Debugging Is Not Just Fixing Bugs — It’s a Mindset

Every developer writes bugs. It doesn’t matter if you’re a junior or a senior with 10 years of experience. The real difference between good developers and great developers is how they debug.

When I started, I thought debugging meant “find the error and fix it.” But over time, I realized debugging is a discipline. It’s about how you think, how you investigate, and how you learn from mistakes.

Here are 4 principles that changed the way I debug:

1. Reproduce the Bug Reliably

If you can’t reproduce the bug consistently, you’re chasing ghosts. Always find a way to make the bug appear on demand, even if it means mocking data, simulating traffic, or creating a test environment.

2. Don’t Jump Straight to the Fix

It’s tempting to hack something until the error disappears. But that often creates new, hidden problems. Instead, slow down. Ask: Why is this happening? What chain of events caused this? Fix the root, not just the symptom.

3. Use the Right Tools

Logs, debuggers, profilers, tracing systems — they exist for a reason. Don’t just console.log your way out of everything. For example, in Node.js use the built-in inspector, in Python use pdb or modern tools like debugpy.

4. Write a Test After the Fix

If a bug made it to production, it means your test suite missed it. Always add a test that reproduces the bug before the fix, and make sure the fix passes it. That way, it never sneaks back again.

💡 Takeaway: Debugging is not a chore. It’s an opportunity to understand your system better than before. Every bug you fix permanently makes you a stronger engineer.

-Shaheen Amjed
-https://shaheen-amjed.vercel.app