Byebug is a debugger for Ruby that provides stepping, breakpoints, evaluation, and variable tracking through a command-line interface.
The tool solves the problem of understanding program execution state by pausing and inspecting Ruby code as it runs. It uses the TracePoint API for execution control and the Debug Inspector API for call stack navigation, avoiding dependence on internal core sources. Implemented as a C extension, it prioritizes performance and reliability through comprehensive test coverage.
Byebug suits developers who need traditional debugging capabilities without leaving the command line. It can be invoked either by inserting a byebug call directly in code or by running a script from the command line without modification. The tool offers stepping through code line by line, setting breakpoints at events or instructions, basic REPL functionality for expression evaluation, and variable tracking. The README acknowledges that pry provides superior REPL capabilities if that is a primary need. The debugger requires MRI 3.3.0 or higher.
Development activity shows consistent cross-platform testing with automated workflows for both Ubuntu and Windows environments. The project maintains semantic versioning with backwards compatibility targeted at pry-byebug and other plugins depending on the byebug API. A comprehensive markdown guide is available for getting started, though the README notes that full documentation remains a future goal.
