3 Ways to Debug Code Faster

Browser Developer Tools are among the most useful debugging tools for web developers. They help you investigate JavaScript errors, API failures, network requests, and unexpected website behavior.

In Chrome or most modern browsers, right-click a webpage and select Inspect. Two tabs are especially useful when debugging web applications: Console and Network.

Check JavaScript Errors in the Console

The Console tab displays JavaScript errors, warnings, and messages from your application. For example, consider this code:

const user = undefined;

console.log(user.name);

This code produces an error because you’re trying to access the name property of a value that is undefined. The Console often shows the error message along with the file and line number where it occurred.

Instead of randomly changing your code, start by reading the error message and examining the relevant line.

Debug API Requests with the Network Tab

The Network tab is especially useful when your website communicates with an API. To investigate a failed request:

• Open Developer Tools and select the Network tab.
• Click the button or perform the action that triggers the API request.
• Select the request from the list.
• Check the status code, response, headers, and request URL.

If your application fetches user information but no data appears, the Network tab may reveal an HTTP error.

Many developers use console.log() in JavaScript or dd() in Laravel to inspect variable values. These techniques are useful for quick checks, but debugging becomes harder when a function contains multiple steps.

Breakpoints let you pause your program at a specific line and examine what is happening while the code executes.

What Is a Breakpoint?

A breakpoint tells your debugger to pause execution when the program reaches a particular line of code. Imagine a function that receives user data, validates it, and saves it to a database. If the data becomes incorrect somewhere in this process, a breakpoint lets you inspect it at each step.

How to Use Breakpoints in VS Code

1. Open your project in Visual Studio Code.
2. Open the source file you want to investigate.
3. Click beside a line number to add a breakpoint.
4. Start the appropriate debugger for your language and project.
5. Run the code that triggers the problem.
6. When execution pauses, inspect variables and follow the program step by step.

Useful Debugging Controls

• Continue: Resume execution until the next breakpoint.
• Step Over: Execute the current line without stepping into a called function.
• Step Into: Enter a function to investigate its internal behavior.
• Step Out: Finish the current function and return to its caller.

The exact controls available depend on the debugger and programming language you’re using.

Why Are Breakpoints Better Than Random Logging?

Imagine that an API receives the correct user ID, but the database query returns unexpected results. With breakpoints, you can check whether the input is correct, whether validation changes the data, whether the expected function executes, and whether the database query receives the expected values.

When something breaks, it can be tempting to change several lines of code until the error disappears. However, this approach can introduce additional bugs and make the original problem harder to understand. A better approach is to investigate the available evidence first.

Understand the Error Message

When an error occurs, look for these details:

• Exception type: What kind of error occurred?
• Error message: What operation failed?
• File name and line number: Where did the failure appear?
• Stack trace: Which functions or operations led to the error?

The reported line is not always where the underlying bug originated. Sometimes, the problem starts earlier in the request or in another function.

Check Laravel Application Logs

If you’re working with Laravel, application logs are an excellent place to investigate exceptions and unexpected behavior. A common log file location is:

storage/logs/laravel.log

Depending on your logging configuration, Laravel may also create separate or dated log files. When your application crashes or returns an unexpected response, check the logs for relevant exceptions, database errors, and stack traces.

For example, if a database query references a column that doesn’t exist, the logs may reveal a SQL error that helps you identify the failing query. You can then inspect the relevant migration, model, or query builder code.

Security note: Avoid exposing sensitive information from production logs, and don’t display detailed exception traces to ordinary users.

Investigate Slow Database Queries

Debugging isn’t only about fixing errors. It also includes investigating performance problems. If a Laravel page loads many products and accesses each product’s category separately, it can create an N+1 query problem.

You can investigate query performance using Laravel query logging, Laravel Debugbar in a development environment, database query logs, and query execution plans.

For example, if each product needs its category, eager loading may reduce unnecessary queries:

$products = Product::with('category')->get();

Always inspect the actual queries and relationships before changing your code. The correct solution depends on the application’s data access patterns.