Erlang Debugger

What it does

Breakpoints

It supports line, conditional, and function breakpoints; when a process reaches a breakpoint, it pauses for commands such as step, skip, or continue.checked 9 Oct 2026

Code loading

Reinterpreting a module does not change the code version used by processes already executing the previous interpreted version.checked 9 Oct 2026

Code replacement limitation

Code replacement does not work for debugged processes because they use code stored when their modules were interpreted.checked 8 Oct 2026

Distribution

The Erlang/OTP download page offers source builds, Windows installers, and package-manager instructions for macOS and several Linux distributions.checked 8 Oct 2026

Inspect variables

The Attach Process window displays variable bindings and allows editing values, with some runtime values not editable unless representable in the running system.checked 8 Oct 2026

Intended users

The introduction assumes readers are familiar with the Erlang programming language.checked 8 Oct 2026

License

Erlang/OTP has been released under Apache License 2.0 since OTP 18.0.checked 9 Oct 2026

Maintainer

The Erlang/OTP unit at Ericsson is the main developer and maintainer of Erlang/OTP.checked 9 Oct 2026

Performance

Interpreted code runs slower than regularly compiled modules, and Debugger creates an additional meta process for each debugged process.checked 8 Oct 2026

Performance limit

Interpreted code runs more slowly than regularly compiled code, and each debugged process adds a meta process.checked 9 Oct 2026

Prerequisite

Modules to be debugged must be compiled with debug information enabled.checked 9 Oct 2026

Process controls

When attached to a process, users can step, continue, finish, skip, or stop its execution.checked 8 Oct 2026

Process inspection

Attaching to a process lets the user control execution, inspect variable values, and set breakpoints.checked 9 Oct 2026

Process monitoring

The Monitor window displays interpreted modules and information about processes executing interpreted code.checked 9 Oct 2026

Purpose

Erlang Debugger is a graphical interface for the Erlang interpreter used to debug and test Erlang programs.checked 9 Oct 2026

Remote nodes

Global mode interprets code on all known Erlang nodes and displays eligible processes from other nodes for attachment.checked 9 Oct 2026

Stack trace

Debugger can record interpreted function calls for stack navigation, and recording tail calls uses more memory and slows execution when there are many tail-recursive calls.checked 8 Oct 2026

Supported interpreter dependencies

The interpreter depends on the Kernel, STDLIB, and WX applications, and modules in those applications or Debugger cannot be interpreted.checked 9 Oct 2026

Timer behavior

Programs with timers can behave differently during debugging, especially when a process is stopped while other processes continue running.checked 9 Oct 2026

Timing limitation

Programs with timers can behave differently while debugged, and stopping a process can allow time-outs in other processes to occur.checked 8 Oct 2026

Tracing caveat

Debugger may start tracing processes that execute interpreted code, which can conflict with tracing started by other means.checked 9 Oct 2026