UnrealBuildTool (UBT) supports Clang sanitizers for Linux and Android. This page contains information about which sanitizers are supported and how to use them in your builds.
Overview
There are many types of programming errors that are not normally caught at compile time, as the compiler recognizes them as valid use of C++ syntax. Even though the syntax is correct, gaps in the logic can lead to undesired behavior, such as:
- Memory leaks
- Race conditions
- Uninitialized memory
- Out-of-bound access in arrays
- Integer overflow
Normally, these can only be diagnosed at runtime through trial-and-error debugging. By building your application with Clang's sanitizers enabled, you can find these errors more rapidly with a log output that directly reports them.
You can find thorough details on Clang's sanitizers and their benefits in Clang's documentation.
Running Build Tool With Sanitizers
To instrument a sanitizer in your build, run UnrealBuildTool with the UBT argument for the desired sanitizer, and the sanitizer will be linked in your final executable. For example, the following command line builds your project with Address Sanitizer (ASan) linked in your build:
Commandline
Build\BatchFiles\Build.bat MyGame Linux Development -WaitMutex -FromMsBuild -EnableASan
When you run your application, you will see the sanitizer's error detection output in your logs. You can run these builds directly through a command line, or you can open your project's Properties in Visual Studio, then add the sanitizer's command to NMake > Build Command Line.
Clang's sanitizers typically consume extra memory and slow down the programs they are linked in by at least 2x and sometimes as much as 15x, depending on the sanitizer. Review Clang's specifications for each sanitizer for more information.
Supported Sanitizers
The following sanitizers are supported by UBT:
| Sanitizer | UBT Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Address Sanitizer (ASan) | -EnableASan | Detects a variety of memory access problems, including out-of-bound access errors and memory leaks. This is deprecated since Android 14. |
| HWASan (Android only) | -EnableHWASan | Hardware-accelerated version of ASan for Android. Should use 20-30% less memory. This is preferred for Android 14 and newer, and needs NDK 26.1.10909125 or higher. |
| Thread Sanitizer (TSan) (Doesn't work on Android) | -EnableTSan | Detects threading issues like race conditions. |
| Undefined Behavior Sanitizer (UBSan) | -EnableUBSan | Detects anything that C++ recognizes as undefined behavior, like out-of-bounds errors, integer overflow, or uninitialized memory. |
| MinUBSan (Android only) | -EnableMinUBSan | Minimalistic version of UBSan for Android. |
| Memory Sanitizer (MSan) (Linux only) | -EnableMSan | Detects attempts to read uninitialized memory. |