PyEzGDB (pyezgdb) is a modern Python/Tkinter graphical interface
and GDB control library that automatically assembles your 32-bit or 64-bit x86 NASM (.asm)
or GAS (.s) source files, executes your code instruction by instruction, and lets you inspect
registers, status flags, SIMD vectors, memory sections, and the stack in real time on Linux.
This software replaces xxgdb or ddd (Data Display Debugger).
When loading an assembly source file (.asm or .s), PyEzGDB
immediately runs the assembler (nasm) and linker (ld or gcc) according to
the active architecture. Automatic detection of 32-bit or 64-bit mode is performed out of the box,
but you can always manually select the desired mode in the “Bits:” dropdown menu in the top toolbar before
opening your .asm file.
32 for an x86 program (EAX, ESP…) or 64
for an x86_64 program (RAX, RSP…), or let the application detect the mode automatically.
.asm / .s)
Click 📂 Open (Ctrl+O). PyEzGDB detects the 32-bit or 64-bit mode, assembles the source with elf32 / -m32 or elf64 / -m64, and generates DWARF debugging symbols (-g).
●) and current instruction pointer (➔ line 74), ZF/CF/SF/OF status flags banner, general-purpose registers (modified ✱ RAX), .rodata/.data/.bss section inspector, and Output / GDB consoles.
Midnight Aurora Theme
PyEzGDB supports both 32-bit (i386) and 64-bit (x86_64) assembly programs. Here is how to select the appropriate mode in the toolbar.
Locate the Bits : [ 64 | 32 ] dropdown menu just to the right of the syntax selector (intel / att) and right before the font zoom buttons (A- / A+):
nasm -f elf32 -g -F dwarf file.asm_start entry point and ld -m elf_i386main entry point and gcc -m32 -no-pie -gEAX, EBX, ECX, EDX, ESI, EDI, EBP, ESP, EIP, EFLAGS.ESP+0x00, ESP+0x04, ESP+0x08…) with stack-based argument passing (push dword).nasm -f elf64 -g -F dwarf file.asm_start entry point and ld -m elf_x86_64main entry point and gcc -m64 -no-pie -gRAX, RBX, RCX, RDX, RSI, RDI, RBP, RSP, R8 to R15, RIP, EFLAGS.RSP+0x00, RSP+0x08…) and System V AMD64 ABI calling convention (RDI, RSI, RDX, RCX, R8, R9).Designed for higher education, computer architecture lab sessions, and low-level systems programming.
Load your source files directly without writing a complex Makefile: PyEzGDB automatically detects your program's structure.
.asm), GAS (.s, .S) source files, and pre-compiled ELF executables._start or main) and external symbols (extern printf, scanf…).-g -F dwarf) to map every machine instruction back to its exact source line.Inspect your assembly code with rich syntax highlighting and fine-grained breakpoint management.
.asm) and GDB Disassembly View (intel or att syntax).●) with a single click on the line number, a double-click on the instruction, or by typing a line number.RIP / EIP instruction pointer via the emerald arrow ➔.Observe the exact effect of every arithmetic, bitwise, or branching instruction on the processor state.
ZF (Zero), CF (Carry), SF (Sign), and OF (Overflow) + full EFLAGS breakdown.✱) for all registers and flags modified by the last executed instruction.Inspect parallel floating-point and integer computations on modern x86 architectures without tedious GDB commands.
XMM0..15, 128-bit), AVX/AVX2 (YMM0..15, 256-bit), or AVX-512 (ZMM0..31, 512-bit).float (32-bit IEEE 754), double (64-bit), int32, int64, hex32, or hex64.[✱N] on the tab header whenever vector registers change value..data, .rodata, .bss) & StackExplore your global variables, strings, and the live evolution of the call stack frame.
sym16, symbol, hex16).← RSP / ← ESP pointer visually moves down on a push and back up on a pop.Interact with your assembly program's standard input and output just like in a native terminal.
libstdbuf.so: even a printf without a trailing \n is flushed immediately after call printf.stdin): full support for scanf and the sys_read syscall with a visual indicator when waiting for input.x/16gx $rsp, print $rax) with automatic resynchronization of all visual panels.Explore the environment's panels through real 32-bit and 64-bit debugging sessions.
ESP / EBP Stack, and scanf Keyboard Input
After selecting Bits : 32 in the toolbar and loading
32bits_scanf.asm, PyEzGDB automatically adapts every panel to the 32-bit architecture:
EAX, EBX, ECX, EDX, ESI, EDI, EBP, ESP, EIP).ESP+0x00, ESP+0x04…) and highlights both ← ESP and ← EBP pointers.call scanf (here 42 108).
