ApiCharge | Monetize APIs with Nanosubscriptions

Logging Configuration

ApiCharge uses the standard .NET logging framework to capture information about the service's operations. This page explains how to configure logging for your ApiCharge deployment.

Basic Configuration

ApiCharge's logging configuration is defined in the Logging section of your appsettings.json file:

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
    }
  }
}

This example configures:

• Default log level of Information for all categories
• Log level of Warning for categories starting with "Microsoft.AspNetCore"

Log Levels

ApiCharge supports the following log levels, from least to most severe:

Level	Description	Example
Trace	Highly detailed debugging information	Method entry/exit, variable values
Debug	Debugging information useful during development	Configuration values, intermediate results
Information	General application flow information	Request received, service started/stopped
Warning	Potential issues that don't prevent operation	Rate limiter approaching threshold, retrying operation
Error	Error conditions that affect operation	API request failed, database connection error
Critical	Critical failures requiring immediate attention	Service unavailable, security breach

When you specify a log level, logging for that level and all higher levels is enabled. For example, if you set "Default": "Warning", logs at Warning, Error, and Critical levels will be captured.

Log Categories

ApiCharge uses the following log categories:

• ApiChargePrototype - General service logs
• ApiChargePrototype.Api - API endpoint logs
• ApiChargePrototype.Middleware - Middleware component logs
• ApiChargePrototype.Entities - Entity-related logs
• ApiChargePrototype.Exceptions - Exception and error handling logs
• Microsoft.AspNetCore - ASP.NET Core framework logs

You can configure different log levels for different categories:

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning",
      "ApiChargePrototype.Middleware": "Debug"
    }
  }
}

Configuring Console Output Format

You can customize the console logging format by adding the Console section to your logging configuration:

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
    },
    "Console": {
      "IncludeScopes": true,
      "TimestampFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss "
    }
  }
}

This configuration:

• Enables logging scopes (logical grouping of log messages)
• Includes timestamps in the format "2025-01-01 14:30:45"

Environment-Specific Logging

You can define different logging configurations for different environments:

Development Environment (appsettings.Development.json)

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Debug",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Information"
    }
  }
}

Production Environment (appsettings.Production.json)

{
  "Logging": {
    "LogLevel": {
      "Default": "Information",
      "Microsoft.AspNetCore": "Warning"
    }
  }
}

This approach allows more verbose logging during development while keeping production logs concise.

Performance Considerations

When configuring logging, keep these performance considerations in mind:

• Log Volume: Trace and Debug levels generate a high volume of logs, which can impact performance.
• Storage Requirements: High-volume logging requires more storage space.
• Log Rotation: Implement log rotation if using file-based logging to prevent filling disk space.
• Console Logging: Console logging can slow down applications in high-throughput scenarios.

For production environments, it's generally recommended to use Information level for default logging, with Warning or Error levels for framework components.

Additional Resources

For more information about .NET logging:

• ASP.NET Core Logging Documentation
• .NET Logging Framework Documentation

Next Steps

Learn more about ApiCharge configuration:

• Global Settings - Core service configuration
• Environment Variables - Security-sensitive settings
• Deployment Options - Different ways to deploy ApiCharge