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View Application Logs

Viewing logs is essential for monitoring application behavior, debugging issues, and troubleshooting deployment problems. Airbase provides log access through the Console web interface.

View Logs in Console

The Airbase Console provides a web-based interface for viewing logs with environment selection and real-time streaming.

Step 1: Navigate to Project Logs

  1. Go to Airbase Console
  2. Find your project and click on it
  3. Click Logs in the side navigation bar

logs

Step 2: Select Environment

In the logs pane, select the environment you want to view from the dropdown menu:

  • production - Production environment logs
  • staging - Staging environment logs
  • custom environments - Any other environments you've created

The logs will automatically load and stream in real-time.

Features

  • Real-time streaming: Logs update automatically as new entries arrive
  • Environment switching: Quickly switch between different environments
  • Scrollable history: View recent log history
  • Search/filter: Find specific log entries (browser search)

Searching and Filtering Logs

Use your browser's search functionality (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) to search through the logs displayed in the Console.

Common Search Patterns

Search for errors: - Search for: error, Error, ERROR

Find specific error types: - Search for: TypeError, ReferenceError, SyntaxError

Check for memory issues: - Search for: OOM, memory, killed, out of memory

Find warnings: - Search for: warn, warning, WARN

Find critical issues: - Search for: critical, fatal, CRITICAL, FATAL

Debugging Deployment Issues

Check if application is starting: - Search for: server, listening, started, ready

Find startup errors: - Search for: error, failed, cannot, unable

Check for port binding issues: - Search for: port, EADDRINUSE, address in use

Database Connection Issues

Check database errors: - Search for: database, postgres, mongo, connection, sql

Find connection timeouts: - Search for: timeout, ETIMEDOUT, connection refused

Understanding Log Format

Standard Output and Errors

Airbase captures both stdout and stderr from your application:

Node.js example: 

console.log('Server started');  // stdout - appears in logs
console.error('Database error'); // stderr - appears in logs

Python example: 

print('Server started')  # stdout - appears in logs
import sys
print('Database error', file=sys.stderr)  # stderr - appears in logs

Structured Logging

For better log analysis, use structured logging:

Node.js with pino: 

const pino = require('pino');
const logger = pino();

logger.info({ userId: 123, action: 'login' }, 'User logged in');
// Output: {"level":30,"time":...,"userId":123,"action":"login","msg":"User logged in"}

Python with structlog: 

import structlog

logger = structlog.get_logger()
logger.info("user_logged_in", user_id=123, action="login")

Log Levels

Use consistent log levels for filtering:

  • DEBUG: Detailed diagnostic information
  • INFO: General informational messages
  • WARN: Warning messages, potential issues
  • ERROR: Error messages, application errors
  • FATAL/CRITICAL: Critical errors, application crash

Best Practices

✅ Do's

  1. Use structured logging - Makes searching and filtering easier
  2. Include context - Log user IDs, request IDs, timestamps
  3. Use appropriate log levels - Don't log everything as ERROR
  4. Log errors with stack traces - Include full error details
  5. Check logs regularly - Monitor for patterns and issues
  6. Log to stdout/stderr - Ensure logs are captured by the platform

Example: Good logging practice 

logger.info({
  requestId: req.id,
  userId: user.id,
  action: 'purchase',
  itemId: item.id,
  amount: total
}, 'Purchase completed');

❌ Don'ts

  1. Don't log sensitive data - Passwords, tokens, PII
  2. Don't log excessively - Too many logs obscure important ones
  3. Don't ignore errors - Always log errors with context
  4. Don't use only console.log - Use proper logging libraries
  5. Don't log in tight loops - Can overwhelm logs

Example: Bad logging practice 

console.log(user.password); // ❌ Never log passwords
console.log(creditCard.number); // ❌ Never log payment details

Troubleshooting

No Logs Appearing

Cause: Application not writing to stdout/stderr

Solution: - Ensure your application logs to stdout/stderr (not files) - Check your logging configuration - Verify application is running in Airbase Console

Node.js check: 

// ✅ Good - logs to stdout
console.log('Message');

// ❌ Bad - logs to file (not captured)
fs.appendFileSync('app.log', 'Message');

Logs Cut Off or Truncated

Cause: Too many logs, older logs are rotated out

Solution: - Use browser search to find specific logs - Reduce log volume by adjusting log levels - Consider external logging service for long-term storage

Can't Find Specific Logs

Cause: Log format makes searching difficult

Solution: - Use structured logging with consistent format - Add timestamps to all log entries - Include unique identifiers (request ID, user ID) - Use browser search (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) effectively

Logs Not Updating

Cause: Application may not be running or restarting

Solution: - Check deployment status in Airbase Console - Verify recent deployment was successful - Look for crash or restart messages in logs

Log Retention

Retention period: Logs are retained for approximately 7 days

For long-term storage: - Send logs to external logging service (e.g., CloudWatch, Datadog) - Implement application-level logging to external systems - Use structured logging with external destinations

See Also