https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg
Exploit Development and Reverse Engineering with GDB & LLDB Made Easy
https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg
binary-ninja capture-the-flag ctf debugging disassembler exploit-development gdb gef hacking-tool ida-pro linux lldb low-level malware-analysis pwnable pwndbg python reverse-engineering
Last synced: about 1 month ago
JSON representation
Exploit Development and Reverse Engineering with GDB & LLDB Made Easy
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg
- Owner: pwndbg
- License: mit
- Created: 2015-02-22T21:35:19.000Z (over 10 years ago)
- Default Branch: dev
- Last Pushed: 2025-05-08T22:15:22.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-05-08T23:44:25.271Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: binary-ninja, capture-the-flag, ctf, debugging, disassembler, exploit-development, gdb, gef, hacking-tool, ida-pro, linux, lldb, low-level, malware-analysis, pwnable, pwndbg, python, reverse-engineering
- Language: Python
- Homepage: https://pwndbg.re/
- Size: 29.1 MB
- Stars: 8,581
- Watchers: 134
- Forks: 995
- Open Issues: 174
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Contributing: .github/CONTRIBUTING.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
- License: LICENSE.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-hacking-lists - pwndbg/pwndbg - Exploit Development and Reverse Engineering with GDB & LLDB Made Easy (Python)
README
# pwndbg
[](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/)
[](https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/actions/workflows/tests.yml)
[](https://app.codecov.io/github/pwndbg/pwndbg/tree/dev)
[](https://discord.gg/x47DssnGwm)
`pwndbg` (/paʊnˈdiˌbʌɡ/) is a GDB and LLDB plug-in that makes debugging suck less,
with a focus on features needed by low-level software developers, hardware hackers,
reverse-engineers and exploit developers.
It has a boatload of features, see [FEATURES.md](https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/blob/dev/FEATURES.md) and [CHEATSHEET][CHEATSHEET]
(feel free to print it!).
[CHEATSHEET]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16t9MV8KTFXK7oX_CzXhmDdaVnjT8IYM4/view?usp=drive_link
## Why?
Vanilla GDB and LLDB are terrible to use for reverse engineering and exploit development.
Typing `x/g30x $esp` or navigating cumbersome LLDB commands is not fun and often provides
minimal information. The year is 2025, and core debuggers still lack many user-friendly
features such as a robust hexdump command. Windbg users are completely lost when they
occasionally need to bump into GDB or LLDB.
## What?
Pwndbg is a Python module which is loaded directly into GDB or LLDB*. It provides a suite
of utilities and enhancements that fill the gaps left by these debuggers, smoothing out
rough edges and making them more user-friendly.
Many other projects from the past (e.g., [gdbinit][gdbinit], [PEDA][PEDA]) and present
(e.g. [GEF][GEF]) exist to fill some these gaps. Each provides an excellent experience
and great features -- but they're difficult to extend (some are unmaintained, and all
are a single [100KB][gdbinit2], [200KB][peda.py], or [363KB][gef.py] file (respectively)).
Pwndbg exists not only to replace all of its predecessors, but also to have a clean
implementation that runs quickly and is resilient against all the weird corner cases
that come up. It also comes batteries-included, so all of its features are available
if you run `setup.sh`.
[gdbinit]: https://github.com/gdbinit/Gdbinit
[gdbinit2]: https://github.com/gdbinit/Gdbinit/blob/master/gdbinit
[PEDA]: https://github.com/longld/peda
[peda.py]: https://github.com/longld/peda/blob/master/peda.py
[GEF]: https://github.com/hugsy/gef
[gef.py]: https://github.com/hugsy/gef/blob/master/gef.py
## When to Use GDB or LLDB?
Pwndbg supports both GDB and LLDB, and each debugger has its own strengths.
Here's a quick guide to help you decide which one to use:
| Use Case | Supported Debugger |
|-------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
| Debugging Linux binaries or ELF files | **GDB**, **LLDB** |
| Debugging Mach-O binaries on macOS | **LLDB** |
| Linux kernel debugging (qemu-system) | **GDB**, **LLDB** |
| Linux user-space emulation (qemu-user) | **GDB** |
| Embedded debugging (ARM Cortex M* or RISC-V/32) | **GDB**, **LLDB** |
Pwndbg ensures a consistent experience across both, so switching between them is seamless.
> The LLDB implementation in Pwndbg is still in early-stage and may contain bugs or limitations.
> Known issues are tracked in [GitHub Issues][lldb_tracker].
>
> If you encounter any problems, feel free to report them or discuss on our [Discord server][discord].
[lldb_tracker]: https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3A%22LLDB%20Port%22
### Compatibility Table
| Feature | Supported Version | Notes |
|-------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| pwndbg-gdb | - Python 3.10+
- GDB 12.1+ | Battle-tested on Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 |
| pwndbg-lldb | - Python 3.12+
- LLDB 19+ | Experimental/early-stage support |
| qemu-user | QEMU 8.1+ | vFile API is needed for vmmap |
| qemu-system | QEMU 6.2+ | Supported version since ubuntu 22.04 |
## How?
See [installation instructions](https://pwndbg.re/pwndbg/dev/setup).
## What can I do with that?
For further info about features/functionalities, see [FEATURES](https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/blob/dev/FEATURES.md).
## Who?
Pwndbg is an open-source project, maintained by [many contributors](https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/graphs/contributors)!
Pwndbg was originally created by [Zach Riggle](https://github.com/zachriggle), who is no longer with us. We want to thank Zach for all of his contributions to Pwndbg and the wider security community.
Want to help with development? Read [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/blob/dev/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md) or [join our Discord server][discord]!
## How to develop?
To run tests locally you can do this in docker image, after cloning repo run simply
```shell
docker compose run main ./tests.sh
```
Disclaimer - this won't work on apple silicon macs.
## Contact
If you have any questions not worthy of a [bug report](https://github.com/pwndbg/pwndbg/issues), feel free to ping
anybody on [Discord][discord] and ask away.
[discord]: https://discord.gg/x47DssnGwm