What are the alternatives to standard library logging in Golang?
For new Go 1.21 projects, use slog for official structured logging support; 2. For high-performance production services, choose Zap or Zerolog due to their speed and low allocations; 3. For ease of use and rich integrations like Slack or Sentry hooks, Logrus is ideal despite lower performance; 4. For cloud-native applications with multiple output backends, Apex/log is suitable; 5. The best logging library depends on your Go version, performance requirements, and need for structured logs, with each option offering distinct trade-offs in speed, ecosystem, and usability.
While Go’s standard library log package is simple and sufficient for basic logging needs, several third-party libraries offer enhanced features like structured logging, better performance, leveled logging, and flexible output formatting. Here are some popular alternatives:
1. Zap (by Uber)
Zap is one of the most widely used high-performance logging libraries in Go. It’s designed for applications that require fast, structured, and leveled logging.
-
Pros:
- Extremely fast (one of the fastest in Go).
- Structured logging with JSON output by default.
- Supports both reflection-based (
SugaredLogger) and zero-allocation (Logger) modes. - Built-in support for log levels (debug, info, warn, error, etc.).
- Integrates well with observability tools.
Use case: Ideal for production services where performance and structured logs are important.
logger, _ := zap.NewProduction()
defer logger.Sync()
logger.Info("message", zap.String("key", "value"))2. Logrus (by sirupsen)
Logrus is a popular structured logger with a familiar API similar to the standard log package.
Pros:
- Easy to use and migrate to from
log. - Supports structured logging with fields.
- Pluggable hooks (e.g., send errors to Slack or Sentry).
- Multiple formatters (JSON, text, logstash).
- Active community and well-documented.
- Easy to use and migrate to from
Cons:
- Slower than Zap due to reflection and interface-heavy design.
Use case: Great for development and mid-performance applications where ease of use matters.
log := logrus.New()
log.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
"animal": "walrus",
}).Info("A walrus appears")3. Slog (Go 1.21 built-in structured logger)
Introduced in Go 1.21, slog is the new built-in structured logging package, intended to eventually replace or complement the old log package.
Pros:
- Official structured logging support.
- Built-in support for attributes, levels, and handlers (text, JSON).
- Can replace the default logger via
log.SetDefault(). - Designed with extensibility and performance in mind.
Cons:
- Newer, so ecosystem and tooling still maturing.
- Fewer third-party integrations compared to Zap or Logrus.
Use case: Recommended for new Go projects targeting 1.21 .
logger := slog.New(slog.NewJSONHandler(os.Stdout, nil))
slog.SetDefault(logger)
slog.Info("hello", "name", "World")4. Zerolog (by valyala)
Zerolog emphasizes performance and zero memory allocations, leveraging composition and compile-time optimizations.
Pros:
- Very fast, often benchmarks faster than Zap.
- Minimal memory allocations.
- Simple API with fluent chaining.
- Supports both JSON and pretty-printed output.
Cons:
- Less familiar syntax for beginners.
- Smaller ecosystem compared to Zap or Logrus.
Use case: High-performance services, especially in constrained environments.
logger := zerolog.New(os.Stdout).With().Timestamp().Logger()
logger.Info().Str("name", "john").Msg("hello")5. Apex/log
A structured logger with support for multiple backends and dynamic verbosity.
-
Pros:
- Clean API with context-based logging.
- Multiple handlers (cloudwatch, papertrail, etc.).
- Integrates with AWS Lambda and other cloud platforms.
- Supports hierarchical loggers.
-
Cons:
- Less actively maintained than Zap or Zerolog.
- Smaller community.
Summary of Use Cases
| Logger | Best For | Performance | Structured |
|---|---|---|---|
log |
Simple scripts, minimal needs | Low | No |
slog |
New Go 1.21 apps, official support | Medium | Yes |
Zap |
High-performance production services | High | Yes |
Logrus |
Easy migration, rich ecosystem | Medium | Yes |
Zerolog |
Max performance, low allocation | Very High | Yes |
Apex |
Cloud-native apps, multiple outputs | Medium | Yes |
If you're starting a new project in Go 1.21 , consider using slog for built-in structured logging. For maximum performance, go with Zap or Zerolog. If you value simplicity and hooks, Logrus is still a solid choice.
Basically, the right choice depends on your performance needs, Go version, and whether you want structured logs.
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