strace vs ltrace

Struggling to choose between strace and ltrace? 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, ltrace is a Development product tagged with library, debugging, tracing, dynamic-linking.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like 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.

Feature	strace	ltrace
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Development

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Pricing Comparison

strace

• Open Source

ltrace

• Open Source