# Effective Logging in Node-RED: Exploring Built-in Options and Third-Party Modules like Winston

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [29 October 2024 09:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764 "2024-10-29T09:33:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DhamodharanGopal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dhamodharangopal/32/95512_2.png) [@DhamodharanGopal](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/DhamodharanGopal)\
**Post date:** [29 October 2024 09:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764/1 "2024-10-29T09:33:07Z")

</div>

I’m currently using `console.log` for backend logging in my Node-RED setup but am considering moving to a more robust solution with structured logging, such as Winston or another third-party module. However, I want to ensure I’m not overlooking Node-RED’s built-in logging capabilities.

Could anyone provide insights on the following:

1. **Node-RED’s Built-in Logging Options** : How effective are Node-RED’s default logging options for maintaining logs in production environments? Are there ways to adjust configurations (like log level or format) directly in `settings.js` for more detailed insights?
2. **Benefits of Third-Party Logging** : If switching to a third-party logging system (e.g., Winston), what are the best practices for integrating it seamlessly with Node-RED? Are there specific middleware options, or should it be added within custom function nodes?
3. **Combining Node-RED and External Logging** : Can I set up Node-RED’s internal logging for general operational logs while using Winston for application-specific logs? Any examples of hybrid setups would be helpful!

I’d love to hear from others who have experience with logging strategies in Node-RED, especially for scaling and production use cases. Thanks in advance for any guidance or example configurations!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [29 October 2024 10:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764/2 "2024-10-29T10:45:25Z")

</div>

> [@DhamodharanGopal](#):
>
> Are there ways to adjust configurations (like log level or format) directly in `settings.js`

You should find in settings.js:

```auto
/** Configure the logging output */
    logging: {
        /** Only console logging is currently supported */
        console: {
            /** Level of logging to be recorded. Options are:
             * fatal - only those errors which make the application unusable should be recorded
             * error - record errors which are deemed fatal for a particular request + fatal errors
             * warn - record problems which are non fatal + errors + fatal errors
             * info - record information about the general running of the application + warn + error + fatal errors
             * debug - record information which is more verbose than info + info + warn + error + fatal errors
             * trace - record very detailed logging + debug + info + warn + error + fatal errors
             * off - turn off all logging (doesn't affect metrics or audit)
             */
            level: "info",
            /** Whether or not to include metric events in the log output */
            metrics: false,
            /** Whether or not to include audit events in the log output */
            audit: false
        }
    },

```

Also you might like to look at node-red-contrib-flogger.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DhamodharanGopal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dhamodharangopal/32/95512_2.png) [@DhamodharanGopal](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/DhamodharanGopal)\
**Post date:** [29 October 2024 11:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764/4 "2024-10-29T11:18:14Z")

</div>

Thanks for sharing !. Currently, I’m using Express middleware for session and event management in my Node-RED setup. I’d like to understand how to set up logging effectively for this middleware, as the Node-RED default configurations mostly cover application-level logs.

I realize that `console.log` is not ideal for production environments due to its lack of structured logging and filtering capabilities. What are the alternatives for creating more detailed, manageable logs in a production setup?

Could have any suggestion regarding this issue?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![greengolfer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/greengolfer/32/28276_2.png) [@greengolfer](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/greengolfer)\
**Post date:** [29 October 2024 13:32 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764/5 "2024-10-29T13:32:04Z")

</div>

> [@DhamodharanGopal](#):
>
> Could have any suggestion regarding this issue?

@Colin suggested flogger (node-red-contrib-flogger). It is very effective. It included the option to limit the size of the log files, the rotation...  
When it is stored in a file, then, you can plug loki or ELK or... to search in these log.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [29 October 2024 15:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764/6 "2024-10-29T15:06:10Z")

</div>

> [@DhamodharanGopal](#):
>
> Could have any suggestion regarding this issue?

Flogger probably is the best answer. However, when developing for uibuilder, I often need to have trace-level logging for uibuilder nodes but don't want trace for everything.

So all of my log outputs have a specific text pattern at the start of the output and I have a custom log configured in settings.js that outputs to MQTT in my case:

```auto
    logging: {
        console: ....,
        mqttLog: {
            level: 'trace',
            metrics: false,
            audit: false,
            handler: function(settings) {
                const nrLogLevels = { // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
                    10: 'FATAL', 20: 'ERROR', 30: 'WARN ', 40: 'INFO ', 50: 'DEBUG', 60: 'TRACE', 98: 'AUDIT', 99: 'MTRIC'
                }
                const myCustomLevels = { // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
                    levels: {
                        'FATAL': 10,
                        'ERROR': 20,
                        'WARN ': 30,
                        'INFO ': 40,
                        'DEBUG': 50,
                        'TRACE': 60,
                        'AUDIT': 98,
                        'MTRIC': 99
                    },
                    colors: {
                        'FATAL': 'redBG',
                        'ERROR': 'red',
                        'WARN ': 'orange',
                        'INFO ': 'yellow',
                        'DEBUG': 'green',
                        'TRACE': 'cyan',
                        'AUDIT': 'grey',
                        'MTRIC': 'grey'
                    }
                }

                const mqtt = require('mqtt')
                const client = mqtt.connect('mqtt://localhost')

                return function(msg) {
                    if ( msg.level < 51 || msg.msg.includes('[uibuilder') || msg.msg.startsWith('+-') || msg.msg.startsWith('| ') || msg.msg.startsWith('>>') ) {
                        client.publish( 'nrlog/dev', JSON.stringify(msg) )
                    }
                }
            }
        },
    },

```

I have a small flow that outputs that MQTT data to a web page as well.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [27 January 2025 15:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/effective-logging-in-node-red-exploring-built-in-options-and-third-party-modules-like-winston/92764/7 "2025-01-27T15:06:16Z")

</div>

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.