What are the most effective debugging strategies for Ruby?

2 Use puts and p

Sometimes, the simplest way to debug your code is to use the puts or p methods to print out the values of variables, expressions, or objects to the standard output. This can help you to check the logic and flow of your code, identify unexpected results, and locate the source of errors. You can use puts or p anywhere in your code, but make sure to remove them or comment them out when you are done debugging. You can also use the pp method from the standard library to print out complex data structures in a more readable format.

3 Use Logger

Another way to debug your code is to use the Logger class from the standard library, which allows you to create and manage log files that record the events and messages of your program. You can use Logger to write different levels of information, such as debug, info, warn, error, or fatal, to a specified file or device. You can also configure the format, frequency, and rotation of your log files. Logger can help you to track the performance and behavior of your program, as well as to diagnose and troubleshoot problems.

4 Use Debugging Gems

Ruby offers a variety of gems to aid in debugging code, such as Byebug, Ruby-Debug, Better Errors, and Pry-Rescue. Byebug is a powerful debugger that allows you to stop the execution of your code, set breakpoints, and modify the state of your program. Ruby-Debug is a fast and easy-to-use debugger that integrates with IRB and Pry. Better Errors replaces the default error page in Rails with a more informative and interactive one that displays the error message, stack trace, local variables, and a REPL console. Pry-Rescue launches Pry when an exception is raised in your code so you can inspect and fix the error on the spot.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?