Valgrind
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| Developer(s) | The Valgrind Developers |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 3.12.0 (October 20, 2016) |
| Operating system |
Linux macOS Solaris Android |
| Type | Profiler, Memory debugger |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | valgrind |
Valgrind /ˈvælɡrɪnd/ is a programming tool for memory debugging, memory leak detection, and profiling.
Valgrind was originally designed to be a free memory debugging tool for Linux on x86, but has since evolved to become a generic framework for creating dynamic analysis tools such as checkers and profilers.
Valgrind is in essence a virtual machine using just-in-time (JIT) compilation techniques, including dynamic recompilation. Nothing from the original program ever gets run directly on the host processor. Instead, Valgrind first translates the program into a temporary, simpler form called Intermediate Representation (IR), which is a processor-neutral, SSA-based form. After the conversion, a tool (see below) is free to do whatever transformations it would like on the IR, before Valgrind translates the IR back into machine code and lets the host processor run it. Valgrind recompiles binary code to run on host and target (or simulated) CPUs of the same architecture. It also includes a GDB stub to allow debugging of the target program as it runs in Valgrind, with "monitor commands" that allow you to query the Valgrind tool for various sorts of information.
A considerable amount of performance is lost in these transformations (and usually, the code the tool inserts); usually, code run with Valgrind and the "none" tool (which does nothing to the IR) runs at 1/4 to 1/5 of the speed of the normal program.
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