflows, all of which help businesses maintain software reliability and performance with precision and efficiency. Airbrake is a top choice for developers aiming to optimize their debugging efforts.

Core Features of Airbrake

• Error Tracking: Monitors errors and exceptions, providing detailed error information to help identify and fix issues quickly.
• Real-time Notifications: Sends instant alerts via email, Slack, and other platforms, ensuring rapid response to new errors.
• Error Grouping: Automatically categorizes similar errors, allowing for efficient problem-solving by consolidating related issues.
• Detailed Error Reports: Delivers comprehensive error data, including the specific code line and user details involved in the error.
• Integration with Development Tools: Works seamlessly with tools like GitHub, GitLab, JIRA, and Slack, simplifying error management across development platforms.
• Custom Error Filtering: Allows developers to customize error notifications, filtering out unnecessary alerts by excluding certain error types.
• Performance Insights: Provides metrics such as response times, giving developers a clearer view of application performance.
• Error Trend Analysis: Tracks recurring issues over time, helping teams identify and resolve persistent problems.
• Custom Dashboards: Enables the creation of personalized visualizations to monitor performance metrics and error data.
• User Feedback Integration: Collects user input on errors and issues, offering valuable insights into the user experience.
• Compliance and Security: Ensures that data is protected through strict compliance measures, safeguarding privacy and security.

Airbrake’s powerful feature set and ease of use make it an excellent tool for developers looking to enhance their debugging processes and maintain high-performing, error-free applications.

2. ReSharper

ReSharper is a widely recognized productivity and debugging tool, designed as an extension for Visual Studio. It’s trusted by both individual .NET developers and teams to simplify code development, encourage best coding practices, and accelerate the creation of high-quality applications. Its pricing options are flexible, catering to businesses, organizations, and individual users, with discounts available for startups.

Core Features of ReSharper

• Real-time Code Analysis and Suggestions: Continuously analyzes code and provides actionable recommendations to help developers quickly identify and resolve issues, ensuring code quality.
• Automated Code Refactoring: Offers a robust set of tools for automated code refactoring, enhancing code maintainability and readability.
• Performance Profiling Tools: Includes performance profiling capabilities to detect bottlenecks and optimize application speed.
• Multi-language Support: Extends beyond C#, supporting various .NET languages such as VB.NET and ASP.NET, making it versatile for different development environments.
• Code Navigation: Simplifies navigation within code, allowing developers to easily locate specific methods, files, or code elements.
• Unit Testing Integration: Seamlessly integrates with unit testing frameworks, facilitating the efficient creation, execution, and analysis of tests.

These features make ReSharper an invaluable tool for developers aiming to boost productivity and maintain high standards in code quality.

3. Raygun

This cloud-based solution is a top-tier tool for performance monitoring and debugging, offering a versatile range of features that extend beyond traditional debugging methods. It empowers developers and teams to collect critical data on end-user issues, including crash reports and bug feedback, ensuring a comprehensive approach to application optimization.

What sets this tool apart is its dual strength in both front-end and server-side performance monitoring, along with its advanced end-user fault detection capabilities. Seamless integration with third-party platforms like Jira further enhances its functionality, enabling detailed bug tracking and in-depth analysis.

Core Features of Raygun

• Performance Monitoring: Provides real-time performance insights, allowing users to identify bottlenecks and optimize application speed.
• End-User Issue Collection: Gathers essential data on end-user problems, including crash reports and feedback on bugs, enabling quick resolution.
• Front-End Performance Monitoring: Ensures a smooth user experience by monitoring front-end performance in real time.
• Server-Side Performance Monitoring: Offers comprehensive backend performance monitoring, pinpointing server-side issues for resolution.
• End-User Fault Detection Analysis: Delivers in-depth analysis of end-user faults, improving application reliability.
• Third-Party Integration: Integrates effortlessly with tools like Jira, facilitating detailed bug tracking and analysis.
• Comprehensive Performance Insights: Provides developers with actionable insights into application performance, enabling informed optimization.
• Streamlined Debugging: Combines performance monitoring with issue collection to create an efficient debugging process, making it an invaluable resource for development teams.

This tool’s robust performance monitoring, combined with its ability to gather detailed user insights, makes it a critical asset for any development team focused on delivering high-performance applications and streamlining their debugging workflows.

4. Lightrun

Lightrun is a powerful real-time debugging tool designed to streamline the debugging process with its minimal, non-intrusive approach. By eliminating the need for code recompilation, it allows developers to analyze variables, trace execution paths, and collect data on running applications instantly. This real-time feedback helps developers quickly identify and resolve issues, enhancing the efficiency and quality of software development.

Core Features of Lightrun:

• Code-Fast Debugging: Enables real-time debugging without the need for code recompilation, speeding up the debugging process.
• Seamless Integration: Integrates effortlessly into existing workflows without affecting application performance, ensuring smooth operation.
• Immediate Feedback: Provides instant feedback on code, allowing developers to promptly identify and fix issues, improving software quality.
• Versatile Compatibility: Supports a wide range of environments, making it suitable for debugging across various setups and scenarios.

