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Code Debugging 101

A comprehensive guide to debugging Python applications in VS Code, from basic breakpoints to production debugging strategies.

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Series Overview

This series teaches debugging through real-world Python development scenarios in Visual Studio Code. Instead of toy examples, you'll learn debugging techniques I use daily when building APIs, automation scripts, and microservices.

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What You'll Learn

  • Part 1: Getting Started with Debugging - Setting up VS Code debugger for Python, understanding the debug interface, and your first debug session

  • Part 2: Breakpoints and Stepping Through Code - Mastering different breakpoint types, step controls, and code navigation during debugging

  • Part 3: Variables, Watch, and Data Inspection - Inspecting variables, expressions, call stacks, and using the debug console REPL

  • Part 4: Advanced Debugging Techniques - Conditional breakpoints, logpoints, exception handling, and debugging async code

  • Part 5: Debug Configurations and Production Debugging - Creating launch.json configurations, debugging tests, remote debugging, and production issue investigation

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Who This Is For

  • Python developers wanting to move beyond print() debugging

  • Engineers building web APIs, automation tools, or microservices

  • Anyone who has spent hours tracking down bugs that could have been found in minutes with proper debugging

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Learning Philosophy

Each article demonstrates debugging concepts through scenarios I've encountered building real projects—FastAPI services, data processing scripts, automation frameworks. No fake examples, just practical techniques that solve actual problems.

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Prerequisites

  • Basic Python knowledge

  • VS Code installed

  • Python extension for VS Code

  • Willingness to learn debugging instead of relying on print statements

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Tools Used

  • VS Code: Primary development environment and debugger

  • Python 3.8+: Programming language

  • Python extension: Microsoft's official Python support for VS Code

  • Real projects: FastAPI APIs, async scripts, data pipelines

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Why Debugging Matters

Early in my career, I debugged with print() statements everywhere. A bug that should take 5 minutes to find would take an hour of adding prints, running code, adding more prints, repeating. Learning proper debugging techniques was transformative—I could:

  • Set a breakpoint and inspect all variables at once

  • Step through code execution line by line

  • Evaluate expressions without modifying code

  • Catch exceptions at the moment they occur

  • Debug production issues by attaching to running processes

This series shares the debugging workflows that changed how I develop software.

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Series Structure

Each part builds on the previous, starting with basic debugging and progressing to advanced production scenarios. You can jump to specific topics, but following the sequence gives you the complete debugging toolkit.

Ready to transform how you debug code? Start with Part 1: Getting Started with Debugging.

Based on years of debugging Python applications in VS Code, from simple scripts to complex microservices in production.

PreviousArticle 12: Production ReadinessNextPart 1: Getting Started with Debugging in VS Code

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