Debugging feels like a power skill in the current age of AI-assisted development and vibe coding. With so much focus on speed, auto-complete, and generated snippets, the discipline of carefully tracing through a problem seems to be fading. Yet it is debugging that ultimately separates functional systems from brittle ones. Breakpoints, step-through execution, and understanding stack traces used to be routine practices, but now they feel like skills only a few consistently use. The shift toward trusting AI for answers is useful, but it also risks eroding the muscle memory of working patiently with a debugger.
When I think about breakpoints, I remember how essential they once were in learning to think like a machine. Setting a breakpoint forced me to stop the code at a precise location, inspect variables, and see not just the output but the process that created it. That kind of visibility shaped intuition about program flow in a way that no explanation or documentation could match. Without this stepwise exploration, bugs often remain hidden or get patched superficially. It is a reminder that debugging is less about fixing errors quickly and more about understanding how the system behaves under different conditions.
In contrast, vibe coding—building by intuition, trial, and generated code—creates momentum but can leave gaps in understanding. AI can produce code that runs, but when it fails, the burden still falls on the developer to trace the problem. This is where debugging remains a core skill. The ability to navigate an unfamiliar codebase, set conditions, and monitor behavior systematically is something AI cannot fully replace. It requires discipline, patience, and awareness of the underlying system. Debugging teaches a way of thinking that survives across languages and frameworks, and that is why it holds power even as tools evolve.
Another part of debugging’s strength lies in how it builds confidence. Running code that works without knowing why always carries a sense of risk. Debugging removes that uncertainty by showing what happens step by step. It reduces reliance on guesswork and makes it possible to handle complex systems with clarity. The same process also develops habits of observation and logical reasoning that extend beyond programming. Whether it is tracing a performance bottleneck or investigating unexpected behavior, debugging provides a framework for problem-solving that is transferable to many contexts.
In the end, debugging is not just a technical exercise but a discipline of thought. Remembering how to set breakpoints and use them effectively feels almost old-fashioned now, but it is precisely this habit that strengthens developers in an era dominated by quick solutions. AI can write and suggest, but debugging ensures that we still understand. It is a quiet skill, often undervalued, yet it continues to carry weight because the real measure of a developer is not just in writing code but in handling what happens when it does not work as expected.