Where can I find a tool to look at objects in memory?

Question

I'm looking or a tool that can tell me about my objects. I'd like to see which objects are instantiated, ready for GC, etc. I realize I could test for each object but I'd prefer an overall view of my application. This would be used for troubleshooting.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I would say that it depends on how often you're going to use the tool. WinDbg + SOS lets you do all you're asking and more, but it has a long and steep learning curve. It is very powerful as it will let you inspect both managed and native parts of your applicaiton, but it takes some getting used to. WinDbg is free and SOS comes with the .NET Framework. For additional options check out PSSCor2 and SOSEX.dll as well.

Alternatively there are a couple of commercial alternatives that will probably give you a much smoother experience. I like ANTS Memory Profiler, but .NET Memory Profiler is also really nice.