Debug Bar
View on WordPress.orgScores higher than 62% of indexed plugins
About
Adds a debug menu to the admin bar that shows query, cache, and other helpful debugging information.
Security History
What It Does
Debug Bar adds a debug menu to the WordPress admin bar that surfaces query, cache, and other runtime information while you are logged in. It is a lightweight developer tool intended to help you peek under the hood of WordPress during development or troubleshooting. It works quietly in the background and is not visible to visitors.
Who It's For
This plugin is best suited for WordPress developers and technical site builders who need quick, on-screen access to query and cache data while debugging code on a development or staging environment. It pairs well with WP_DEBUG mode and is most useful for custom theme or plugin work rather than day-to-day site management. Agencies handling multiple client builds may find it handy as a baseline debugging layer.
Who Should Skip It
If you only need a simple way to view PHP error logs on a live site, or if you want a modern all-in-one profiling dashboard with hooks, AJAX calls, and HTTP request inspection, this plugin is too minimal and you should look at Query Monitor instead. Non-technical site owners will get no value from it and should skip it entirely.
The Bottom Line
Debug Bar scores a solid 79.06 out of 100 and is a well-maintained, minimal developer aid that does one job reasonably well. It is overshadowed by Query Monitor in both feature depth and adoption, so most developers will be better served there. Use Debug Bar if you want a lightweight, focused debugging layer and do not need the broader inspection suite.
Related Plugins
Pick Query Monitor instead if you want a far more detailed debugging toolkit covering queries, hooks, AJAX, HTTP calls, and template loading, with 10x the user base.
Choose WP Crontrol if your debugging focus is specifically on WP-Cron events and scheduled tasks rather than general query and cache inspection.
Choose WP Debugging if you mainly need to enable and manage WP_DEBUG, error logging, and script debugging flags without an in-admin dashboard.
Pick Debug Log Manager if your primary need is browsing, filtering, and clearing the contents of the debug.log file from inside wp-admin.
Choose Dashboard Widgets Suite if you want general admin dashboard widgets for site information rather than a dedicated query and cache debugging tool.