Top 10 Debugging Tools Every Developer Should Know

Best debugging tools every developer should know. Know some key features pros and cons. Learn how Apidog latest updates improve api debugging efficiency.

INEZA FELIN-MICHEL

INEZA FELIN-MICHEL

9 May 2025

Top 10 Debugging Tools Every Developer Should Know

Debugging was considered one of the most important activities in the software development life cycle, basically aimed at finding and fixing bugs or errors that came up in codes to make an application run smoothly. In modern software systems, with growing complexity, having the right debugging tools is a key factor.

With that in mind, this blog post is designed to discuss the top 10 debugging tools that will make your workflow easier and boost productivity. We are also going to look into some of the recent updates with Apidog and how different it is from the currently existing tools in API debugging.

What's Debugging Tools ?

Debug tools can be defined as programs or utilities that help programmers locate, diagnose, and fix bugs or errors in their code. They are sets of features that allow a programmer to step through the flow of their executing programs, view variables and their state, observe memory usage, and trace control flow within an application. Some typical debug tools include integrated development environment IDEs with debugging capabilities, independent debugging tools, and command-line tools.

Importance of Debug Tools:

Error Identification:

Enhanced Code Quality:

Efficiency in Development:

Real-time Monitoring:

Improved Collaboration:

Learning and Understanding:

Performance Optimization:

Support for Complex Applications:

Integration with Development Environments:

Cross-Platform Debugging:

1. Apidog

Apidog is an integrated API development platform that provides one-stop, more powerful API design, testing, and debugging. It recently rolled out a powerful "Debug Mode" feature designed to make API debugging much easier and faster to work on with the generation of documentation.

Apidog

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

The new features included in Apidog make it a requisite for most developers whose daily routines consist of dealing with APIs. Realtime debugging alongside auto-generation of the documentation saves on time used, reducing errors; hence, it is loved by teams that intend to smoothen their API workflows.

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2. BrowserStack

BrowserStack offers a cloud-based platform for testing and debugging web applications across various devices and browsers. It provides both manual and automated debugging capabilities.

BrowserStack a software testing platform

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

In particular, BrowserStack is very helpful in ensuring web applications work perfectly on different devices and browsers. It provides real-time debugging to enable developers to find problems sooner and quickly solve those that may arise because of device-specific peculiarities or browser inconsistencies.

3. Selenium

Selenium is an open-source tool designed for automating web browsers. It supports multiple programming languages and is ideal for functional and regression testing.

Selenium automates browsers

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

The power of Selenium is that it automates browser actions, and that makes it a very strong tool in web application testing. It lets developers write scripts in multiple languages, such as Java, Python, or C#, and that again makes it flexible enough to fit into different development environments.

4. Chrome DevTools

Chrome DevTools is a set of web developer tools built directly into the Google Chrome browser. It offers numerous features for inspecting code, analyzing performance, and debugging JavaScript.

Chrome DevTools

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

Chrome DevTools is a must-have for each web developer who is going to inspect elements, debug JavaScript code, or analyze network activity. The fact that it is included means it is always there within Chrome, ready for use after a couple of clicks that show advanced debugging capabilities.

5. PyCharm Debugger

PyCharm is an integrated development environment (IDE) specifically designed for Python development. Its debugger is one of its standout features, providing a robust environment for Python code analysis.

PyCharm Debugger for Python Code

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

The PyCharm Debugger is a must for Python developers who want to be deeply informed about their code execution flow. Its ability to set breakpoints and evaluate expressions on the fly enables identifying issues in complex Python applications with much more ease.

How to Debug in Python(An Ultimate Guide)
Python debugging is a crucial skill for any developer. It allows you to identify and fix errors or bugs in your code, ensuring that your program runs smoothly and efficiently.

6. Xcode

Xcode is Apple's IDE for macOS development, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for building apps on Apple platforms. Its debugger is essential for iOS developers.

Xcode debugger Apple's IDE for macOS

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

Thus, the Xcode debugger comes equipped with a bunch of strong tools analyzing memory usage, hunting bugs, and optimizing the performance of the apps. All this fully flows together as part of real-time interaction courtesy of the integration with SwiftUI Previews.

7. dbForge SQL Tools

dbForge SQL Tools is a powerful suite designed to improve database management and development efficiency. It includes advanced SQL debugging capabilities.

dbForge SQL

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

The dbForge SQL Tools come with an array of useful features to help a database administrator or developer interact more comfortably with SQL Server, simplifying such tasks as query optimization or schema management. Debugging allows running database queries without failures.

8. Telerik Fiddler

Fiddler is a web debugging proxy that logs all HTTP(S) traffic between your computer and the internet. It allows you to inspect traffic, set breakpoints, and manipulate requests.

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

Because Fiddler can capture HTTP/S traffic, it's the perfect tool for diagnosing any problem related to network requests or server responses with regard to web applications. Developers are allowed to inspect headers, cookies, and payloads to spot the problem in a very short amount of time.

9. Airbrake

Airbrake provides error monitoring and performance insights across your application stack. It's particularly useful for identifying issues in production environments.

Airbrake a cloud-based debugging tool

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

Airbrake helps teams stay on top of application errors by providing real-time notifications whenever something goes wrong in production environments. Its detailed reports enable developers to trace back issues directly from their source code contextually.

10. Honeycomb.io

Honeycomb.io offers observability solutions that help teams understand complex systems by providing detailed insights into application performance.

Honeycomb

Key Features:

Pros:

Cons:

Honeycomb.io is really great at giving teams deeper visibility into how their apps really perform in the field by rapidly analyzing large volumes of data with distributed tracing techniques mashed up with rich analytics.

Conclusion

Debugging is an integral part of software development that gives reliability to code quality. The aforementioned tools offer diversified functionalities, catering to diverse facets of debugging, from web applications to databases and APIs.

Apidog stands out for its innovative approach toward API debugging through features like the generation of automatic documentation, WebSocket support that streamlines the development process in large degree, among others. By choosing a proper mix of the tools, developers enhance their productivity and, in turn, deliver high-quality software solutions in an efficient manner.

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