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Getting stuck in ambiguities and dead-end situations are quite common while coding. If you have written codes in JavaScript you can relate to what I mean to say. Complicated codes leave you in the empty void and the primitive tools and techniques cannot get you out of the situation. A little carelessness can result in excess time loss, identifying and resolving the bugs.
A good debugging tool is an oasis in the desert of codes. It helps to shorten the feedback loop and makes coding more efficient. The main agenda is to equip the coders with good tools. Node has a very efficient tool called the node debugger. It is versatile and can be compatible with any kind of JavaScript code. Some of the best strategies to debug javascript using node debugger are –
• The Node CLI Debugger - If you are not able to access fancy editors, and bounded by any reason, the node debugger command line is the tool for you. It uses TCP based protocol. The client can access the process and give debugging sessions. If REPL is used to inspect the duck list, a breakpoint is implemented where the list of ducks are returned. The attribute list of each duck is missing because when any object is deeply nested, REPL only gives a trivial view.
• Client-Side Debugging - Node tool can debug the JavaScript based on the client side. V8 JavaScript engine is used for running a node debugger. If you write your own code, it gives you freedom of coding. You can, therefore, resolve bugs easily, because efficient programming is not always about codes, but also about self-imposed problems.
• Debugging inside an Editor - Most of the developers don’t prefer debugging command line. They’d rather go for a code editor instead. It would be so convenient if the editors were collaborated with debugging. Therefore an editor is a must feature in debugging tools.
A decent debugger breaks down all the codes and gives you a stepwise analysis of what the computer does to your program. This not only enhances the coding skills but also makes any application more crisp and efficient. It is a gizmo every respectable computer programmer should master.
These tips here will give you a head start on debugging Javascript effectively using node.
