Using SQL Developer debugger with Oracle DB Cloud Service

Oracle Database Cloud Service provides a very agile Cloud environment for your database workload, either as production and development. In the latter case is a good choice for experienced SQL developer to continue to use their common development environment while connecting to the Cloud Database. Before doing this you need to perform few configuration steps that are described in this post. 

SQL Developer runs by default in "Remote Debugger" mode. It means that SQL Developer listens on a port for events coming from the Database. This allows the developer to debug a PL/SQL either launching it from the tool or even from a different session, e.g. from a Web Application while watching what is going on in the IDE window. This is a very smart option but requires SQL Developer to listen and Database to send events to the tool. 

When running the Database in Cloud, the debug session will probably fail because your workstation is not accessible from the internet and the port SQL Developer is listening on is not open on the corporate firewall. 

You then have two solutions: 

• ask your network admin to open the firewall and let your IP address to be published on the Internet, or 
• disable "Remote Debugging". 

In the latter you'll only be able to debug a PL/SQL if you run it from the IDE, but you'll have all the debug features available. 
To disable "Remote Debugging" exit SQL Developer and insert the line:

DatabaseDebuggerDisableJDWP=true  

into ide.properties file, which is usually located in: 

C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\SQLDeveloper\system${VERSION}\o.sqldeveloper.${SYSTEM_VERSION} on Windows or in:

$HOME/.sqldeveloper/system${VERSION}/o.sqldeveloper.${SYSTEM_VERSION}/ide.properties on Linux.

Restart SQL Developer and Happy Debugging. 


Post Scriptum SQL Developer can connect to Oracle Cloud directly to port 1521 or by SSH tunneling. You can find plenty of resources in Internet on the topic.