Online Stack Trace Tool for Java

The Problem

Have you ever needed to get a stack trace of a Java program running on someone else's computer? If they aren't running the application from the command-line it can be difficult. Or if it is a remote system it can be hard to walk someone through the debugging process.

A Helpful Tool

A nice company called AdaptJ Systems (with whom I have no relation) has a free online tool called StackTrace.

Launch StackTrace Here.

When you launch StackTrace on a system with a running Java program, it provides the option to connect to a running Java process. Select the right process then click on the icon to generate a stack trace. Cut-and paste the text or save it in a file to debug offline.

This can be particularly helpful to debug Swing threading issues. If the app appears frozen and you think its due to deadlock, that will usually show up in the stack trace, look for two threads waiting on each other's locks in reverse order.

Last modified on 18 Oct 2008 by AO