strace vs ftrace

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

strace is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like debugging, monitoring, linux.

It boasts features such as Traces system calls and signals, Intercepts and prints the system calls executed by a program, Displays the values of parameters passed to and returned from system calls, Can attach to an already running process or start a process and trace it, Can trace child processes spawned by a traced process and pros including Useful for debugging and troubleshooting programs, Helps identify performance bottlenecks, Lightweight and easy to use, Works on most Linux distributions without needing compilation.

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	strace	ftrace
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	System & Hardware

Product Overview

strace

Description: strace is a diagnostic, debugging and instructional userspace utility for Linux. It is used to monitor and tamper with interactions between processes and the Linux kernel, including system calls, signal deliveries, and changes of process state.

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

strace Features

• Traces system calls and signals
• Intercepts and prints the system calls executed by a program
• Displays the values of parameters passed to and returned from system calls
• Can attach to an already running process or start a process and trace it
• Can trace child processes spawned by a traced process

ftrace Features

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

strace

Pros

• Useful for debugging and troubleshooting programs
• Helps identify performance bottlenecks
• Lightweight and easy to use
• Works on most Linux distributions without needing compilation

Cons

• Can slow down execution of traced programs significantly
• Generates large trace files quickly
• Requires understanding of system calls and signals
• Does not work on statically linked programs

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

strace

• Open Source

ftrace

• Open Source