logging-best-practices
Implement structured logging with JSON formats, log levels (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR), contextual logging, PII handling, and centralized logging. Use for logging, observability, log levels, structured logs, or debugging.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill logging-best-practices- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads logging-best-practices automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Logging Best Practices
Table of Contents
Overview
Comprehensive guide to implementing structured, secure, and performant logging across applications. Covers log levels, structured logging formats, contextual information, PII protection, and centralized logging systems.
When to Use
- Setting up application logging infrastructure
- Implementing structured logging
- Configuring log levels for different environments
- Managing sensitive data in logs
- Setting up centralized logging
- Implementing distributed tracing
- Debugging production issues
- Compliance with logging regulations
Quick Start
Minimal working example:
// logger.ts
enum LogLevel {
DEBUG = 0, // Detailed information for debugging
INFO = 1, // General informational messages
WARN = 2, // Warning messages, potentially harmful
ERROR = 3, // Error messages, application can continue
FATAL = 4, // Critical errors, application must stop
}
class Logger {
constructor(private minLevel: LogLevel = LogLevel.INFO) {}
debug(message: string, context?: object) {
if (this.minLevel <= LogLevel.DEBUG) {
this.log(LogLevel.DEBUG, message, context);
}
}
info(message: string, context?: object) {
if (this.minLevel <= LogLevel.INFO) {
this.log(LogLevel.INFO, message, context);
}
}
warn(message: string, context?: object) {
// ... (see reference guides for full implementation)
Reference Guides
Detailed implementations in the references/ directory:
| Guide | Contents |
|---|---|
| Log Levels | Log Levels |
| Structured Logging (JSON) | Structured Logging (JSON) |
| Contextual Logging | Contextual Logging |
| PII and Sensitive Data Handling | PII and Sensitive Data Handling |
| Performance Logging | Performance Logging |
| Centralized Logging | Centralized Logging |
| Distributed Tracing | Distributed Tracing |
| Log Sampling (High-Volume Services) | Log Sampling (High-Volume Services) |
Best Practices
✅ DO
- Use structured logging (JSON) in production
- Include correlation/request IDs in all logs
- Log at appropriate levels (don't overuse DEBUG)
- Redact sensitive data (PII, passwords, tokens)
- Include context (userId, requestId, etc.)
- Log errors with full stack traces
- Use centralized logging in distributed systems
- Set up log rotation to manage disk space
- Monitor log volume and costs
- Use async logging for performance
- Include timestamps in ISO 8601 format
- Log business events (user actions, transactions)
- Set up alerts for error patterns
❌ DON'T
- Log passwords, tokens, or sensitive data
- Use console.log in production
- Log at DEBUG level in production by default
- Log inside tight loops (use sampling)
- Include PII without anonymization
- Ignore log rotation (disk will fill up)
- Use synchronous logging in hot paths
- Log to multiple transports without need
- Forget to include error stack traces
- Log binary data or large objects
- Use string concatenation (use structured fields)
- Log every single request in high-volume APIs
FAQ
What does the logging-best-practices skill do?
Implement structured logging with JSON formats, log levels (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR), contextual logging, PII handling, and centralized logging. Use for logging, observability, log levels, structured logs, or debugging.
How do I install logging-best-practices?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill logging-best-practices in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/logging-best-practices/ (personal) or .claude/skills/logging-best-practices/ (project).
Which AI agents can use logging-best-practices?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is logging-best-practices safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains logging-best-practices?
It is published by aj-geddes in aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts. It has 732 recorded installs.
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