bashdb, the Bash Debugger Project, is a source-level debugger for examining the execution of Bash scripts.
It provides an interactive environment in which developers can pause scripts, inspect their state and investigate unexpected behaviour. Instead of relying entirely on diagnostic output inserted into a script, users can examine variables and execution paths while the script is running.
The debugger follows a command syntax similar to GDB, making many of its operations familiar to developers with experience of conventional source-level debugging.
bashdb is particularly useful when working with complex shell scripts containing functions, conditional logic and multiple execution paths. It can also be used as a learning tool for understanding how Bash evaluates and executes script statements.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Run Bash scripts under debugger control with the ability to pause and resume execution.
- Set breakpoints to stop execution at selected locations within a script.
- Use conditional breakpoints to investigate particular program states or execution paths.
- Step through statements to examine how a script executes its commands and functions.
- Inspect variable values and other information available within the current execution context.
- Examine the call stack to understand the sequence of function calls leading to the current position.
- Use debugger commands with syntax modelled on GDB and related debugging tools.
- Modify variables and experiment with the effects of changes while investigating a problem.
- Invoke the debugger from an existing script, allowing investigation after earlier initialisation has taken place.
- Supports entering and evaluating script fragments within an established debugging context.
- Provides facilities for debugging scripts without introducing debugger overhead before the debugger is invoked.
- Can be integrated with supported development environments through available editor extensions.
Website: bashdb.sourceforge.net
Support:
Developer: Rocky Bernstein
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
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