diff --git a/rules/config b/rules/config
index 86d106637de2..1505dfd71782 100644
--- a/rules/config
+++ b/rules/config
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ DEFAULT_PASSWORD = YourPaSsWoRd
 # by default for TOR switch
 # ENABLE_PFCWD_ON_START = y
 
-# SONIC_CONFIG_DEBUG - install debug packages
+# SONIC_INSTALL_DEBUG_TOOLS - installs debugging tools in baseline docker
 # Uncomment next line to enable:
-# SONIC_CONFIG_DEBUG = y
+# SONIC_INSTALL_DEBUG_TOOLS = y
 
 # SONIC_ROUTING_STACK - specify the routing-stack being elected to drive SONiC's control-plane.
 # Quagga will be the default routing-stack for all the SONiC platforms. Other supported
@@ -56,5 +56,13 @@ SONIC_ROUTING_STACK = quagga
 # Enable Origanization Extensions - Specific to the deployment scenarios of the Organization
 ENABLE_ORGANIZATION_EXTENSIONS = y
 
+# Debugging option allows sonic debian packages to get built including symbols
+# information. Profiling option, disables compiler optimizations (-O0) as well
+# as includes symbols information. Given that 'profiling' option is a superset
+# of 'debugging' one, user should only enable either one option or the other --
+# if both options are enabled, the 'profiling' one will prevail.
+#SONIC_DEBUGGING_ON = y
+#SONIC_PROFILING_ON = y
+
 # ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY - build docker-sonic-telemetry for system telemetry support
 # ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY = y
diff --git a/rules/docker-base.mk b/rules/docker-base.mk
index 4a419008e915..1bdaaa0b4de0 100644
--- a/rules/docker-base.mk
+++ b/rules/docker-base.mk
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ $(DOCKER_BASE)_PATH = $(DOCKERS_PATH)/docker-base
 $(DOCKER_BASE)_DEPENDS += $(SUPERVISOR)
 $(DOCKER_BASE)_DEPENDS += $(LIBWRAP)
 
-ifeq ($(SONIC_CONFIG_DEBUG),y)
+ifeq ($(SONIC_INSTALL_DEBUG_TOOLS),y)
 GDB = gdb
 VIM = vim
 OPENSSH = openssh-client
diff --git a/slave.mk b/slave.mk
index a81acb1798f4..7ca92dc4ce1b 100644
--- a/slave.mk
+++ b/slave.mk
@@ -86,6 +86,14 @@ else
 $(warning PASSWORD given on command line: could be visible to other users)
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(SONIC_DEBUGGING_ON),y)
+DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS_GENERIC := "nostrip"
+endif
+
+ifeq ($(SONIC_PROFILING_ON),y)
+DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS_GENERIC := "nostrip noopt"
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(SONIC_BUILD_JOBS),)
 override SONIC_BUILD_JOBS := $(SONIC_CONFIG_BUILD_JOBS)
 endif
@@ -109,13 +117,15 @@ $(info "PASSWORD"                        : "$(PASSWORD)")
 $(info "ENABLE_DHCP_GRAPH_SERVICE"       : "$(ENABLE_DHCP_GRAPH_SERVICE)")
 $(info "SHUTDOWN_BGP_ON_START"           : "$(SHUTDOWN_BGP_ON_START)")
 $(info "ENABLE_PFCWD_ON_START"           : "$(ENABLE_PFCWD_ON_START)")
-$(info "SONIC_CONFIG_DEBUG"              : "$(SONIC_CONFIG_DEBUG)")
+$(info "SONIC_INSTALL_DEBUG_TOOLS"       : "$(SONIC_INSTALL_DEBUG_TOOLS)")
 $(info "ROUTING_STACK"                   : "$(SONIC_ROUTING_STACK)")
 $(info "ENABLE_SYNCD_RPC"                : "$(ENABLE_SYNCD_RPC)")
 $(info "ENABLE_ORGANIZATION_EXTENSIONS"  : "$(ENABLE_ORGANIZATION_EXTENSIONS)")
 $(info "HTTP_PROXY"                      : "$(HTTP_PROXY)")
 $(info "HTTPS_PROXY"                     : "$(HTTPS_PROXY)")
 $(info "ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY"         : "$(ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY)")
+$(info "SONIC_DEBUGGING_ON"              : "$(SONIC_DEBUGGING_ON)")
+$(info "SONIC_PROFILING_ON"              : "$(SONIC_PROFILING_ON)")
 $(info )
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -201,7 +211,7 @@ $(addprefix $(DEBS_PATH)/, $(SONIC_MAKE_DEBS)) : $(DEBS_PATH)/% : .platform $$(a
 	# Apply series of patches if exist
 	if [ -f $($*_SRC_PATH).patch/series ]; then pushd $($*_SRC_PATH) && QUILT_PATCHES=../$(notdir $($*_SRC_PATH)).patch quilt push -a; popd; fi
 	# Build project and take package
-	make DEST=$(shell pwd)/$(DEBS_PATH) -C $($*_SRC_PATH) $(shell pwd)/$(DEBS_PATH)/$* $(LOG)
+	DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS="${DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS_GENERIC}" make DEST=$(shell pwd)/$(DEBS_PATH) -C $($*_SRC_PATH) $(shell pwd)/$(DEBS_PATH)/$* $(LOG)
 	# Clean up
 	if [ -f $($*_SRC_PATH).patch/series ]; then pushd $($*_SRC_PATH) && quilt pop -a -f; popd; fi
 	$(FOOTER)
@@ -224,8 +234,8 @@ $(addprefix $(DEBS_PATH)/, $(SONIC_DPKG_DEBS)) : $(DEBS_PATH)/% : .platform $$(a
 	pushd $($*_SRC_PATH) $(LOG)
 	[ ! -f ./autogen.sh ] || ./autogen.sh $(LOG)
 	$(if $($*_DPKG_TARGET),
-		DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS=$($*_DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS) dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -b -us -uc -j$(SONIC_CONFIG_MAKE_JOBS) --as-root -T$($*_DPKG_TARGET) $(LOG),
-		DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS=$($*_DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS) dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -b -us -uc -j$(SONIC_CONFIG_MAKE_JOBS) $(LOG)
+		DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS="${DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS_GENERIC} ${$*_DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS}" dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -b -us -uc -j$(SONIC_CONFIG_MAKE_JOBS) --as-root -T$($*_DPKG_TARGET) $(LOG),
+		DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS="${DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS_GENERIC} ${$*_DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS}" dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot -b -us -uc -j$(SONIC_CONFIG_MAKE_JOBS) $(LOG)
 	)
 	popd $(LOG)
 	# Clean up