Logging

SpacetimeDB provides logging capabilities for debugging and monitoring your modules. Log messages are private to the database owner and are not visible to clients.

Writing Logs

Rust

Use the log crate to write logs from your reducers:

use spacetimedb::{reducer, ReducerContext};

#[reducer]
pub fn process_data(ctx: &ReducerContext, value: u32) -> Result<(), String> {
    log::info!("Processing data with value: {}", value);
    
    if value > 100 {
        log::warn!("Value {} exceeds threshold", value);
    }
    
    if value == 0 {
        log::error!("Invalid value: 0");
        return Err("Value cannot be zero".to_string());
    }
    
    log::debug!("Debug information: ctx.sender = {:?}", ctx.sender);
    
    Ok(())
}

Available log levels:

• log::error!() - Error messages
• log::warn!() - Warning messages
• log::info!() - Informational messages
• log::debug!() - Debug messages
• log::trace!() - Trace messages

C#

Use the SpacetimeDB.Log class to write logs from your reducers:

using SpacetimeDB;

public static partial class Module
{
    [SpacetimeDB.Reducer]
    public static void ProcessData(ReducerContext ctx, uint value)
    {
        Log.Info($"Processing data with value: {value}");
        
        if (value > 100)
        {
            Log.Warn($"Value {value} exceeds threshold");
        }
        
        if (value == 0)
        {
            Log.Error("Invalid value: 0");
            throw new ArgumentException("Value cannot be zero");
        }
        
        Log.Debug($"Debug information: ctx.Sender = {ctx.Sender}");
    }
}

Available log methods:

• Log.Error() - Error messages
• Log.Warn() - Warning messages
• Log.Info() - Informational messages
• Log.Debug() - Debug messages
• Log.Trace() - Trace messages

TypeScript

Use the standard console API to write logs from your reducers:

import { spacetimedb } from 'spacetimedb/server';

spacetimedb.reducer('process_data', { value: t.u32() }, (ctx, { value }) => {
  console.log(`Processing data with value: ${value}`);
  
  if (value > 100) {
    console.warn(`Value ${value} exceeds threshold`);
  }
  
  if (value === 0) {
    console.error('Invalid value: 0');
    throw new Error('Value cannot be zero');
  }
  
  console.debug(`Debug information: ctx.sender = ${ctx.sender}`);
});

Available console methods:

• console.error() - Error messages
• console.warn() - Warning messages
• console.log() - Informational messages
• console.debug() - Debug messages

SpacetimeDB automatically routes these standard console calls through its internal logging system.

Viewing Logs

To view logs from your database, use the spacetime logs command:

spacetime logs <DATABASE_NAME>

Following Logs in Real-Time

To stream logs as they're generated (similar to tail -f):

spacetime logs --follow <DATABASE_NAME>

Filtering Logs

You can filter logs by various criteria:

# Show only errors
spacetime logs --level error <DATABASE_NAME>

# Show warnings and errors
spacetime logs --level warn <DATABASE_NAME>

# Show logs from a specific time range
spacetime logs --since "2023-01-01 00:00:00" <DATABASE_NAME>

For all log viewing options, see the spacetime logs CLI reference.

Best Practices

Log Levels

Use appropriate log levels for different types of messages:

• Error: Use for actual errors that prevent operations from completing
• Warn: Use for potentially problematic situations that don't prevent execution
• Info: Use for important application events (user actions, state changes)
• Debug: Use for detailed diagnostic information useful during development
• Trace: Use for very detailed diagnostic information (typically disabled in production)

Performance Considerations

• Logging has minimal overhead, but excessive logging can impact performance
• Avoid logging in tight loops or high-frequency operations
• Consider using debug/trace logs for verbose output that can be filtered in production

Privacy and Security

• Logs are only visible to the database owner, not to clients
• Avoid logging sensitive information like passwords or authentication tokens
• Be mindful of personally identifiable information (PII) in logs

Structured Logging

Rust

Use structured logging with key-value pairs for better log analysis:

use spacetimedb::log;

#[reducer]
pub fn transfer_credits(ctx: &ReducerContext, to_user: u64, amount: u32) -> Result<(), String> {
    log::info!(
        "Credit transfer: from={:?}, to={}, amount={}", 
        ctx.sender, 
        to_user, 
        amount
    );
    
    // ... transfer logic
    
    Ok(())
}

C#

Include relevant context in your log messages:

[SpacetimeDB.Reducer]
public static void TransferCredits(ReducerContext ctx, ulong toUser, uint amount)
{
    Log.Info($"Credit transfer: from={ctx.Sender}, to={toUser}, amount={amount}");
    
    // ... transfer logic
}

TypeScript

Include relevant context in your log messages:

spacetimedb.reducer('transfer_credits', 
  { to_user: t.u64(), amount: t.u32() },
  (ctx, { to_user, amount }) => {
    console.log(`Credit transfer: from=${ctx.sender}, to=${to_user}, amount=${amount}`);
    
    // ... transfer logic
  }
);

Next Steps

• Learn about Error Handling in reducers
• Explore the CLI Reference for more logging options
• Set up monitoring and alerting for your production databases