# Why Metrics Can Be More Useful Than Debuggers for Asynchronous, Distributed Systems

DevFeed: [Why Metrics Can Be More Useful Than Debuggers for Asynchronous, Distributed Systems](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/your-debugger-is-obsolete-33412.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://timkellogg.me/blog/2016/09/06/debugger-obsolete>)

Published: 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Tim Kellogg](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/tim-kellogg.md>)

Topics: [debug](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/debug.md>), [telemetry](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/telemetry.md>), [autoscaling](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/autoscaling.md>), [Amazon Web Services](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/aws.md>), [Latency](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/latency.md>), [Availability](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/availability.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>)

Tags: [autoscaling](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/autoscaling.md>), [availability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/availability.md>), [aws](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/aws.md>), [cpu](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cpu.md>), [debugger](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/debugger.md>), [debugging](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/debugging.md>), [jvm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/jvm.md>), [latency](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/latency.md>), [memory](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/memory.md>), [metrics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/metrics.md>), [network](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/network.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/systems.md>), [tests](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tests.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article argues that traditional debuggers are less useful for asynchronous, distributed systems because they cannot provide a meaningful single-thread, single-machine execution view. It recommends using metrics, alarms, automated remediation, and tests to observe failures and manage services proactively.

## Source excerpt

Debuggers used to be super useful, but today they are usually a sign that you don't know what you are doing.