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What is Strace?

A diagnostic tool that traces system calls and signals made by a process, useful for debugging and performance analysis.

Strace intercepts and records system calls (file operations, network calls, memory allocation) made by a process. Usage: strace -p PID (attach to running process) or strace command (trace from start).

Useful flags include -e trace=network (filter network calls), -c (summary statistics), -f (follow forks), and -t (timestamps). Strace is invaluable for debugging permission issues, missing files, and understanding program behavior.

Related Terms

File Permissions
A security mechanism that controls who can read, write, or execute files and directories in Unix-like systems.
Linux Kernel Module
A piece of code that can be loaded into the kernel at runtime to extend functionality without rebooting, such as device drivers and filesystems.
Grep
A command-line utility for searching plain-text data for lines matching a regular expression pattern.
Sysfs (/sys)
A virtual filesystem that exports information about kernel subsystems, hardware devices, and device drivers in a structured hierarchy.
Linux Bridge
A software-based network switch in the Linux kernel that connects multiple network interfaces at Layer 2, enabling VM and container networking.
Crontab Syntax
The time specification format used in cron job scheduling, with five fields defining minute, hour, day of month, month, and day of week.
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