{
  "id": 12610918,
  "title": "Your console.log() Might Be Hiding Your Real Bug",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/your-console-log-might-be-hiding-your-real-bug",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-07T11:13:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/the_creativecodeflow_f52/your-consolelog-might-be-hiding-your-real-bug-2lop"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In your code, you might see a line like console.log(user); followed by a console output of {name: \"Rahul\", age: 21}. At first glance, this appears to be correct. However, when debugging objects, there's a common mistake that can easily be overlooked. For instance, while you have console.log(user);, you also change the user.name property to \"Changed\" at the same time.\n\nWhen you later expand the object in the browser console, you might not always see the exact state you anticipated at the time of logging. To obtain a simple snapshot, consider logging the object as JSON using console.log(JSON.stringify(user));. This approach presents the serialized value at that specific moment.\n\nThe crucial takeaway here is not just to ask, \"Did I log the variable?\" but rather, \"Am I actually seeing its value at the moment the bug occurred?\" Debugging may not always require adding more logs. Instead, it's about comprehending what your logs are truly revealing. To illustrate, try logging an object, modifying it immediately afterward, and inspecting the console. You may be quite surprised by the results.",
  "summary": "You see this in your code: console.log(user); And the console shows: {name: \"Rahul\", age: 21} Looks fine, right? But when you're debugging objects, there is something easy to miss. For example: console.log(user); user.name = \"Changed\"; When you later expand an object in the browser console, you may not always be looking at the exact state you expected at the moment of logging. If you want a…",
  "key_points": [
    "Console.log() may hide real bug",
    "JSON.stringify() reveals object's value at specific moment",
    "Debugging may not require adding more logs"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}