coredumpctl

List all captured core dumps

$ coredumpctl

$ coredumpctl list program

$ coredumpctl info 1234

$ coredumpctl debug

$ coredumpctl debug program

$ coredumpctl -o /path/to/file dump program

$ coredumpctl debug -A "-ex bt"

coredumpctl [OPTIONS] [COMMAND] [MATCHES...]

coredumpctl is a systemd utility for managing core dumps - memory snapshots created when a program crashes. Instead of traditional core dump files scattered across the filesystem, systemd-coredump captures crashes and stores them in the journal with rich metadata including timestamps, process information, and system state.
The tool provides a unified interface for working with these captured core dumps. You can list all crashes, filter by program or time range, view detailed information about specific crashes, and launch a debugger to analyze the failure. Core dumps can also be extracted to files for offline analysis or sharing with developers.
This centralized approach to core dump management makes it much easier to track down intermittent crashes, debug production issues, and maintain system reliability. The integration with journalctl means crash data is preserved alongside system logs, providing full context for debugging. The tool requires systemd-coredump to be configured as the system's core dump handler, which is the default on most modern systemd-based distributions.

-o, --output FILE

Write dump output to file

Show only the most recent core dump

Filter by start time

Filter by end time

Show newest entries first

Print all values of specified field

Use journal files from directory

Use specific debugger (default: gdb)

Pass arguments to debugger

Number of journal lines to show

Suppress informational messages

Output as JSON (short, pretty, off)

/etc/systemd/coredump.conf

Configuration file controlling core dump storage, compression, and retention settings.

list [MATCHES]

List core dumps in journal (default command)

Show detailed information about core dumps

Export core dump data to stdout or file

Invoke debugger on a core dump

Matches filter by: PID, executable name, path, or core dump timestamp.

Core dumps may contain sensitive data. Ensure proper permissions on extracted files. Requires systemd-coredump to be configured as the core dump handler.

coredumpctl is part of systemd, providing centralized core dump management through systemd-coredump and the journal.

systemd-coredump(8), gdb(1), journalctl(1), coredump.conf(5)