Firefighting Debugging
Firefighting debugging is an ad-hoc, reactive approach to software debugging where developers address critical bugs or system failures as they arise, often under high pressure and with immediate urgency. It involves quickly identifying and fixing issues to restore functionality, typically without thorough root cause analysis or preventive measures. This method is common in production environments during outages or severe performance degradation.
Developers should use firefighting debugging when facing time-sensitive production incidents, such as system crashes, security breaches, or major service disruptions that require immediate resolution to minimize downtime and business impact. It is essential for maintaining operational stability in emergency scenarios, though it should be complemented with more systematic debugging practices like root cause analysis post-incident to prevent recurrence.