Debugging Like a Pro: Advanced Techniques in Visual Studio Code

Aditi Tibrewal
3 min readApr 16, 2024

--

Introduction

Debugging is an essential skill for developers, enabling them to identify and fix errors in their code efficiently. Visual Studio Code (VSCode) offers a powerful set of debugging tools and features that can help developers streamline the debugging process and uncover elusive bugs. In this blog, we’ll explore advanced techniques in VSCode that will elevate your debugging skills to the next level, allowing you to tackle complex issues with confidence and precision.

1. Setting Breakpoints:

Breakpoints are markers that pause the execution of your code at specific lines, allowing you to inspect variables, evaluate expressions, and trace the flow of execution. Learn how to set conditional breakpoints, log breakpoints, and function breakpoints to target specific code paths and scenarios.

2. Conditional Breakpoints:

Conditional breakpoints allow you to specify conditions under which the debugger will pause execution. This powerful feature enables you to focus on debugging specific scenarios or edge cases without interrupting the entire program flow. Master the art of setting conditional breakpoints based on variable values, expressions, or even hit counts.

3. Watch Expressions:

Watch expressions allow you to monitor the value of variables and expressions in real-time as you debug your code. Learn how to add watch expressions to your debugging session to track the state of critical variables and identify changes that may lead to bugs or unexpected behavior.

4. Call Stack and Stack Trace:

The call stack provides a visual representation of the sequence of function calls leading up to the current point of execution. Understanding the call stack and interpreting stack traces can help you trace the flow of execution and pinpoint the source of errors more effectively. Explore how to navigate the call stack and analyze stack traces to diagnose and troubleshoot issues.

5. Debugging Multiple Processes:

VSCode allows you to debug multiple processes simultaneously, making it easier to troubleshoot complex applications and distributed systems. Learn how to attach multiple debuggers, configure launch configurations for each process, and switch between debugging sessions seamlessly.

6. Remote Debugging:

Debugging code running on remote servers or devices is made easy with VSCode’s remote debugging capabilities. Whether you’re debugging a Node.js application running on a remote server or a web application running in a Docker container, VSCode provides tools and extensions to facilitate remote debugging. Explore how to set up SSH, Docker, or WSL connections for remote debugging scenarios.

7. Debugging Front-end Code:

Debugging client-side JavaScript, CSS, and HTML code can be challenging due to the dynamic nature of web applications. VSCode offers powerful debugging tools for front-end development, including integrated support for debugging JavaScript in the browser using Chrome DevTools. Learn how to launch and attach the debugger to browser instances, set breakpoints in client-side code, and inspect DOM elements and network requests.

8. Debugging Server-side Code:

Server-side debugging is essential for diagnosing issues in back-end applications and APIs. VSCode provides built-in support for debugging Node.js applications, as well as extensions for debugging other server-side frameworks and languages like Python, Java, and .NET. Discover how to configure launch configurations, set breakpoints in server-side code, and inspect incoming requests and outgoing responses.

Conclusion:

By mastering advanced debugging techniques in Visual Studio Code, you can become a more efficient and effective developer, capable of tackling even the most challenging bugs with ease. Experiment with breakpoints, watch expressions, stack traces, and remote debugging to gain deeper insights into your code and accelerate your debugging workflow. With the right tools and techniques at your disposal, you’ll be debugging like a pro in no time. Happy debugging!

--

--