Are logs a software engineers best friend? Yes -- follow these best - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Jan 16, 2023 234 likes •645 views

Are logs a software engineers best friend? Yes -- follow these best practices Geshan Manandhar Senior Software Engineer (THE ICONIC) @geshan whoami Senior Software Engineer Tech solution provider Agile follower Conditional

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Are logs a software engineer’s best friend? Yes -- follow these best practices

Geshan Manandhar Senior Software Engineer (THE ICONIC) @geshan

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◉ Senior Software Engineer ○ Tech solution provider ◉ Agile follower ◉ Conditional microservices believer whoami

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I am from Kathmandu, Nepal

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I work at THE ICONIC

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◉ What is application log? ◉ Why log from the application level ◉ Tools of the trade -- How? ◉ Logging Best practices ◉ Key Takeaways ◉ Demo

Agenda

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What is application log?

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“

“Logs are the stream of aggregated, time-ordered events collected from the output streams of all running processes and backing services.”

12Factor.net

Source: https://www.12factor.net/logs

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“

“An application log is a file of events that are logged by a software application. It contains errors, informational events and warnings.”

Technopedia

Source: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1819/application-log

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Application logs are like having the right reading glasses

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Why log from application level?

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“

“The feature I deployed to production last week was working fine till yesterday, but now I have no idea why it is not working!”

One of us

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Logs help to pinpoint the exact place where the software is not working as expected

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To stop speculating and figure out the real data and metrics on any env

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Logs are one of the ways your app communicates back to you

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Even if you land into a mess, you know a way to sort things fast (MTTR)

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Having proper logs is like having a torch in a dark place

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Tools of the trade -- How?

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Please don’t hammer the screw :)

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Simplified components of logging

Application generates logs Software that parses, analyzes and shows logs Logs are ingested Using a library or

ver https

Software Engineer views/searches logs Local File / Stdout Logs are shipped/ingested with an agent or log shipper

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Use a trusted logging library

Language Library Github stars

PHP Monolog ~16.0k TypeScript/JS Winston ~14.2k Python Native N/A

Note: Don’t forget about monolog handlers and formatters :)

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Use a trustworthy software to view and search your logs

Self Hosted SAAS Cloud Provider Based

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No tail -f ..., a good UI to view/search logs will make your life a lot easier

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Logging best practices

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Log information optimally Too Much = noise, too less = inadequate information

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Always follow logs severity standards Emergency = phone rings at 1 AM, Info = good to know

RFC-5425 (8 Levels) Emergency Alert Critical Error Warning Notice Info Debug

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Structure your logs Structured logs are easier to parse and search, always provide context.

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Don’t hamper speed and performance Write logs locally or async as far as possible, may be use a queue and consumer.

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Add traceability for microservices Same request ID travels across services. Ability for distributed tracing.

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Do not log sensitive information Like passwords, credit card information, phone numbers etc

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Key Takeaways

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Start logging today

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It is easier than you think and benefits outweigh the cost

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Logs can reveal things you didn’t know existed at unexpected sources

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Logging > error tracking, it keeps a track of your application health

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Find the right tools, invest in a log management software that suits your needs

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Logs with optimally configured alerts are very powerful

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Demo

https://github.com/geshan/laravel6-logging
Pull Request - PR

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Logs are an integral part of building happy, robust and scalable software

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Any questions? Later :) THE ICONIC is hiring - Engineering Manager

You can find me at ◉ @geshan (geshan@gmail.com) ◉ Geshan.com.np ◉ Slides: bit.ly/logging-lau

Thanks!

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Credits/References

◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/en/primate-ape-thinking-mimic-view-1019101/ ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/batch-dry-firewood-forestry-logs-1868104/ ◉ https:/ /www.techopedia.com/definition/1819/application-log ◉ https:/ /www.scalyr.com/blog/application-logging-practices-adopt/ ◉ https:/ /unsplash.com/photos/4Bs9kSDJsdc ◉ https:/ /unsplash.com/photos/FtZL0r4DZYk ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/calm-water-clear-drink-glass-2315559/ ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/backdrop-block-brick-building-21534/ ◉ https:/ /www.afcent.af.mil/News/Art/igphoto/2000289219/ ◉ https:/ /unsplash.com/photos/MS0q8GqjVrY ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/tools-work-repair-hammer-2145770/ ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/needle-in-a-haystack-needle-haystack-1752846/ ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/building-zen-man-boy-pyramid-game-2665812/ ◉ https:/ /unsplash.com/photos/0vsk2_9dkqo ◉ https:/ /unsplash.com/photos/pUT2Ujm6FP4 ◉ https:/ /unsplash.com/photos/ZaGcU6BxJEc ◉ https:/ /peter.bourgon.org/blog/2016/02/07/logging-v-instrumentation.html ◉ https:/ /www.loggly.com/blog/30-best-practices-logging-scale/ ◉ https:/ /geshan.com.np/blog/2015/08/importance-of-logging-in-your-applications/ ◉ https:/ /www.scalyr.com/media-gallery-4/ ◉ https:/ /aws.amazon.com/blogs/developer/php-application-logging-with-amazon-cloudwatch-logs-and-monolog/ ◉ https:/ /raygun.com/blog/what-is-mttr/ ◉ https:/ /pixabay.com/photos/pc-computer-stethoscope-technology-3540378/ ◉ https:/ /krebsonsecurity.com/2019/03/facebook-stored-hundreds-of-millions-of-user-passwords-in-plain-text-for-years/