Lightrun’s innovative real-time approach makes it a top choice for developers looking to optimize their debugging efforts and enhance software performance.

5. Honeycomb.io

Honeycomb.io is a top-tier debugging tool designed for enterprises and software industries to gain deep insights into production software. Its primary strength lies in its ability to quickly analyze large amounts of data, helping developers and teams identify and solve issues in complex and unpredictable environments. Honeycomb.io enables a fast, data-driven approach to debugging, offering valuable insights into user behavior and expectations.

Core Features of Honeycomb.io:

• Fast Analysis: Excels at rapidly processing vast datasets to pinpoint software issues, enabling quick troubleshooting.
• User Expectations: Helps developers understand user expectations and behavior, even in complex and dynamic environments.
• Finding Patterns: Quickly identifies patterns and insights within the data, making problem-solving more straightforward and efficient.

Honeycomb.io’s combination of speed, data-driven insights, and focus on user behavior makes it a highly effective tool for enterprises looking to optimize their software performance and resolve production issues.

6. Rookout

Rookout is an advanced debugging tool that enables engineers to resolve customer issues up to five times faster. It simplifies debugging across various environments, from cloud-native to on-premises setups, and spans the entire development cycle—from development to production. Rookout is designed to handle the complexities of modern software infrastructures with ease, providing live debugging data across the tech stack.

Core Features of Rookout:

• Cloud-Native Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with cloud-native environments, ensuring robust debugging capabilities across modern infrastructures.
• Accessible Debugging: Offers a user-friendly approach to debugging, reducing the learning curve and boosting developer productivity.
• Tech Stack Coverage: Captures live debugging data across your entire tech stack, supporting multiple programming languages and frameworks.
• No Code Changes Required: Enables debugging without the need for code changes or redeployment, significantly streamlining the debugging process.
• Production-Ready Debugging: Suitable for debugging in live production environments, minimizing downtime and disruptions.

Rookout’s ability to debug without code modifications and its wide tech stack coverage make it an invaluable tool for developers working in diverse and complex environments.

7. SonarLint

SonarLint is a powerful IDE extension that ensures developers write clean, high-quality code by detecting and resolving issues in real-time. Like a spell checker for coding, it highlights potential bugs and security concerns before code commits, making it a preferred choice for immediate feedback during development.

Core Features of SonarLint:

• Code Quality Analysis: Conducts in-depth code quality checks to help maintain clean, efficient code.
• Bug Detection: Flags bugs and security vulnerabilities in real-time, allowing early issue resolution.
• Integration with IDEs: Seamlessly integrates with various IDEs, offering easy access to its debugging and analysis tools within a developer’s preferred environment.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Supports multiple IDEs and programming languages, providing flexibility for diverse development projects.
• SonarQube Integration: While SonarLint works locally, it can be integrated with SonarQube for large-scale projects, offering comprehensive code analysis and detailed reporting.

SonarLint’s instant feedback and robust code analysis make it an essential tool for developers focused on maintaining top-tier code quality.

8. Memfault

Memfault is a cloud-based platform that streamlines software development by offering a comprehensive suite of tools for device monitoring, debugging, and updates. It helps development teams proactively identify and resolve bugs, ensuring smooth operation and preventing disruptions for end-users. Memfault is widely used across industries like smart homes, industrial automation, and healthcare, and it integrates easily with both Android and real-time operating systems.

Core Features of Memfault:

• Remote Device Monitoring: Enables teams to track device performance and detect issues in real time from anywhere.
• Bug and Issue Detection: Proactively diagnoses bugs before they reach end-users, improving overall product reliability.
• IoT Product Development: Supports diverse industries by providing solutions for IoT devices in smart homes, industrial automation, healthcare, and more.
• Modular Compatibility: Integrates with Android and real-time operating systems, offering flexibility across different development environments.

Memfault’s combination of real-time monitoring and broad compatibility makes it a valuable asset for developers across multiple sectors.

9. Fiddler

Fiddler provides a simple yet powerful solution for debugging and troubleshooting web applications. It captures and analyzes network traffic between the internet and testing environments, helping users effectively monitor and address issues with requests and responses.

Core Features of Fiddler:

• Traffic Analysis: Captures and logs network traffic, providing detailed insights into web application requests and responses.
• Data Security: Ensures the protection and privacy of sensitive information during the debugging process.
• Free Trial Benefits: Offers full access to the software, along with easy upgrade options and comprehensive documentation for a smooth user experience.

Fiddler’s ability to monitor and troubleshoot network traffic makes it one of the best debugging tools for web applications.

10. Bugfender

Bugfender is a cloud-hosted remote logging tool designed to identify bugs in your software before they impact your end users. It enables you to access real-time logs from any user’s mobile or web application with ease. Bugfender offers a free account for new users and features three pricing tiers to accommodate a range of needs and usage levels.

Core Features of Bugfender:

• Real-Time Bug Tracking: Enables developers to see and track bugs as they occur, providing immediate visibility into issues.
• Remote Logging: Collects and analyzes data from apps in use by customers, helping developers understand and address problems effectively.
• Error Reporting: Automatically reports errors and crashes, simplifying the process of identifying and resolving issues.
• Cross-Platform Support: Compatible with both mobile and web applications, making it versatile for various development projects.

