Basic Debugging

Inspecting Elements:

  • Chrome: Right-click on an element and select "Inspect" or press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+I (Mac).
  • Firefox: Right-click on an element and select "Inspect Element" or press Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+I (Mac).

This allows you to inspect and modify the HTML and CSS of your page.

Console:
  • Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+J (Mac).
  • Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+K (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+K (Mac).

The console is where you can log information, run JavaScript commands, and see error messages.

Debugger:
  • Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+J (Mac), then go to the "Sources" tab.
  • Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+S (Mac).

The debugger allows you to set breakpoints, step through code, and inspect variables. You can also enable/disable breakpoints in the "Sources" tab.

Network Tab:

This tab shows all network requests made by your webpage. You can inspect headers, response bodies, and timings.

Application Tab:
  • Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+J (Mac), then go to the "Application" tab.
  • Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+E (Mac).

Here you can inspect and modify cookies, local storage, and session storage. You can also see service workers, caches, and other storage mechanisms.

Performance Tab:

This tab allows you to record and analyze the runtime performance of your web page.

Memory Tab:

This tab helps you identify and fix memory-related issues in your JavaScript code.

Console Commands:

In the console, you can use various commands like $0 (last selected element), $_ (result of the last expression), clear() (clear console), etc.

But the above ones are some of the typical features that you come across in your browser developer tools.

Understanding how to use these tools to their full potential can enhance your development process, as well as assist with identifying, and resolving problems, far more effectively.