ltrace vs ftrace

Struggling to choose between ltrace and ftrace? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

ltrace is a Development solution with tags like library, debugging, tracing, dynamic-linking.

It boasts features such as Intercepts and records dynamic library calls made by a process, Can trace calls made by programs to shared libraries, Helps debug issues caused by dynamic linking, Shows parameters passed to library functions and return values, Tracks time spent in each call and pros including Lightweight and easy to use for debugging, Does not require modifying or recompiling the target program, Works on most Linux distributions without special setup, Can trace proprietary programs where source code is unavailable.

On the other hand, ftrace is a System & Hardware product tagged with tracing, debugging, kernel, linux.

Its standout features include Kernel function tracing, Interrupt handler tracing, Scheduling and preemption tracing, Function graph tracing, Customizable events and filters, and it shines with pros like Low overhead, Built into the Linux kernel, Detailed execution tracing, Helpful for debugging and optimization.

Feature	ltrace	ftrace
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	System & Hardware

Product Overview

ltrace

Description: ltrace is a debugging utility that intercepts and records dynamic library calls which are called by an executed process. It can be used to trace calls made by programs to shared libraries and helps debug issues caused by dynamic linking.

ftrace

Description: Ftrace is a Linux kernel internal tracer used to observe and debug kernel behavior, including scheduling, function calls, interrupts, and more. It provides detailed execution tracing of the Linux kernel with low overhead.

Key Features Comparison

ltrace Features

• Intercepts and records dynamic library calls made by a process
• Can trace calls made by programs to shared libraries
• Helps debug issues caused by dynamic linking
• Shows parameters passed to library functions and return values
• Tracks time spent in each call

ftrace Features

• Kernel function tracing
• Interrupt handler tracing
• Scheduling and preemption tracing
• Function graph tracing
• Customizable events and filters

Pros & Cons Analysis

ltrace

Pros

• Lightweight and easy to use for debugging
• Does not require modifying or recompiling the target program
• Works on most Linux distributions without special setup
• Can trace proprietary programs where source code is unavailable

Cons

• Only works for dynamic library calls, not static linking
• Can introduce some runtime overhead when tracing
• Does not trace code within libraries themselves
• Limited Windows support compared to Linux

ftrace

Pros

• Low overhead
• Built into the Linux kernel
• Detailed execution tracing
• Helpful for debugging and optimization

Cons

• Can impact performance if tracing unneeded code paths
• Requires rebuilding kernel with Ftrace enabled
• Somewhat complex configuration

Pricing Comparison

ltrace

• Open Source

ftrace

• Open Source