Debugging is the process of finding and resolving bugs within computer programs, software, or systems. It involves identifying, isolating, and correcting or determining the best way to work around a problem in applications. The process ranges in complexity from fixing simple errors to performing lengthy and tiresome tasks of data collection, analysis, and scheduling updates. Debugging tactics can involve interactive debugging, control flow analysis, unit testing, integration testing, log file analysis, monitoring at the application or system level, memory dumps, and profiling. Debugging is an integral part of the software testing process and is crucial in the entire software development lifecycle. It is essential for improving software quality and the end-user experience.
The term "debugging" can be traced back to Admiral Grace Hopper, who worked at Harvard University in the 1940s. Computer programmers were first recorded as using the terms "bugs" and "debugging" by the 1950s, and by the early 1960s, the term "debugging" was commonly accepted in the programming community. Debugging is a core part of software development and is crucial for developers to ensure the proper functioning of their code.
