Debugging Unveiled: Exploring Debugger Internals and Hidden Gems

What if your debugger is secretly slowing down your application? Uncover the hidden performance costs of features like conditional breakpoints.

#1about 5 minutes

Why debuggers are an essential developer tool

Debugging helps find and fix bugs, analyze code, add logging, and change behavior on the fly.

#2about 4 minutes

Understanding the Java Platform Debugger Architecture (JPDA)

The JPDA consists of the Java Debug Interface (JDI), the Java Debug Wire Protocol (JDWP), and the JVM Tool Interface (JVMTI) to connect an IDE to a JVM.

#3about 4 minutes

Exploring on-demand and remote debugging features

Use remote debugging to connect to any JVM and leverage on-demand features like starting a debug session when a specific exception is thrown.

#4about 12 minutes

A deep dive into the Java Debug Wire Protocol (JDWP)

The JDWP facilitates communication between the debugger and the JVM through a series of requests, events, and replies to manage state and execution.

#5about 7 minutes

How conditional breakpoints are emulated by the IDE

Since the JVM lacks native support, IDEs emulate conditional breakpoints by suspending the thread at every hit and evaluating the condition on the client side.

#6about 6 minutes

Optimizing conditions and the impact on JIT compilation

Improve performance by embedding complex conditions in the code or a separate method, and be aware that setting any breakpoint de-optimizes the method.

#7about 6 minutes

How features like HotSwap and Force Return are implemented

Features like HotSwap, setting values, and forcing returns are implemented using specific JDWP commands that directly instruct the JVM to modify its state.

#8about 15 minutes