What is the difference between a emulator and debugger?

Answer 1

A simulator is a software that duplicates some processor in almost all the possible ways.

An emulator is a hardware which duplicates the features and functions of a real system, so that it can behave like the actual system.

Usually the emulators and simulators are used for the testing of new architectures and also to give training in some complex systems.

A most famous example for a simulator is the flight simulator that simulates the functonalities of an aircraft.

Basically a simulator tests the program on the development processor (the processor on which we are working), while an emulator is used on the target processor (the processor for which the program is being written).

Answer 2

An emulator is a piece of hardware that looks like a processor, has memory like a processor, and executes instructions like a processor, but is not a processor. It often has the advantage that you can probe points of the circuit that are not accessable inside a chip. Generaly it is a combination of hardware and software. They are often quite expensive.

A debugger is a program that finds and fixes bugs in programs. As a program it usually takes the form of a small monitor that runs on the target processor, and can examine memory, install breakpoints, and trigger on various conditions. Sometimes it can allow changes in programs for fixing a problem and trying again.