Crest Logging System

Complete guide to Crest's colorful console logging system.

Overview

Crest includes a built-in logging system with colored output, timestamps, and request logging.

Features

✅ Color-coded log levels
✅ Timestamps (optional)
✅ Request logging
✅ Enable/disable logging
✅ Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS)
✅ No emoji encoding issues

Log Levels

INFO

Blue colored informational messages.

crest_log_info("Server configuration loaded");

Output:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [INFO] Server configuration loaded

SUCCESS

Green colored success messages.

crest_log_success("Server started successfully");

Output:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [SUCCESS] Server started successfully

ERROR

Red colored error messages.

crest_log_error("Failed to bind to port");

Output:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [ERROR] Failed to bind to port

WARNING

Yellow colored warning messages.

crest_log_warning("Configuration file not found, using defaults");

Output:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [WARNING] Configuration file not found, using defaults

REQUEST

Color-coded HTTP request logs.

crest_log_request("GET", "/api/users", 200);  // Green
crest_log_request("POST", "/api/users", 404); // Red

Output:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [REQUEST] GET /api/users -> 200
[2024-01-15 10:30:46] [REQUEST] POST /api/users -> 404

Configuration

Disable Logging

C:

crest_log_set_enabled(false);

C++:

crest::App::set_logging_enabled(false);

Disable Timestamps

C:

crest_log_set_timestamp(false);

C++:

crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(false);

Automatic Request Logging

Crest automatically logs all HTTP requests:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [REQUEST] GET / -> 200
[2024-01-15 10:30:46] [REQUEST] POST /users -> 201
[2024-01-15 10:30:47] [REQUEST] GET /notfound -> 404

Color coding: - Green: 2xx status codes (success) - Red: 4xx/5xx status codes (errors) - Blue: Other status codes

Example Usage

C Example

#include "crest/crest.h"

int main(void) {
    // Configure logging
    crest_log_set_enabled(true);
    crest_log_set_timestamp(true);

    // Create app
    crest_app_t* app = crest_create();

    // Logs are automatic
    crest_run(app, "127.0.0.1", 8000);

    crest_destroy(app);
    return 0;
}

Output:

[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [SUCCESS] Crest server running on http://127.0.0.1:8000
[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [INFO] Documentation: http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs
[2024-01-15 10:30:45] [INFO] Playground: http://127.0.0.1:8000/playground

C++ Example

#include "crest/crest.hpp"

int main() {
    // Configure logging
    crest::App::set_logging_enabled(true);
    crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(true);

    crest::App app;

    app.get("/", [](crest::Request& req, crest::Response& res) {
        res.json(200, R"({"status":"ok"})");
    });

    app.run("127.0.0.1", 8000);
    return 0;
}

Production Configuration

Disable Logging in Production

#ifdef PRODUCTION
    crest::App::set_logging_enabled(false);
#endif

Minimal Logging

// Disable timestamps for cleaner logs
crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(false);

Output:

[SUCCESS] Crest server running on http://127.0.0.1:8000
[REQUEST] GET / -> 200

Platform-Specific Behavior

Windows

Uses Windows Console API for colors
SetConsoleTextAttribute for color control
No ANSI escape codes needed

Linux/macOS

Uses ANSI escape codes
Full color support in terminal
Works with all standard terminals

Color Reference

Level	Windows Color	Unix Color	Code
INFO	Blue	Blue	FOREGROUND_BLUE
SUCCESS	Green	Green	FOREGROUND_GREEN
ERROR	Red	Red	FOREGROUND_RED
WARNING	Yellow	Yellow	FOREGROUND_RED + GREEN
REQUEST (2xx)	Green	Green	-
REQUEST (4xx/5xx)	Red	Red	-

Best Practices

Enable in Development

crest::App::set_logging_enabled(true);
crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(true);

Disable in Production

crest::App::set_logging_enabled(false);

Use Timestamps for Debugging

crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(true);

Monitor Request Logs
Watch for 4xx/5xx errors (red)
Track response times
Identify traffic patterns

Troubleshooting

No Colors on Windows

Ensure Windows 10+ or Windows Terminal
Colors work automatically with Windows Console API

Garbled Output

Fixed in latest version
No emoji encoding issues
Plain text labels only

Logs Not Appearing

// Check if logging is enabled
crest::App::set_logging_enabled(true);

API Reference

C Functions

void crest_log_info(const char* msg);
void crest_log_success(const char* msg);
void crest_log_error(const char* msg);
void crest_log_warning(const char* msg);
void crest_log_request(const char* method, const char* path, int status);
void crest_log_set_enabled(bool enabled);
void crest_log_set_timestamp(bool enabled);

C++ Methods

static void crest::App::set_logging_enabled(bool enabled);
static void crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(bool enabled);

Examples

Custom Logging

// In your handler
void my_handler(crest_request_t* req, crest_response_t* res) {
    crest_log_info("Processing request");

    // Your logic here

    crest_log_success("Request processed successfully");
    crest_response_json(res, 200, "{\"status\":\"ok\"}");
}

Conditional Logging

#ifdef DEBUG
    crest::App::set_logging_enabled(true);
    crest::App::set_timestamp_enabled(true);
#else
    crest::App::set_logging_enabled(false);
#endif

Summary

Crest's logging system provides: - ✅ Colorful, readable console output - ✅ Automatic request logging - ✅ Configurable timestamps - ✅ Enable/disable controls - ✅ Cross-platform support - ✅ Production-ready

Perfect for development and debugging! 🌊