Delve
A debugger for Go programs, built for the Go language specifically.
- Stars
- 25k
- Forks
- 2.2k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Dev tool
What it is
Delve is a debugger for programs written in Go. A debugger lets you pause a running program, inspect its variables, and step through its code line by line to find bugs. The README says the project aims to be simple, full-featured, and easy to invoke, staying out of the user's way as much as possible.
- Pause a Go program at a breakpoint and inspect variable values
- Step through Go code line by line to trace unexpected behavior
- Attach to a running Go process to examine its state
Great for
- Go developers who need to find bugs by stepping through code
- People debugging Go programs from the command line
- Developers using an editor or IDE that integrates with Delve (the README links to editor integration docs)
Not ideal for
- Developers working in languages other than Go, since Delve only debugs Go programs
- People who want a graphical debugger as their main interface, unless their editor provides one on top of Delve (the README mentions GUIs exist but its truncated text does not detail them)
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Go toolchain (version not specified in the provided README)
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/go-delve/delve - 2
Run it
- Install Delve following the Installation documentation linked in the README
- Run dlv on a Go program or package to start a debugging session
- Set breakpoints and step through code using the command line client documentation
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the Getting Started guide linked in the README
- Check the Plugins and GUIs page to use Delve with your editor
- Review the command line options reference for advanced invocation flags
- Consult the FAQ for common questions
Downloads
Strengths
- Purpose-built for Go, so it is aimed squarely at the language's features
- Open source under the MIT license
- Actively maintained, with a recent release (v1.27.2) and a recent push to the repository
Trade-offs
- The README is truncated here, so specific features and limits are not fully documented in this entry
- The GitHub issue tracker is for bugs only; feature requests go to a mailing list, which may be less convenient for some users
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| delve (this) | 25k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Go developers who need to find bugs by stepping through code |
| act | 72.5k | Dev tool | intermediate | 5 days ago | Developers who edit .github/workflows files and want faster feedback than commit-and-push cycles |
| oh-my-posh | 23.7k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want their terminal prompt to show extra context |
| swag | 13k | Dev tool | intermediate | 1 months ago | Go developers who already have a REST API using Gin, Echo, net/http, Fiber, or another listed framework |
| gdb-dashboard | 12.3k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 months ago | Developers who debug C or C++ programs with GDB in a terminal |
| Detect-It-Easy | 11.8k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Malware analysts triaging unknown Windows executables |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.