Debugging in Go with VS Code: A Practical Guide**

Debugging is a vital part of every software development process. If you’re using Go (Golang) and Visual Studio Code (VS Code), you have a powerful and smooth environment for debugging your applications. This article walks you through setting up and using the VS Code debugger for Go.

---

Prerequisites

Before you start debugging, make sure you have the following:

• Go installed (download here) – v1.16 or later recommended

• Visual Studio Code installed

• Go extension for VS Code installed

• A basic Go project with a main.go file

---

Step 1: Install Delve Debugger

VS Code uses the Delve debugger for Go. The Go extension will usually prompt you to install it when needed.

To install manually:

go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@latest

Ensure that $GOPATH/bin or $HOME/go/bin is included in your system PATH.

---

Step 2: Create a Go Program

Here’s a basic main.go you can use for testing:

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    message := "Hello, Debugging World!"
    fmt.Println(message)
    sum := add(5, 3)
    fmt.Println("Sum is:", sum)
}

func add(a, b int) int {
    return a + b
}

---

Step 3: Set Breakpoints

• Open main.go in VS Code

• Click to the left of the line numbers to set breakpoints, for example on the fmt.Println(message) line

---

Step 4: Launch the Debugger

1. Open the Run and Debug panel (Ctrl+Shift+D or use the sidebar icon)

2. Click “Run and Debug”

3. Choose “Go” from the list if prompted

4. VS Code will generate a .vscode/launch.json configuration file automatically

---

Step 5: Explore Debugging Features

While debugging, you can:

• Watch variable values in the VARIABLES panel

• Step over (F10) to execute code line by line

• Step into (F11) to enter function calls

• Hover over variables to inspect their current values

• Use the Debug Console to run Go expressions at runtime

---

Tips

• Use log.Println() statements alongside breakpoints for more context

• If using Go modules with multiple directories, set the correct cwd in launch.json

• Clean builds help avoid using outdated binaries

---

Some Common Issues

• Process exiting with code: 1

  • Check for build or runtime errors in the code

• Breakpoints are not being hit

  • Make sure you’re debugging the correct executable

• Permission denied on macOS

  • Run sudo DevToolsSecurity -enable and check code signing

---

Let’s Conclude

Debugging Go with VS Code is efficient and straightforward. With Delve and the Go extension, you can inspect your code’s behavior step-by-step, fix bugs faster, and better understand your applications.

---