Bugfender’s comprehensive logging and error reporting features make it a valuable tool for maintaining high-quality software and improving user experiences.

11. PlatformIO

PlatformIO Labs supports the PlatformIO collaborative platform for embedded development. It allows developers and teams to build projects in their preferred environments and compile the same code across different development platforms.

Core Features of PlatformIO:

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Operates across multiple operating systems, allowing developers to use their preferred development platforms.
• Built-in Debugging: Provides integrated tools to help identify and resolve issues in your code efficiently.
• Library Manager: Includes a library manager for easy integration of pre-written code libraries, saving time and effort.
• Project Management: Simplifies project management by allowing effortless organization and switching between multiple projects.

PlatformIO’s robust features and cross-platform support make it a powerful tool for embedded development and project management.

12. AQTime Pro from SmartBear

AQTime Pro from SmartBear is a powerful debugger that analyzes complex memory and performance data, transforming it into actionable insights. This helps developers easily identify bugs and understand their root causes. Used by thousands of developers across various domains, AQTime Pro ensures top-notch software quality and uncompromised code standards.

Core Features of AQTime Pro:

• Performance Profiling: Analyzes code performance to identify slow or resource-intensive areas that require optimization.
• Code Coverage Analysis: Assesses which parts of the code are tested and which are not, ensuring comprehensive test coverage.
• Memory and Resource Profiling: Monitors memory usage and resource allocation to prevent issues like memory leaks and excessive consumption.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with popular development environments, fitting smoothly into existing workflows.
• Reporting: Offers detailed reports and visualizations to facilitate understanding and addressing performance issues.

AQTime Pro’s advanced features and comprehensive analysis capabilities make it a valuable tool for developers aiming to maintain top-notch software quality.

13. WebStorm

WebStorm is an exceptional debugging tool designed specifically for JavaScript developers. It offers intelligent coding assistance tailored to meet the complex demands of large-scale coding projects. WebStorm supports major web frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.js, making it a top choice for developers working with these technologies.

With its feature-rich environment, seamless integration, and comprehensive support for leading web frameworks, WebStorm is an indispensable tool for efficiently and accurately managing complex coding projects.

Core Features of WebStorm:

• JavaScript-Centric: Tailored for JavaScript development, providing a specialized environment for JavaScript coding needs.
• Built-In Tools: Includes integrated tools for debugging, testing, and application tracing, delivering a complete debugging solution.
• Spy-js: Features Spy-js, a tool that simplifies JavaScript code tracing, offering valuable insights into code behavior.
• Customization: Highly customizable, allowing developers to adapt the environment to their specific coding and debugging preferences.
• Versatility: Supports both server-side (Node.js) and client-side applications, providing a unified solution for diverse JavaScript development tasks.
• Integration with Command-Line Tools: Seamlessly integrates with popular command-line tools, enhancing development efficiency and productivity.

WebStorm’s robust feature set and support for leading web frameworks make it a top choice for developers looking to streamline their JavaScript development and debugging processes.

14. Visual Studio Code

Microsoft Visual Studio Code is a premier debugging tool favored by developers across all platforms and programming languages. Its intuitive debugging experience accelerates the process of finding and fixing bugs, helping developers quickly address issues in their codebase. This enhances code quality and boosts program performance, making it an essential tool for efficient development.

Core Features of Visual Studio Code:

• Intuitive Debugging: Offers a user-friendly debugging experience, allowing developers to easily find and fix issues in their code.
• Extensions: Boasts a rich ecosystem of extensions and plugins to expand functionality and tailor the tool to specific needs.
• Performance Optimization: Helps optimize program performance by identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks.
• Customization: Highly customizable to fit individual workflows and coding preferences, boosting overall productivity.
• Real-Time Debugging: Enables real-time debugging, allowing developers to resolve issues as they arise and ensure smooth code execution.

Visual Studio Code’s comprehensive feature set and adaptability make it a top choice for developers looking to improve their coding and debugging efficiency.

15. LT Debug Chrome Extension

LT Debug by LambdaTest is a free and straightforward developer tool designed to enhance your debugging capabilities. It simplifies the process of managing and manipulating web requests and responses, making it a valuable asset for developers looking to streamline their debugging workflows.

The installation is quick and easy—simply add the LT Debug Chrome Extension from the Chrome Web Store, and you’re ready to start debugging with minimal hassle.

Core Features of LT Debug:

• Header Management: Add, remove, or modify request and response headers quickly.
• HTTP Request Blocking: Block specific HTTP requests based on URL filter conditions.
• Network Throttling: Manage network speed for individual requests to simulate different network conditions.
• Query Parameters: Easily add or remove query parameters in your requests.
• Request Redirection: Configure URL redirections to test different web URLs.
• User-Agent Switching: Quickly switch between various user-agent strings.
• Script Injection: Inject CSS or JS scripts into the console to simulate different web page experiences.
• Cross-Domain Ajax Requests: Perform cross-domain Ajax requests by adding the (Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *) rule to your response header.
• Content Security Policy: Modify or remove content security policy headers on selected websites or web pages.