nix-super/doc/manual/source/development/debugging.md
Michael 55fe4ee4f3
doc/manual: Add 'Debugging Nix' section (#11637)
* doc/manual: Add 'Debugging Nix' section

This commit adds a new 'Debugging Nix' section to the Nix manual. It provides instructions on how to build Nix with debug symbols and how to debug the Nix binary using debuggers like `lldb`.

Co-authored-by: Jörg Thalheim <Mic92@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Valentin Gagarin <valentin.gagarin@tweag.io>
2024-11-01 19:42:34 +00:00

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1.3 KiB
Markdown

# Debugging Nix
This section shows how to build and debug Nix with debug symbols enabled.
## Building Nix with Debug Symbols
In the development shell, set the `mesonBuildType` environment variable to `debug` before configuring the build:
```console
[nix-shell]$ export mesonBuildType=debugoptimized
```
Then, proceed to build Nix as described in [Building Nix](./building.md).
This will build Nix with debug symbols, which are essential for effective debugging.
## Debugging the Nix Binary
Obtain your preferred debugger within the development shell:
```console
[nix-shell]$ nix-shell -p gdb
```
On macOS, use `lldb`:
```console
[nix-shell]$ nix-shell -p lldb
```
### Launching the Debugger
To debug the Nix binary, run:
```console
[nix-shell]$ gdb --args ../outputs/out/bin/nix
```
On macOS, use `lldb`:
```console
[nix-shell]$ lldb -- ../outputs/out/bin/nix
```
### Using the Debugger
Inside the debugger, you can set breakpoints, run the program, and inspect variables.
```gdb
(gdb) break main
(gdb) run <arguments>
```
Refer to the [GDB Documentation](https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/) for comprehensive usage instructions.
On macOS, use `lldb`:
```lldb
(lldb) breakpoint set --name main
(lldb) process launch -- <arguments>
```
Refer to the [LLDB Tutorial](https://lldb.llvm.org/use/tutorial.html) for comprehensive usage instructions.