objdump
objdump is a command-line utility included in the GNU Binutils package that displays information about object files, such as executable binaries, shared libraries, and object code. It can disassemble machine code into assembly language, show symbol tables, section headers, and other metadata, making it invaluable for debugging, reverse engineering, and analyzing compiled programs. Primarily used on Unix-like systems, it supports various executable formats like ELF, COFF, and Mach-O.
Developers should learn objdump when working on low-level programming, debugging complex issues like crashes or memory corruption, or reverse engineering software to understand its behavior. It is essential for analyzing binary files without source code, inspecting compiler output for optimization, and verifying linking and symbol resolution in compiled projects, particularly in systems programming, embedded development, and security analysis.