Towards Better Debugging: Data Format Design Session
Duration: 00:27:01
Speaker: Harry Altman, G. Nicholas D'Andrea
Type: Breakout
Expertise: Intermediate
Event: Devcon
Date: Jun 2026
On traditional computing platforms, most language compilers output debug information to enable debuggers to decode a program's operation and to enable the user to make sense of their code through hands-on inspection. With smart contract languages, however, this is not yet possible. Existing debugging data formats don't support Ethereum's computing paradigm, leaving debuggers to guess at compiler behavior in hopes of understanding how compiled bytecode reflects user-written source. In this breakout session, we will present the current state of debugging support on Ethereum, an overview of how debugging support exists on traditional computing platforms, and what the disconnects are that make this more difficult for Ethereum. From there, we seek to discuss how to overcome these limitations and how we can make smart contract debugging better. The goal of this session is to lay the groundwork for a new data format, including its high-level design and a clear understanding of the path forward for this effort.
