{"data":{"slug":"raddebugger","name":"RAD Debugger","tagline":"MIT native graphical debugger for Windows x64 from Epic Games, plus a fast MSVC-compatible linker","category":"devops","categoryName":"DevOps","url":"https://github.com/EpicGames/raddebugger/releases","github":"https://github.com/EpicGames/raddebugger","pricing":"open-source","hook":"The RAD Debugger is a fast, standalone, multi-process graphical debugger for native Windows code — what C, C++ and game developers reach for when Visual Studio's debugger is too slow or too heavy.","whatsGood":"MIT (EpicGames/raddebugger), release v0.9.29-alpha (2026-09-30); prebuilt binaries on the releases page. Debugs local Windows x64 programs with PDBs and converts debug info on demand into its own RAD Debug Info (RDI) format, with a `radbin` tool to convert and dump it. Ships the RAD Linker, an x64 PE/COFF linker with MSVC-compatible command-line syntax built for huge binaries — the project reports about 50% faster links in its own tests with multi-gigabyte debug info. Maintained under Epic Games. ★~8k.","theCatch":"Alpha, and the README asks you to file crash dumps — expect bugs. Windows x64 with PDBs only today; Linux and DWARF support are stated plans, not shipped, so it does nothing for Mac or Linux work. The repo README is a technical overview; the usage guide ships inside the release download. Native code only — no managed .NET, JavaScript or Python debugging.","verdict":"Worth a try for every Windows C/C++ or game developer tired of waiting on Visual Studio — just treat it as alpha.","addedAt":"2026-10-11","featured":false,"domain":"DevOps","subSpecialty":"Debugging","subcategory":"Debugging","tags":["self-host","permissive","active"],"capabilities":["debugger","linker","windows"],"surfaces":["Self-host"],"ecosystem":["Multi-platform"],"licenseModel":"OSS/MIT","githubStars":8593,"starsPerWeek":59,"access":"free","archived":false,"repo":{"createdAt":"2024-01-10","pushedAt":"2026-10-18","license":"MIT","archived":false,"checkedAt":"2026-10-19"}},"related":[{"slug":"github-actions","name":"GitHub Actions","tagline":"CI/CD that lives where your code does"},{"slug":"docker","name":"Docker","tagline":"Container runtime that changed deployment"},{"slug":"kubernetes","name":"Kubernetes","tagline":"Container orchestration at scale"},{"slug":"pulumi","name":"Pulumi","tagline":"Infrastructure as code in real languages"},{"slug":"fly-io","name":"Fly.io","tagline":"Deploy apps to VMs close to your users"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/raddebugger","html":"/gems/raddebugger","markdown":"/gems/raddebugger.md","category":"/api/gems?category=devops","categoryPage":"/stacks/devops"}}