how to use docker and gdb to check the memory leak in c++ program?

ref: https://medium.com/cubemail88/c-dev-and-debug-with-docker-containers-c89b851a4b69

C++ dev and debug with Docker containers

Introduce how to set up CMake, GDB and Valgrind in Docker containers.

Recently we were testing our c program in ubuntu, but we didnt have enough machine and the priority to build the VM, so my colleague and i decided to make a Dockerfile with c++ setting and run in the container

example from the github project (reference to https://github.com/leimao/CPP_Debug_Docker)

Clone the project

git clone https://github.com/LeoLiu1209/CPP_Debug_Docker.git

Create Docker image(already exists)

add some packages like vim, git, valgrind, gdb, cmake, build-essential….

 

FROM ubuntu:18.04
	LABEL maintainer="Lei Mao <dukeleimao@gmail.com>"
	# Install necessary dependencies
	RUN apt-get update &&\
	apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
	build-essential \
	autoconf \
	automake \
	libtool \
	pkg-config \
	apt-transport-https \
	ca-certificates \
	software-properties-common \
	wget \
	git \
	curl \
	gnupg \
	zlib1g-dev \
	swig \
	vim \
	gdb \
	valgrind \
	locales \
	locales-all &&\
	apt-get clean
	# Install CMake
	RUN wget -O - https://apt.kitware.com/keys/kitware-archive-latest.asc 2>/dev/null | apt-key add - &&\
	apt-add-repository "deb https://apt.kitware.com/ubuntu/ bionic main" &&\
	apt-get update &&\
	apt-get install -y cmake
	ENV LC_ALL en_US.UTF-8
	ENV LANG en_US.UTF-8
	ENV LANGUAGE en_US.UTF-8

build the docker image

• -f: Dockerfile path
• -t: Create a tag TARGET_IMAGE that refers to SOURCE_IMAGE

docker build -f Dockerfile -t cppdebug:0.1 .

Start Docker Container

• -v : volume path, link current local path to docker /mnt directory

docker run -it --rm --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE --security-opt seccomp=unconfined -v $(pwd):/mnt cppdebug:0.1

ps: if you want ot using gdb as debugger in docker, it’s important to set the arguments --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE and --security-opt seccomp=unconfined both of them are required for C++ memory profiling and debugging in Docker.

reference:

warning: Error disabling address space randomization: Operation not permitted

Thanks for contributing an answer to Stack Overflow! Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share…

stackoverflow.com

GDB Done!!!

CMakeList.txt:

Here is my CMakeLists.txt file that CMake to generate the platform-specific Makefiles for C++ demo programs

 

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13.0)
	project(DEBUG_DEMO VERSION 0.0.1 LANGUAGES CXX)
	set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
	# Non-optimized code with debug symbols
	# This is equivalent to `g++ -g xxx.cpp -o xxx`
	set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE Debug)
	# Optimized code with debug symbols
	#set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE RelWithDebInfo)
	# Optimized code for release
	#set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE Release)
	add_library(header header.cpp)
	add_executable(logicalError logicalError.cpp)
	target_link_libraries(logicalError PRIVATE header)
	add_executable(coreDumped coreDumped.cpp)
	add_executable(memoryLeak memoryLeak.cpp)

 

Let’s do it with cmake

cd mnt # docker file path link to local path
cmake . #Current workspace
make #build the binary

Memory Leak checker -Valgrind

we use Valgrind to check for the memory leak, so this time we add valgrind to makefile then you dont need to type it again and again

Option: --leak-check=yes

do make clean to clean the binary

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13.0)
	project(DEBUG_DEMO VERSION 0.0.1 LANGUAGES CXX)
	set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
	# Non-optimized code with debug symbols
	# This is equivalent to `g++ -g xxx.cpp -o xxx`
	set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE Debug)
	# Optimized code with debug symbols
	#set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE RelWithDebInfo)
	# Optimized code for release
	# set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE Release)
	add_library(header header.cpp)
	add_executable(logicalError logicalError.cpp)
	target_link_libraries(logicalError PRIVATE header)
	add_executable(coreDumped coreDumped.cpp)
	add_executable(memoryLeak memoryLeak.cpp)
	find_program(VALGRIND "valgrind")
	if(VALGRIND)
	add_custom_target(valgrind COMMAND "${VALGRIND}" --tool=memcheck --leak-check=yes --show-reachable=yes --num-callers=20 --track-fds=yes $<TARGET_FILE:memoryLeak>)
	endif()

cmake again cmake . then you can using make valgrind now!!!!

I have to say that Docker really save our life!!!!!!!!!!!

short note for u and me ❤️