Record and replay debugging is the process of recording the execution of a software program so that it may be played back within a

debugger A debugger is a computer program used to test and debug other programs (the "target" programs). Common features of debuggers include the ability to run or halt the target program using breakpoints, step through code line by line, and display ...

to help diagnose and resolve defects. The concept is analogous to the use of a

flight data recorder A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to colloquially as a "black box", an outdated nam ...

to diagnose the cause of an airplane flight malfunction.

Recording and replaying

Record and replay debuggers record application state at every step of the program's process and thread execution, including memory interactions, deterministic and non-deterministic inputs, system resource status, and store it to disk in a log. The recording allows the program to be replayed again and again, and debugged exactly as it happened.

Usage

Recordings can be made in one location and replayed in another, which makes it useful for remote debugging. Record and replay debugging is particularly useful for debugging intermittent and non-deterministic defects, which can be difficult to reproduce. Record and replay debugging technology is often fundamental to reverse debugging and

time travel debugging Time travel debugging or time traveling debugging is the process of stepping back in time through source code to understand what is happening during execution of a computer program. Typically, debugging and debuggers, tools that assist a user with ...

Record and replay debuggers

* GDB (

GNU GNU ( ) is an extensive collection of free software (394 packages ), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popu ...

) * LiveRecorder (

Undo Undo is an interaction technique which is implemented in many computer programs. It erases the last change done to the document, reverting it to an older state. In some more advanced programs, such as graphic processing, undo will negate the las ...

) * rr (Mozilla) * TotalView's ReplayEngine (RogueWave) * PyTrace for Python

References

{{Reflist Debuggers