XMM / YMM / ZMM) and Downward-Growing Stack
When stepping through vector instructions such as movaps or addps, switch to
the SIMD Vectors tab and choose the interpretation format (float, double, int32, hex64…):
XMM0 = [4.5, 3.5, 2.5, 1.5], XMM1 = [40, 30, 20, 10], and their sum XMM2 = [44.5, 33.5, 22.5, 11.5].push rdi (10) and push rsi (5 ← RSP)..bss Section, and Output TerminalWith a single click on the View: Disassembly radio button, compare your source code against the actual machine instructions assembled in memory by NASM/GCC:
0x401018…), symbol-relative offsets (<_start+75>, <calcul_somme_ponderee+0>), and RIP-relative addressing annotations.Sections (.data, .rodata, .bss) [✱1] tab highlights that variable resultat_bss has just been updated to 45 (0x2d).syscall instruction (sys_write).
Tailored both for students working independently in lab sessions and for instructors projecting code in lecture halls:
tbreak + run, nexti, stepi, x/16gx $rsp…), and a detailed guide to every panel.8 pt to 24 pt) across the source view, register tables, stack, and consoles via Ctrl++, Ctrl+-, or Ctrl + Mouse Wheel.All 5 primary execution commands feature dual shortcuts (Ctrl+… and function keys F5 through F9) specifically chosen to avoid any conflict with Linux / Ubuntu desktop shortcuts (such as F10).
Sets a temporary breakpoint on _start or main, (re)starts the program, and pauses on the 1st instruction.
nexti
Executes one assembly instruction without stepping into subroutines invoked via call (Step Over).
stepi
Executes one assembly instruction and steps inside functions invoked via call (Step Into).
continue
Resumes normal execution until the next breakpoint (●), a keyboard input prompt, or program termination.
killImmediately terminates the debugged process and resets the execution state.
| Keyboard / Mouse Shortcut | Button / Action in PyEzGDB | Equivalent GDB Command |
|---|---|---|
Bits : 32 / 64 Selector |
⚠️ Select BEFORE opening a .asm file to set the target assembly architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) |
nasm -f elf32/elf64 + gcc -m32/-m64 |
| Ctrl+O | 📂 Open a source file (.asm, .s) or an ELF binary |
file <executable> |
| Ctrl+R | 🔁 Reload and reassemble the current file (applying the active Bits selector) | file <executable> |
| Ctrl+D or F6 | 🔄 Restart from the beginning (pause at _start or main) |
tbreak _start/main + run |
| Ctrl+N or F7 | ⏭ Next instruction without entering call subroutines (Step Over) |
nexti (ni) |
| Ctrl+S or F8 | ⏬ Execute instruction and step into a call subroutine (Step Into) |
stepi (si) |
| Ctrl+E or F5 | ▶ Continue execution until the next breakpoint | continue (c) |
| Ctrl+K or F9 | ⏹ Immediately stop the debugged program | kill |
| Click Line # or Double-click | ● Toggle a breakpoint on the corresponding line | break / delete |
| Ctrl++ / Ctrl+Wheel Up | 🔍 Increase display font size across all panels (A+ button, up to 24 pt) | — |
| Ctrl+- / Ctrl+Wheel Down | 🔎 Decrease display font size across all panels (A- button, down to 8 pt) | — |
| Ctrl+0 | 📏 Reset font size to its default value (11 pt) |
— |
| F1 | 📖 Open the built-in Help Center & Command Reference | help |
| Ctrl+Q | 🚪 Cleanly close GDB and quit PyEzGDB | quit |
Install pyezgdb in seconds on Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, Arch) and use it
either via its graphical interface or programmatically from your Python scripts.
# Install system tools (include gcc-multilib for 32-bit mode support) sudo apt update sudo apt install python3 python3-tk python3-pip gdb nasm binutils gcc gcc-multilib # Create a Python virtual environment python3 -m venv ~/venvasm # Activate the virtual environment source ~/venvasm/bin/activate # Download the .whl package (venvasm) wget https://leria-info.univ-angers.fr/~jeanmichel.richer/pub/pyezgdb-1.0.6-py3-none-any.whl # Install the PyEzGDB package from the .whl file (venvasm) pip install pyezgdb-1.0.6-py3-none-any.whl # Launch the graphical interface (venvasm) pyezgdb
from pyezgdb import GDBController ctrl = GDBController() # Specify preferred_arch_bits=32 or 64 when loading a .asm file ok, log = ctrl.load_target("examples/32bits_simple_example.asm", preferred_arch_bits=32) if ok: ctrl.toggle_breakpoint_source_line(59) ctrl.start_or_restart() ctrl.continue_execution() print("EAX =", hex(ctrl.registers.get("eax", 0))) print("Flags =", ctrl.get_main_flags()) print("Output:", ctrl.drain_program_output()) ctrl.cleanup()