FlowStorm vs OpenOCD
FlowStorm
flow-storm.orgOpenOCD
openocd.orgSide by side
| Figure | FlowStorm | OpenOCD |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Debuggers | 8.0 (#8) | 7.8 (#12) |
Plans
In their own words
FlowStorm
FlowStorm is a tracing debugger for Clojure and ClojureScript. It records execution without requiring breakpoints or code changes, then provides tools to step through code, inspect values, explore calls and functions, and investigate exceptions. A timeline displays execution events so users can follow how instructions from different threads interleave. The debugger also supports customizable real-time visualizations and plugins for specialized ways to examine recordings. Values shown in its interface can be sent to the REPL with one click, and recordings can be analyzed using Clojure. The guide covers ClojureScript in browsers, Node.js, and React Native, as well as remote debugging configurations and integrations for Emacs through Cider Storm, VS Code, and IntelliJ IDEA. FlowStorm is free and open source at free, and is listed for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted use. Minimum requirements are JDK 17 or later and Clojure 1.10.0 or later. Vanilla FlowStorm does not support async/await introduced in ClojureScript 1.12.145; the guide points to ClojureScriptStorm as an alternative.
OpenOCD
OpenOCD provides debugging, in-system programming, and boundary-scan testing for embedded target devices through a debug adapter. It communicates with targets over JTAG or Serial Wire Debug (SWD), and can run as a server for GDB clients. Users can also interact through Telnet or GDB; its Tcl interface is intended for machine interaction, and configuration files can contain commands using the documented Tcl scripting API. The target list includes ARM, MIPS, RISC-V, Xtensa, ARC, AVR32, and other architectures. Release 0.12.0 notes support for Espressif ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3 cores, and Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040, along with Zephyr and a no-RTOS option. OpenOCD supports remote debugging and exception breakpoints. It is free and listed for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted setups. The project says it is packaged in popular operating-system repositories and provides access to source code; community binaries are marked unofficial. Host configuration may take extra steps: Linux usually needs a udev rule for adapter access, and Windows requires driver configuration for each peripheral.