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wtf is usdt-sample?

agentzh/usdt-sample — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2024-01-30

★ 5DAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 4/5DormantSetup · hard

TL;DR

A minimal example showing how to add low-cost tracing checkpoints to a C program so tools like DTrace or SystemTap can observe it running in real time.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Instrument a program
      Trace with DTrace
      Trace with SystemTap
    Tech stack
      C
      Makefile
    Use cases
      Debug performance bottlenecks
      Troubleshoot slow servers
      Learn program observability
    Audience
      Developers
      Sysadmins
    Notes
      Proof of concept
      Tested on older systems

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Learn how to add near-zero-cost tracing checkpoints to a compiled C program.

REASON 2

Debug a slow production server without recompiling the code each time.

REASON 3

Use this as a reference to add USDT probes to your own C or C++ project.

What's in the stack?

CMakefileDTraceSystemTap

How it stacks up

agentzh/usdt-samplekassane/ollama-dkassane/dlang-mos-hello-world
Stars552
LanguageDDD
Last pushed2024-01-302026-03-132024-05-30
MaintenanceDormantMaintainedDormant
Setup difficultyhardmoderateeasy
Complexity4/53/53/5
Audienceops devopsdeveloperresearcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Requires DTrace (Solaris/macOS) or SystemTap (Linux), example was tested on older systems, so a proof-of-concept.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Explain how USDT tracing checkpoints work compared to adding print statements for debugging.
Prompt 2
Walk me through building this sample and observing it with SystemTap on Linux.
Prompt 3
Show me how I'd add similar tracing probes to my own C program based on this example.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is usdt-sample?

A minimal example showing how to add low-cost tracing checkpoints to a C program so tools like DTrace or SystemTap can observe it running in real time.

What language is usdt-sample written in?

Mainly D. The stack also includes C, Makefile, DTrace.

Is usdt-sample actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2024-01-30).

How hard is usdt-sample to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1h+ to a first successful run.

Who is usdt-sample for?

Mainly ops devops.

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