Compatibility

• debuginfod-zig is compatible with GNU debuginfod version 0.194

Why?

debuginfod-zig was created as a lightweight, portable alternative to GNU's debuginfod.

While GNU debuginfod works well only on Linux, it comes with several limitations that make it less practical in other environments or for static builds.

Problem with GNU debuginfod	How debuginfod-zig solves it
❌ No static builds – cannot be compiled statically.	✅ Supports static builds – fully self-contained binary.
❌ Heavy dependency chain – depends on libcurl, sqlite, libelf, and many others.	✅ No external dependencies – written in pure Zig, minimal footprint.
❌ Linux-only – cannot be built or used on macOS.	✅ Cross-platform – works on Linux and macOS.
❌ Broken source path handling – only supports absolute paths (/path/to/file.c).	✅ Flexible source resolution – supports both relative (./build/../file.c) and absolute paths.
❌ Written in C – complex dependency management and less safe by design.	✅ Implemented in Zig – safer, simpler, and easier to maintain.

Build

zig build -Dtarget=x86_64-linux-gnu -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe
zig build -Dtarget=aarch64-linux-gnu -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe

zig build -Dtarget=x86_64-macos -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe
zig build -Dtarget=aarch64-macos -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe

How to replace GDB debuginfod with this repo?

git clone https://github.com/pwndbg/debuginfod-zig
cd debuginfod-zig
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe -Dlinkage=dynamic
cp ./zig-out/lib/libdebuginfo.so /usr/lib64/libdebuginfod.so.1

NOTE1: please download zig 0.15.1 - https://ziglang.org/download/

NOTE2: /usr/lib64/libdebuginfod.so.1 path depends on your distribution

ENV's implemented:

• DEBUGINFOD_URLS
• DEBUGINFOD_CACHE_PATH
• DEBUGINFOD_MAXTIME
• DEBUGINFOD_MAXSIZE
• DEBUGINFOD_VERBOSE
• DEBUGINFOD_PROGRESS
• DEBUGINFOD_HEADERS_FILE

ENV's not-implemented:

• DEBUGINFOD_TIMEOUT (hard)
• DEBUGINFOD_RETRY_LIMIT (easy)
• DEBUGINFOD_IMA_CERT_PATH (hard?)

What is missing:

• missing func debuginfod_find_metadata
• auto-cleanup old debuginfo files
• ima policies/verification
• caching headers as file /hdr-debuginfo
• http connection is cancelable only after successful connect