PLCrashReporter is a crash reporting library that provides in-process live crash detection and report generation for iOS, macOS, and tvOS applications.
The library addresses the need to capture and analyze application crashes by instrumenting the runtime to detect crashes and generate detailed reports containing application state, system information, process details, thread data, and stack traces. It uses only public APIs and ABIs for crash reporting and implements the most accurate stack unwinding available through DWARF and Apple Compact Unwind frame data. Crash reports are encoded as protobuf messages that can be decoded using the included CrashReporter library or any Protocol Buffers decoder. The tool includes a plcrashutil binary to convert reports to Apple's standard iPhone text format, which can then be symbolicated using the atos command-line tool.
Developers should choose this library if they need reliable crash reporting for Apple platforms and want to avoid interfering with debugging workflows in lldb or gdb. The tool suits applications targeting iOS 12 or later, macOS 11.5 or later, tvOS 12 or later, or Mac Catalyst 13.0 or later, and requires Xcode 11 or above. The library can be integrated via CocoaPods, Carthage, Swift Package Manager, or manual binary addition. The README recommends using AppCenter as the easiest integration path if that service fits your needs, but also supports direct integration for those preferring to manage crash reporting independently.
The project maintains active development with regular updates to support current platform versions and tooling. The codebase demonstrates sustained engineering effort in maintaining compatibility across multiple Apple platforms and integration methods. The library has a long history of real-world usage across hundreds of thousands of applications, providing extensive validation of its crash detection and reporting mechanisms.
