Why PIG Builds Debug Packages by Default

Ruohang FengAuthor of pig and founder of Pigsty.

Decision date: 2026-09-03
Status: Released in v1.8.1.
Current reference: pig build
Scope: Debug-package policy for pig build ext and pig build pkg; individual package recipes remain authoritative for their payload.

Decision

pig build ext and pig build pkg request the platform’s normal debug-package output by default. PIG does not pass a suppression setting during an ordinary build. Users who need the smaller or faster artifact set opt out explicitly with --nodbg.

On RPM systems, the ordinary build leaves the distribution’s debuginfo and debugsource machinery enabled; --nodbg defines debug_package as empty. On Debian and Ubuntu, --nodbg adds noautodbgsym to DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS while preserving existing options. The old -s|--symbol spelling remains accepted as a deprecated compatibility no-op because debug output no longer needs to be enabled.

Context

The earlier command made RPM debug output opt-in with --symbol and otherwise injected debug_package %{nil}. That inverted the platform convention and made the default build less useful for post-crash analysis. Debian’s Debhelper already creates automatic dbgsym packages by default when eligible, and provides noautodbgsym as the explicit opt-out.

Debug packages increase build time, storage, and repository volume, but those costs are visible and manageable. Missing symbols are much harder to reconstruct after the exact source, compiler, and binary have moved on.

Alternatives considered

• Keep --symbol as an opt-in. Rejected because release-quality artifacts should retain the matching diagnostic material by default.
• Always require debug packages. Rejected because quick local builds and constrained artifact pipelines need an explicit opt-out.
• Rewrite package recipes from PIG. Rejected because spec files and debian/rules own package payload details; mutating them at execution time would be surprising and difficult to audit.
• Use nostrip for DEB opt-out. Rejected because it changes the main binary instead of merely suppressing the separate automatic debug package.

Contract

• without --nodbg, PIG adds no debug-suppression macro or environment option;
• on RPM, --nodbg adds --define "debug_package %{nil}" to rpmbuild;
• on DEB, --nodbg appends noautodbgsym to DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS without discarding existing values such as parallel=N or nocheck;
• --symbol remains parseable for compatibility but is hidden, deprecated, and redundant;
• structured command results expose nodbg and retain symbol as the effective inverse value;
• the normal installation package remains the build-success authority; debug packages are additional artifacts, not substitutes for it;
• pure SQL, noarch, or otherwise ineligible builds need not emit an empty debug package;
• an explicit decision inside a package recipe or an operator-supplied build environment remains authoritative. The command default is a policy request, not permission to rewrite recipes.

Consequences

Compiled extensions normally produce more files and consume more build and repository space. In return, a default build is suitable for stack traces, core analysis, and symbol servers without a second reconstruction build. Existing scripts that pass --symbol keep working, while scripts that intentionally want the old reduced artifact set must move to --nodbg.

Recipe repositories should remove blanket debug suppression where it does not represent a specific package constraint. That is a separate reviewed change because some packages are architecture independent, fail debug extraction, or use custom build systems.

Verification and evolution

The superseded opt-in behavior is pinned in the earlier build flag registration and rpmbuild command construction. The replacement was implemented in 1c6f524. Command tests keep --nodbg visible and the compatibility flag deprecated. Builder tests verify that the default RPM argv omits the suppression macro, the opt-out includes it, and the DEB environment preserves existing options while adding noautodbgsym once.

Platform validation should sample a compiled extension on one EL builder and one DEB builder, checking both default debug artifacts and their absence under --nodbg. Recipe-level exceptions must be reported separately rather than treated as proof that the PIG command ignored its option.

Current status

The implementation is present in the verified v1.8.1 tag and its published release artifacts. The implementation and local checks described above remain the scope of the evidence. Repository publication, public documentation deployment, and upgrades of existing systems remain separate gates.