When recording logs in C applications, you should select the appropriate library and configure it reasonably. It is recommended to use third-party libraries such as spdlog, glog or Boost.Log. Among them, spdlog is suitable for most projects because it is lightweight, easy to use and high performance. The log level needs to be clearly distinguished between debug, info, warning, and error, and set output levels according to the environment. If debug is enabled in the development stage, only warning and error are retained in the production environment. Log output targets should not be limited to the console only. It is recommended to write files or output to the console and files at the same time. Spdlog's basic_logger_mt or rotating_logger_mt can be implemented, and file size limitations and scrolling strategies can be set; the log format should contain timestamps, levels, logger names and other information, and can be customized through set_pattern. When there are many modules, independent logger names should be assigned to each module to improve problem positioning efficiency.
When doing logging in C applications, the key is to choose the right tool and structure to output it. You don't need to build wheels from scratch, but you need to know how to organize information, control levels, and write to target locations.

What library should I use? Don't write basic functions yourself
The C standard library does not have a built-in logging system, so most projects will introduce third-party libraries to handle. Commonly used are:

- spdlog : a lightweight, high-performance log library based on fmt, supports asynchronous, file scrolling, etc.
- glog (Google Log) : It is rich in features and is suitable for large projects, but the configuration is slightly complicated.
- Boost.Log : Powerful but dependent on Boost, the compilation time may become longer.
If you just want to add an INFO quickly, then spdlog is a good choice. It is simple to install, has clear APIs, and has little dependence on external components.
Log levels should be clearly distinguished, don't just use info
A good logging system should support multiple log levels, such as debug, info, warning, and error. These levels help you filter information in different environments:

- You can open the debug output during the development stage and see the process details
- Only warning and error are retained after going online to reduce interference
Take spdlog as an example, you can use it like this:
auto logger = spdlog::get("my_logger"); logger->debug("This is a debug message"); logger->info("This is an info message"); logger->warn("Something might be wrong"); logger->error("An error occurred");
Setting the global log level is also very convenient:
spdlog::set_level(spdlog::level::warn); // Only warn and above are displayed
Where is the log output? Don't just hit the console
By default, many log libraries will be output to the terminal, but in practical applications, you usually want to write the logs to a file, or to both the console and the file.
For example, use spdlog to create a logger to write to a file:
auto file_logger = spdlog::basic_logger_mt("file_logger", "logs/basic.txt"); file_logger->info("Logged to file");
You can also create multi-target loggers, such as a logger that outputs both to the terminal and writes to files:
auto console_logger = spdlog::stdout_color_mt("console"); auto file_logger = spdlog::basic_logger_mt("file", "app.log"); // Merge output can be done by spdlog::sinks::tee or manually calling multiple loggers
In addition, remember to set the size limit and scrolling strategy of the log file to avoid the disk being full. For example, use rotating_file_sink
:
auto rotating_logger = spdlog::rotating_logger_mt("rotating", "logs/rotating.txt", 1024 * 1024 * 5, 3);
The above line of code means that each log file is up to 5MB and a maximum of 3 backups are retained.
Don't ignore log formats and naming
Adding timestamps to logs, log levels, and logger names can make it easier for you to locate problems. The default format may be too simple, so it is recommended to customize it:
spdlog::set_pattern("[%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S] [%^%l%$] %v");
The output looks like this:
[2025-04-05 14:20:00] [INFO] Application started
If the project is large and there are many modules, it is best to assign a different logger name to each module, such as "network"
, "database"
, "ui"
, etc., so that when troubleshooting the problem, you can see which part of the problem is at a glance.
Basically that's it. Make good use of the log library, set the levels and output methods reasonably, and add clear naming and formatting, your C application will have good logging capabilities.
The above is the detailed content of How to do logging in a C application?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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