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The debug package provides debugging facilities for Go programs. It contains subpackages for examining binaries, reading DWARF debugging information, and runtime debugging.

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Subpackages

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debug/dwarf

Access to DWARF debugging information from executable files. 
import (
    "debug/dwarf"
    "debug/elf"
    "fmt"
)

func readDWARF(filename string) error {
    // Open ELF file
    f, err := elf.Open(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    // Get DWARF data
    dwarfData, err := f.DWARF()
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    
    // Read entries
    reader := dwarfData.Reader()
    for {
        entry, err := reader.Next()
        if err != nil {
            return err
        }
        if entry == nil {
            break
        }
        
        if entry.Tag == dwarf.TagSubprogram {
            name := entry.Val(dwarf.AttrName)
            fmt.Printf("Function: %v\n", name)
        }
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
debug/elf

Access to ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) object files. 
import "debug/elf"

func examineELF(filename string) error {
    f, err := elf.Open(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    fmt.Printf("Class: %v\n", f.Class)
    fmt.Printf("Data: %v\n", f.Data)
    fmt.Printf("Machine: %v\n", f.Machine)
    fmt.Printf("Type: %v\n", f.Type)
    
    // List sections
    for _, section := range f.Sections {
        fmt.Printf("Section: %s (type %v)\n", section.Name, section.Type)
    }
    
    // List symbols
    symbols, err := f.Symbols()
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    
    for _, sym := range symbols {
        fmt.Printf("Symbol: %s\n", sym.Name)
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
debug/macho

Access to Mach-O object files (macOS and iOS). 
import "debug/macho"

func examineMachO(filename string) error {
    f, err := macho.Open(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    fmt.Printf("CPU: %v\n", f.Cpu)
    fmt.Printf("Type: %v\n", f.Type)
    
    // List sections
    for _, section := range f.Sections {
        fmt.Printf("Section: %s\n", section.Name)
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
debug/pe

Access to PE (Portable Executable) files (Windows). 
import "debug/pe"

func examinePE(filename string) error {
    f, err := pe.Open(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    fmt.Printf("Machine: %v\n", f.Machine)
    
    // List sections
    for _, section := range f.Sections {
        fmt.Printf("Section: %s\n", section.Name)
    }
    
    // List imported DLLs
    imports, err := f.ImportedLibraries()
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    
    for _, dll := range imports {
        fmt.Printf("Import: %s\n", dll)
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
debug/plan9obj

Access to Plan 9 a.out object files. 
import "debug/plan9obj"

func examinePlan9(filename string) error {
    f, err := plan9obj.Open(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    fmt.Printf("Magic: %v\n", f.Magic)
    
    // List sections
    for _, section := range f.Sections {
        fmt.Printf("Section: %s\n", section.Name)
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
debug/buildinfo

Read build information embedded in Go binaries. 
import (
    "debug/buildinfo"
    "fmt"
)

func readBuildInfo(filename string) error {
    info, err := buildinfo.ReadFile(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    
    fmt.Printf("Go version: %s\n", info.GoVersion)
    fmt.Printf("Path: %s\n", info.Path)
    fmt.Printf("Main module: %s %s\n", info.Main.Path, info.Main.Version)
    
    // List dependencies
    for _, dep := range info.Deps {
        fmt.Printf("Dependency: %s %s\n", dep.Path, dep.Version)
    }
    
    // Build settings
    for _, setting := range info.Settings {
        fmt.Printf("%s=%s\n", setting.Key, setting.Value)
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
Runtime Debugging

​
runtime/debug Package

import (
    "fmt"
    "runtime/debug"
)

// Print stack trace
func printStack() {
    debug.PrintStack()
}

// Get stack trace as string
func getStack() string {
    return string(debug.Stack())
}

// Control garbage collector
func controlGC() {
    // Disable GC
    debug.SetGCPercent(-1)
    
    // Re-enable with 100% target
    debug.SetGCPercent(100)
    
