Debugging Strategies to Consider while Developing A Web App

The amalgamation of IT into every industry has helped businesses grow incredibly well and boost their revenue with the help of software.

These software and applications are tailored in such a way that it serves the needs of both the customer and the business along with providing innumerable benefits and opportunities to grow. Although developing an application is not easy, we tend to forget that because of the seamless integration and performance of the software.

But have you ever thought about how an application performs flawlessly and error-free?

The answer is simple, Testing and Debugging the application to eliminate all the errors and mistakes, making it an important step of the software development process. This process is practiced by every software developer while developing a project and plays a vital role in making an app successful and delivering the desired results.

So, further, we will be filling you up with more information on debugging, some of the important terms that you need to know, along with other essential factors that are needed to develop error-free software.

So, let’s start with more about Debugging.

Learn More about Debugging

Now, before learning about Debugging, it is important to know what Bugs are. So, a bug is an error or a mistake found in the code, design, development, or functionality of the software which results in the malfunctioning of an app. And the process of removing these bugs to make the software error-free and run smoothly is called debugging.

If the bugs are not removed it may result in app crashes, glitches in usability, and performance, and create compatibility issues in the software.

Additionally, there are different types of bugs that you might find in your web app development project. Some of them that you might encounter are -

• Calculation errors
• Compatibility bugs
• Content bugs
• Functional errors
• Logic errors
• Out-of-bounds bugs
• Performance bugs
• Security bugs
• Syntax errors
• System-level integration bugs
• Unit-level bugs
• Usability bugs, and more.

Now that you have a basic understanding of bugs and debugging, you should also know the basic steps involved in the debugging process to help you develop high-end applications. The steps include -

1. Identify the errors and the bugs in the software.
2. Next, locate the bug and then analyze them in the code to get clarity on what exactly you need to correct.
3. And then the final step is to fix the errors, validate them, and run all the test scripts.

Also, note that this step comes after the application or the software is fully developed with the entire design and implementation of all the features and functionalities.

ES Lint, Fiddler, GDB (the GNU debugger), GlitchTip, JS Bin, Raygun, and Sentry are some of the well-known debugging tools that you can use while testing and debugging your web app development project to detect bugs and eliminate them, enabling a seamless software.

Additionally, some of the important debugging terms that you might come across are debugging tools, exception, API, compiler, variable, value, function, and breakpoint. So, before starting web app development make sure you learn about the essential terms which will help you develop seamless software and also make the process easy.

The benefits of Debugging

Technology has catered to us with software to enhance the business and make way for new business plans, but while developing software, it is important to test and debug your software as well, for it has innumerable benefits. 

Some of them are -

• It enhances the quality of your application which is to be launched in the market, making it available to be used by the end-users.
• It also helps in improving the user experience which results in positive feedback towards the software.
• Additionally, it also helps in saving extra time, effort, and money.
• Debugging your software during the initial stage of development also helps in detecting bugs at the early stage without any hassle.

Now that you are knowledgeable about debugging and its benefits, we shall be moving ahead with some of the important strategies to consider while debugging your software.

Debugging Strategies to Consider

Some of the debugging tips and techniques that you can consider during your web app development project are as follows.

1. If your software runs numerous actions, it may result in the malfunctioning of the extension due to insufficient memory, which you can eliminate by configuring it in the extension options.
2. Try using a mock moon program to create mocks of endpoints quickly and easily.
3. You can automate all the configurations that you need to operate an application by using the containerization method, which will also help in reducing the risk of issues in the software.
4. Additionally, try to use fewer but better technologies while developing your software, that serves all your business needs. Overloading your software with too many technologies can lead to making your app complex and bring new challenges which might be difficult and time-consuming.
5. Maintain a document with all the critical information and decisions which will guide you while debugging the software and will help you find and resolve the issues quickly, this method is also known as logging.
6. Also, try to replicate the issues faced by a customer, which means that when a customer tries to explain the problems that they are facing while using the software in business terms, replicate, address, and resolve the issues in technical terms.
7. You can also use the scientific method in the debugging process before entering the code into the compiler, which will help you streamline the debugging process.
8. You can also consider debugging after completing a small section of code during the development this will help you identify the errors immediately and will accelerate the development process.
9. Use the binary search method in the debugging process and also classify and group them according to the different types of bugs in your code. This will help you to debug similar problems in a single go, resulting in increased productivity and improved quality of your software.

Summing Up

Now that you have some of the important tips and tricks to debug your web app development project you can consider them implemented on your project and develop top-notch software. It is a critical part of the software development process and with the right tools, knowledge, and logic you can develop applications that help businesses grow and also serve the customers without compromising on any aspect of the software.