Guide to Debugging Elixir Native Implemented Functions Using LLDB

The article, authored by Paulo Valente, aims to help Elixir developers debug their Native Implemented Functions (NIFs) using LLDB. It starts by explaining what LLDB is – a debugger for stepping through compiled code and viewing stack traces. The author details the prerequisites, including having Elixir and Erlang installed and setting up a Mix project with the necessary files and configurations. The guide walks through creating an example NIF for a simple `upcase/1` function, then demonstrates how to use LLDB to attach to an Erlang VM process, set breakpoints, and inspect variables to identify and fix errors. The article also discusses common commands in LLDB like `bt`, `frame variable`, and `p` for examining values, making it a useful reference for Elixir developers dealing with compiled code.