Our current setup uses a Node.js backend with Winston logger for server-side logging. We make calls like winston.debug(), winston.info(), and winston.error() which get processed by our centralized log management.
What I’m Looking For
I want to create a similar logging system for our React frontend. Here’s what I have in mind:
Core Features:
Custom JavaScript logger that sends messages to backend using fetch API
Standard log levels: trace, info, warn, error
During development, messages should appear in browser DevTools via console.log()
Production should ignore trace level messages entirely
Automatic capture of unhandled JavaScript errors for error level logging
Integration with our existing analytics tracking system
Example Usage:
// What I want to achieve
const appLogger = new ClientLogger({
endpoint: '/api/logs',
environment: 'development'
});
appLogger.info('User clicked submit button');
appLogger.error('Form validation failed', { formData: data });
We’re currently using React with Axios for HTTP requests. Has anyone built something similar? What’s the best approach for this kind of frontend-to-backend logging setup?
I developed a similar logging system for a React application recently. A key takeaway was to ensure that the logger operates asynchronously with local queuing to prevent network calls from blocking the user interface. Implementing a batch queue for logs allows for sending them at scheduled intervals rather than individually, which improved server performance and enhanced the frontend experience. Additionally, consider implementing a circuit breaker that switches to console-only mode when the logging endpoint fails repeatedly, thus avoiding further request hammering.
It’s also crucial to wrap your logger in error boundaries to prevent your application from crashing if the backend encounters issues. Be sure to include request timeouts and retry logic with exponential backoff for added reliability. To handle unhandled JavaScript errors effectively, utilize both window.onerror and window.addEventListener('unhandledrejection') to cover different error scenarios while ensuring sensitive data is sanitized before transmission.
debouncing is super important - it helps to prevent spamming the server with every log call. i usually implement a simple buffer that flushes logs every 5 seconds or after collecting 50 messages. also include user context lik sessionId or userId in each log entry for easier debugging later.