pwndbg

# pwndbg `pwndbg` (/paʊnˈdiˌbʌɡ/) is a GDB and LLDB plug-in that makes debugging suck less, with a focus on features needed by low-level software developers, hardware hackers, reverse-engineers and exploit developers. It has a boatload of features, see our [Features page](https://pwndbg.re/stable/features/) and [CHEATSHEET][CHEATSHEET] (feel free to print it!). If you have any questions you may read the [documentation](https://pwndbg.re/stable/) or asks us in our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/x47DssnGwm). [CHEATSHEET]: https://pwndbg.re/dev/CHEATSHEET.pdf Want Pwndbg to keep moving fast, or, have us give a talk about it? [Sponsor us!](https://github.com/sponsors/pwndbg) ## Why? Vanilla GDB and LLDB are terrible to use for reverse engineering and exploit development. Typing `x/30gx $rsp` or navigating cumbersome LLDB commands is not fun and often provides minimal information. The year is 2026, and core debuggers still lack many user-friendly features such as a robust hexdump command. WinDbg users are completely lost when they occasionally need to bump into GDB or LLDB. Pwndbg is a Python module which can be loaded into GDB or run as a REPL interface for LLDB. It provides a suite of utilities and enhancements that fill the gaps left by these debuggers, smoothing out rough edges and making them more user-friendly. ## Installation See [installation instructions](https://pwndbg.re/stable/setup). ## What about ...? Many past ([gdbinit][gdbinit], [PEDA][PEDA]) and present projects ([GEF][GEF], [bata24/GEF][bata24/GEF]) offer great features, but are hard to extend and are packaged as large single files ([103KB][gdbinit2], [195KB][peda.py], [423KB][gef.py], [5.24MB][bata24/gef.py]). Pwndbg aims to replace them with a faster, cleaner, and more robust implementation. [gdbinit]: https://github.com/gdbinit/Gdbinit [gdbinit2]: https://github.com/gdbinit/Gdbinit/blob/master/gdbinit [PEDA]: https://github.com/longld/peda [peda.py]: https://github.com/longld/peda/blob/master/peda.py [GEF]: https://github.com/hugsy/gef [gef.py]: https://github.com/hugsy/gef/blob/main/gef.py [bata24/GEF]: https://github.com/bata24/gef [bata24/gef.py]: https://github.com/bata24/gef/blob/dev/gef.py ## When to Use GDB or LLDB? Pwndbg supports both GDB and LLDB, and each debugger has its own strengths. Here's a quick guide to help you decide which one to use: | Use Case | Supported Debugger | |-------------------------------------------------|----------------------| | Debugging Linux binaries or ELF files | **GDB**, **LLDB** | | Debugging Mach-O binaries on macOS | **LLDB** | | Linux kernel debugging (qemu-system) | **GDB**, **LLDB** | | Linux user-space emulation (qemu-user) | **GDB** | | Embedded debugging (ARM Cortex M* or RISC-V/32) | **GDB**, **LLDB** | Pwndbg ensures a consistent experience across both, so switching between them is seamless. > The LLDB implementation in pwndbg is still in early-stage and may contain bugs or limitations.
> Known issues are tracked in [GitHub Issues][lldb_tracker]. > > If you encounter any problems, feel free to report them or discuss on our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/x47DssnGwm). [lldb_tracker]: https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3A%22LLDB%20Port%22 ### Compatibility Table | Feature | Supported Version | Notes | |-------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | pwndbg-gdb | - Python 3.10+
- GDB 12.1+ | Battle-tested on Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 | | pwndbg-lldb | - Python 3.12+
- LLDB 19+ | Experimental/early-stage support | | qemu-user | QEMU 8.1+ | vFile API is needed for vmmap | | qemu-system | QEMU 6.2+ | Supported version since Ubuntu 22.04 | ## Contributing Pull requests are welcome ❤️. Check out the [Contributing Guide](https://pwndbg.re/dev/contributing/). ## Acknowledgements Pwndbg was originally created by [Zach Riggle](https://github.com/zachriggle), who is no longer with us. We want to thank Zach for all of his contributions to pwndbg and the wider security community.