dnSpyEx vs GDB

dnSpyEx is an unofficial continuation of dnSpy, a debugger and .NET assembly editor for working with assemblies without source code. It can debug .NET Framework, .NET, and Unity game assemblies, with breakpoints, tracepoints, conditional breakpoints, exception breakpoints, and multiple-process debugging. Editing covers metadata and methods or classes in C# and Visual Basic, plus low-level IL method bodies. The project lists C# and Visual Basic decompilers using the ILSpy engine, along with a BAML decompiler and disassembler. Assembly search, class and method usage analysis, caller finding, bookmarks, and project export are also included. A public API supports extensions, and the C# Interactive window can control or script dnSpyEx. The latest stable release listed is v6.6.0, which adds a .NET 10 distribution. It is free under GPLv3. Release notes describe Wine compatibility adjustments for Linux, not native Linux support. Dynamic methods cannot be debugged because of CLR limitations.

GDB is a free debugger for inspecting a program as it runs or after it crashes. It can launch programs, stop execution under specified conditions, examine the stopped state, and change program state for experimentation. A target can run on the same machine, remotely, or in a simulator. GDB runs on popular UNIX variants, Microsoft Windows, and macOS, and supports languages including C, C++, Rust, Go, Ada, Fortran, Assembly, and others. Debugging options include conditional and exception breakpoints, core dump debugging, and record-and-replay with forward and reverse execution on supported platforms. For remote debugging, gdbserver connects a program to GDB. The console interpreter and GDB/MI are available, while Python extensions and the Debugger Adapter Protocol require Python support at build time. GDB is part of the GNU Project and is free software under the GNU General Public License, which allows copying, adaptation, and redistribution with source access. Official releases are available from GNU and Sourceware, with signature verification through the GNU keyring. Version 18.1 was released on September 25, 2026.