What is Debugging?

Last Updated on March 20, 2023 by Prepbytes

The process of identifying the bugs and fixing them is known as Debugging in Software Development. Debugging comes under the category of critical skills of a developer since it ensures the developer that the software/product being developed is working as per expectations or not. This article will make you understand what is debugging, its importance, and some best practices for effective debugging.

What is Debugging?

Debugging is defined as the process of identifying errors or bugs in a program and fixing the identified bugs. The process of debugging involves the tracing of the program’s execution for the identification of the source of the problem, analysis of the code to understand the cause of the error, and modifying the code to fix the bug.

Debugging is an iterative process that involves the repeated testing of the code until the bug is fixed. It can be done manually as well as by using automated debugging tools.

Why is Debugging Important?

Debugging is an essential step in the process of software development because it helps in ensuring that the software is working as per the plan and meets the requirements of the end users. Debugging helps in the ways listed below:

• Improving software quality: Debugging helps identify and fix errors, improving the software’s quality and reducing the likelihood of bugs in future releases.
• Saving time and resources: It helps in catching errors or bugs at an earlier stage of the Software Development Life Cycle, thus saving time and resources for the organization.
• Enhancing user satisfaction: It helps in providing a better user experience as debugging helps in ensuring that the software is functioning as per requirements. This enhances user Satisfaction.

Steps involved in Debugging

The following steps are involved in the process of debugging.

• Step 1: Identify the Error
  This is the first stage of Debugging is identifying the actual Error in the code of the software.

• Step 2: Find the error Location
  Once the problem has been identified, you will need to thoroughly review the code several times to identify the precise location of the error. This stage, in general, focuses on locating the error rather than perceiving it.

• Step 3: Analyze the error
  The third step is error analysis, which is a bottom-up technique that starts with identifying the issue and then analyses the code. This stage helps in the understanding of the errors. error analysis has two major goals: reevaluating errors to identify existing bugs and proposing the uncertainty of incoming collateral damage in a fix.

• Step 4: Prove the analysis
  After examining the primary bugs, it is necessary to search for any additional issues that may show on the program. The fourth step is used to develop automated tests for such domains by integrating the test framework.

• Step 5: Cover Lateral Damage
  The fifth phase involves collecting all of the unit tests for the code that has to be modified. When you run these unit tests, they must pass.

• Step 6: Fix & Validate
  The final stage is fix and validation, which focuses on resolving defects before running all of the test scripts to determine if they pass.

Strategies for Debugging

Some of the common strategies which are employed for purpose of debugging are listed below.

• Backtracking: The bug hunter begins at the statement where an error symptom is detected and works backward through the source code to the actual fault.
• Cause Elimination Method: The software engineer generates a list of possible reasons for an error and performs tests to find the origin of a point of failure.
• Program Slicing: Quality Assurance (QA) testers execute a group of program statements in the program (slice) under some specific conditions.
• Shotgun Debugging: Shotgun Debugging is a trial-and-error, fingers-crossed technique of debugging based on the educated guesses of the developer.
• Rubber Duck Debugging: Rubber Duck Debugging is when a programmer explains code to a small rubber duck or another inanimate item line by line. The idea is to encourage flexible, rational thinking.
• Pair Debugging: Instead of describing code line by line to an inanimate object, coders pair up explaining code line by line to each other.

Debugging Tools

Many tools have been used to identify and fix bugs; debugging tools are software applications that are used to test and debug other software systems. There are several open-source debugging tools on the market, such as DBX, GDB, and others. Some examples are:

1. GDB (the GNU debugger)
2. LLDB
3. Radare2
4. Microsoft visual studio debugger
5. Valgrind
6. WinDBg
7. Firefox JavaScript debugger
8. Eclipse debugger
9. Arm DTT (Allinea DDT)
10. WDW (OpenWatcom debugger)

Advantages of Debugging

The advantages of Debugging are given below:

• The identification of the bugs at an earlier stage helps in saving the time of the developers.
• This identification and fixing of bugs also save money in the long run.
• This process of debugging helps in improving the code quality of the software.
• Debugging can result in better code optimization of the software/product.
• This process ensures that the software is working fine as per the expectations and plans.

Disadvantages of Debugging

Here are some Disadvantages associated with Debugging.

• The process of debugging is time-consuming.
• It can be stressful for developers if they are working hard to find bugs or errors.
• In some cases, Debugging may result in the introduction of new bugs in the software.
• The process of debugging requires specialized tools, which might not be directly available in the market.
• Developers might get distracted by debugging from other important tasks such as implementing a new feature.

Conclusion
Debugging is an important phase of software development that includes identifying and fixing bugs in the program’s code. Best practices for debugging include reproducing the mistake, utilizing logging and debugging tools, breaking the problem down, employing test-driven development, and asking for assistance when necessary. Developers may improve the quality of their software, save time and money, and increase user happiness by adopting these best practices.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Some Frequently Asked Questions on the topic “What is Debugging”

Ques 1. What are some common debugging techniques?
Ans. Some common debugging techniques include reproducing the error, using logging and debugging tools, breaking the problem down, using test-driven development, and asking for help.

Ques 2. What is a breakpoint?
Ans. A breakpoint is a point in the program’s code where execution can be paused, allowing the developer to examine the program’s state at that point in its execution.

Ques 3. What is a stack trace in Debugging?
Ans. A stack trace is a list of the program’s function calls that led to an error. It can help identify the specific line of code where the error occurred.

Ques 4. What is a watchpoint?
Ans. A watchpoint is a breakpoint that is triggered when a particular variable is accessed or modified.

Ques 5. What is post-mortem debugging?
Ans. Post-mortem debugging is the process of analyzing a program’s state after it has crashed. It usually involves analyzing core dumps or other debugging information to identify the cause of the error.