Engineering
Debugging
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Debugging is the process of identifying and resolving defects or issues in code. It involves analyzing and isolating the source of the problem, testing potential solutions, and fixing the underlying issue. Debugging is a crucial skill for software developers as it helps ensure the software or product runs smoothly and meets user and business needs.
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Debugging is the process of identifying and fixing errors in software. It is a crucial part of software development and maintenance, as bugs can cause significant issues for users and damage a company's reputation.- What does debugging a program look like?Julia goes over some practical tips for debugging, including: • How to reproduce your bug • How to do so quickly • Experimenting in order to understand the bug • Checking your assumptions • Writing code to be easier to debug • Understanding error messages
- How to fix bugs that you can’t reproduceGreg provides a framework for fixing even the trickiest bugs: • Always structure your investigations using hypotheses • Leverage your teammates and previous written communication • Be realistic that not every bug can be fixed
Debugging Examples
- Solving a Murder MysteryPaul recalls a challenging bug encountered at the observability tool company that required teamwork and good observability to resolve. A customer reported that a specific query was generating a timeout error, and the error message indicated a problem with Honeycomb's datastore. However, the issue was not with the database availability but with the data itself, as the same query with different time windows produced no error. After further investigation, the team found that a segment was missing from S3, which was causing the error. The article provides technical details of how Honeycomb's systems work and how the custom instrumentation helped identify the issue.
What You'll Learn
Career Framework
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