    // Force GC
    debug.FreeOSMemory()
}

// Read GC stats
func readGCStats() {
    var stats debug.GCStats
    debug.ReadGCStats(&stats)
    
    fmt.Printf("Last GC: %v\n", stats.LastGC)
    fmt.Printf("Num GC: %d\n", stats.NumGC)
    fmt.Printf("Pause total: %v\n", stats.PauseTotal)
}

// Read memory stats
func readMemStats() {
    var m runtime.MemStats
    runtime.ReadMemStats(&m)
    
    fmt.Printf("Alloc: %d MB\n", m.Alloc/1024/1024)
    fmt.Printf("TotalAlloc: %d MB\n", m.TotalAlloc/1024/1024)
    fmt.Printf("Sys: %d MB\n", m.Sys/1024/1024)
    fmt.Printf("NumGC: %d\n", m.NumGC)
}

​
Build Info at Runtime

import "runtime/debug"

func printRuntimeBuildInfo() {
    info, ok := debug.ReadBuildInfo()
    if !ok {
        fmt.Println("Build info not available")
        return
    }
    
    fmt.Printf("Go version: %s\n", info.GoVersion)
    fmt.Printf("Main module: %s\n", info.Main.Path)
    
    for _, dep := range info.Deps {
        fmt.Printf("%s@%s\n", dep.Path, dep.Version)
    }
}

​
Practical Examples

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Crash Recovery with Stack Trace

import "runtime/debug"

func recoverFromPanic() {
    if r := recover(); r != nil {
        fmt.Printf("Panic: %v\n", r)
        fmt.Printf("Stack trace:\n%s\n", debug.Stack())
    }
}

func riskyOperation() {
    defer recoverFromPanic()
    
    // Code that might panic
    panic("something went wrong")
}

​
Memory Profiling

import (
    "os"
    "runtime/pprof"
)

func profileMemory(filename string) error {
    f, err := os.Create(filename)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer f.Close()
    
    runtime.GC() // Run GC before profiling
    if err := pprof.WriteHeapProfile(f); err != nil {
        return err
    }
    
    return nil
}

​
Extract Version Information

import "debug/buildinfo"

func getVersion(binaryPath string) (string, error) {
    info, err := buildinfo.ReadFile(binaryPath)
    if err != nil {
        return "", err
    }
    
    // Look for version in build settings
    for _, setting := range info.Settings {
        if setting.Key == "vcs.revision" {
            return setting.Value[:7], nil // Short commit hash
        }
    }
    
    return "unknown", nil
}

​
Binary Analysis

func analyzeBinary(filename string) error {
    // Try to open as different formats
    if f, err := elf.Open(filename); err == nil {
        defer f.Close()
        fmt.Println("Format: ELF")
        return examineELF(filename)
    }
    
    if f, err := pe.Open(filename); err == nil {
        defer f.Close()
        fmt.Println("Format: PE")
        return examinePE(filename)
    }
    
    if f, err := macho.Open(filename); err == nil {
        defer f.Close()
        fmt.Println("Format: Mach-O")
        return examineMachO(filename)
    }
    
    return fmt.Errorf("unknown binary format")
}

​
Common Use Cases

  • Binary inspection: Examine compiled binaries and their structure
  • Debugging information: Extract debug symbols and line information
  • Dependency analysis: List dependencies of a compiled binary
  • Version tracking: Embed and extract version information
  • Memory debugging: Track memory usage and garbage collection
  • Crash analysis: Capture and analyze stack traces
  • Build validation: Verify build settings and dependencies

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Best Practices

  1. Always close file handles - Use defer f.Close() when opening binaries
  2. Handle format variations - Different platforms use different executable formats
  3. Check error returns - Binary parsing can fail in various ways
  4. Use runtime/debug for production - Safer than debug/elf etc. at runtime
  5. Embed build info - Use -ldflags to embed version information during build

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