C++26: the new debugging header

This article discusses the new debugging header introduced in C++26, detailing its features and usage. It provides insights into how this addition can improve debugging practices in C++ development.

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If you’ve ever needed to hit a breakpoint programmatically in C++, you’ve probably written something like this:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 #if defined(_MSC_VER) __debugbreak (); #elif defined(__clang__) __builtin_debugtrap (); #elif defined(__GNUC__) && (defined(__i386__) || defined(__x86_64__)) __asm__ volatile ( "int3" ); #else raise ( SIGTRAP ); #endif Every major C++ project reinvents this wheel. Boost.Test has debugger_break() , Catch2 has CATCH_BREAK_INTO_DEBUGGER , Dear ImGui has IM_DEBUG_BREAK() and Unreal has UE_DEBUG_BREAK . The platform knowledge required is arcane but well-known to tooling implementers — it just wasn’t standardized.

C++26 fixes this with P2546R5 and its companion P2810R4 thanks to Rene Ferdinand Rivera Morell. A new <debugging> header provides three functions.

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