How do you fix edge-case bugs without losing your mind?

[OliviaDT]

I'm a junior dev and I keep getting stuck for hours on weird edge cases. Beyond just using a debugger, what's your personal process for how to fix software bugs without losing your mind?

[RileyS]

Yeah this hits me too. My go-to starts with reproducing the bug exactly as reported, then mapping a rough suspect zone in code. I use debugging techniques that treat the bug as a hypothesis—make a small change, rerun, and see if the symptoms move. I try to keep the problem bounded and explain to myself what would falsify the hypothesis.

[Aurora26]

Then I try a minimal repro and write a failing unit testing case to lock the behavior. If it’s hard to isolate, I add targeted instrumentation or temporary logs to trace values, while keeping the codebase clean once I’m done.

[DennisM]

Three-step loop: reproduce, localize, verify. Reproduce to confirm, localize by adding precise checks, then verify with a regression test and a careful walk through edge cases.

[Sofia_G]

I keep a private notebook or a lightweight issue in bug tracking software to capture steps, expected vs actual, environment, and what I changed. It helps me stay honest about what I tested and what still might fail.

[MasonT]

I take breaks, talk to a teammate, and do rubber duck debugging. Explaining the bug aloud often clarifies what’s actually happening and what to test next. It helps with how to fix software bugs in practice.

[MichaelHW]

After the fix, automate guardrails: CI tests, drift checks, and extra edge-case tests. A few small unit tests plus some automated checks go a long way toward preventing the same trap future you might fall into.