What is the primary purpose of debugging?

The primary purpose of debugging is to identify the cause of a defect and verify the fix. This involves a systematic process where the developer investigates the code to locate the root cause of a malfunction or unexpected behavior within the software. Once the underlying issue is identified, the developer can implement a solution to correct it. After applying the fix, it is crucial to verify that the modification has resolved the problem without introducing new defects. This validation process is integral to debugging, ensuring that the software functions correctly according to the requirements.

While other aspects, like testing software performance or checking for unintended consequences after a fix, are important in the overall software development lifecycle, they do not define the core objective of debugging. Debugging is specifically targeted at pinpointing defects in code and ensuring their proper resolution through verification.