JavaScript Logging Libraries
JavaScript logging libraries offer a wide range from those that work in both Node.js and browser environments to environment-specific solutions. Major libraries like Winston, Pino, and Bunyan provide production-ready features including structured logging, log level management, and multiple output destinations.
Key Features
- Multiple Output Levels
- Structured Logging
- High Performance
- Multiple Output Destinations
- Rich Ecosystem
Representative Libraries
- Pino: Ultra-fast JSON logging library
- Winston: Most versatile logging library
- Bunyan: Structured JSON-focused logging library
- Morgan: Express.js HTTP logging middleware
GitHub Star Comparison
| No | Name | GitHub Stars | Description | Trend | License | Type | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | debug | ⭐ 11.3k | Lightweight logging library dedicated to debugging. Features flexible log display control using DEBUG environment variable. Specialized for displaying debug information during development, automatically disabled in production. Adopted as internal debugging functionality by many Node.js libraries. | Maintains stable demand as development and debugging specialized tool in 2025. Widely adopted as internal log functionality in library development and framework creation. Continues contributing to improved development experience through lightweight and concise nature. | MIT | Debug Logger | Official |
| 2 | Morgan | ⭐ 8.1k | HTTP request logging middleware specifically for Express.js. Specialized in access log generation, providing predefined formats like common, combined, and dev. Often used in combination with other logging libraries (Winston or Pino). | Remains essential in web application development in 2025. Unshakeable position in Express.js ecosystem as de facto standard for HTTP request monitoring. Established as basic tool in API development and web service operations. | MIT | HTTP Logger | Official |
| 3 | Bunyan | ⭐ 7.2k | Node.js logging library focused on structured JSON. Designed based on philosophy that 'logs should be JSON objects, not strings'. Provides excellent CLI tool for beautiful display and filtering, with features specialized for production issue analysis. | Gaining renewed attention due to increased demand for structured logging in 2025. High compatibility with log analysis tools and centralized logging systems is valued, expanding adoption in DevOps teams. Strong commitment to JSON structure aligns with modern log management. | MIT | JSON Logger | Official |
| 4 | Log4js | ⭐ 5.8k | Node.js logging library inspired by Java Log4j library. Provides familiar API for Java developers, facilitating transition to Node.js. Design that ports concepts like log levels, appenders, and layouts to JavaScript. | Adoption continues in teams with Java experience in 2025. Many selection cases in enterprise environment migration projects from Java to Node.js, valued for low learning cost. Configuration-driven approach has high compatibility with enterprise systems. | Apache-2.0 | Traditional Logger | Official |
| 5 | console (Built-in) | - | Built-in logging functionality in JavaScript/Node.js. Provides basic methods like console.log, console.error, console.warn. Immediately available without configuration and widely used for development and debugging. Limited functionality for production environments. | Usage in development and prototyping stages remains unchanged in 2025. Still the first choice for simple scripts and quick debugging. However, migration to other dedicated libraries is increasingly recommended for full-scale applications. | Web Standard | Native API | Official |
| 6 | Pino | - | Ultra-fast JSON logging library for Node.js. Optimized for async operations, achieving 5-10x faster performance than Winston. Minimizes CPU usage and specializes in high-volume log processing in production environments. Supports log levels, sensitive data redaction, and stream multiplexing. | Rapidly growing as performance leader in 2025. Adoption surging in microservices, serverless, and high-load applications. Established as standard for JSON structured logging and becoming first choice in cloud-native environments. | MIT | JSON Logger | Official |
| 7 | Winston | - | Most versatile logging library for Node.js (17,000+ GitHub stars). Provides rich transport and format options with extensive customization. Enables automatic tracking of uncaught exceptions and sending logs to multiple cloud logging services (AWS CloudWatch, logz.io, etc.). | Maintains stable position as choice with most comprehensive feature set in 2025. Standard choice for large enterprise applications and complex requirements. Valued in scenarios where customization is important due to rich community and extensibility. | MIT | Multi-transport Logger | Official |