Spring Boot Debugging – Now Remote | The IntelliJ IDEA Blog

Spring Debugger, introduced in May 2025, has become a popular tool among developers for demystifying the inner workings of Spring Boot applications, garnering over 300,000 downloads by the end of that year. The latest update introduces remote debugging capabilities without the use of debug agents, addressing frequent user requests. This remote debugging feature varies depending on the servlet container used, with Apache Tomcat allowing immediate context inspection, while Jetty and Undertow experience a slight delay until the first HTTP request. The process mirrors traditional JVM remote debugging by using an open debug port, and although it supports embedded containers, there are limitations such as the absence of a database structure view. The developers are considering optional agent-based extensions for environments requiring deeper introspection, emphasizing their commitment to user feedback and continuous improvement.