hookwriter

Logger HookWriter

Logrus hook for writing log entries to custom io.Writer instances with configurable field filtering, formatting options, and access log mode.

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Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Design Philosophy
  • Key Features
• Architecture
  • Component Diagram
  • Data Flow
• Performance
  • Memory Usage
  • Scalability
• Use Cases
• Quick Start
  • Installation
  • Basic Example
  • File Writing
  • Access Log Mode
  • Field Filtering
  • Multiple Hooks
• Best Practices
• API Reference
  • HookWriter Interface
  • Configuration
  • Field Filtering
  • Error Handling
• Contributing
• Improvements & Security
• Resources
• AI Transparency
• License

---

Overview

The hookwriter package provides a logrus hook that intercepts log entries and writes them to any io.Writer with fine-grained control over which fields are included, how they're formatted, and whether special modes like access logging are enabled. This is particularly useful for directing logs to multiple destinations with different filtering and formatting requirements.

Design Philosophy

1. Flexible Output: Write to any io.Writer (files, buffers, network sockets, custom writers)
2. Non-invasive Filtering: Filter fields without modifying the original entry
3. Format Agnostic: Support any logrus.Formatter or use default serialization
4. Simple Integration: Single-function creation with clear configuration options
5. Stateless Operation: No background goroutines or complex lifecycle management

Key Features

• ✅ Custom io.Writer Support: Write to any output destination
• ✅ Selective Field Filtering: Stack traces, timestamps, caller info
• ✅ Access Log Mode: Message-only output without fields
• ✅ Multiple Formatter Support: JSON, Text, or custom formatters
• ✅ Level-Based Filtering: Handle only specific log levels
• ✅ Color Output Control: Via mattn/go-colorable integration
• ✅ 90.2% Test Coverage: 31 comprehensive test specs with race detection
• ✅ Zero Dependencies: Only logrus and internal golib packages

---

Architecture

Component Diagram

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    logrus.Logger                       │
│                                                        │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐      │
│  │  logger.WithFields(fields).Info("message")   │      │
│  └──────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘      │
│                     │                                  │
│                     ▼                                  │
│           ┌─────────────────┐                          │
│           │  logrus.Entry   │                          │
│           └────────┬────────┘                          │
│                    │                                   │
└────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────┘
                     │
                     ▼
        ┌────────────────────────────────┐
        │    HookWriter.Fire()           │
        │                                │
        │  1. Duplicate Entry            │
        │  2. Filter Fields              │
        │     - Stack (opt)              │
        │     - Time (opt)               │
        │     - Caller/File/Line (opt)   │
        │  3. Format Entry               │
        │     - Formatter (opt)          │
        │     - Access Log Mode (opt)    │
        │  4. Write to io.Writer         │
        └────────────┬───────────────────┘
                     │
                     ▼
              ┌──────────────┐
              │  io.Writer   │
              │ (file, net)  │
              └──────────────┘

Data Flow

Log Entry → Fire() → Entry Duplication → Field Filtering → Formatting → Write
    │                      │                    │               │         │
    │                      │                    │               │         ▼
    │                      │                    │               │    io.Writer
    │                      │                    │               │
    │                      │                    ▼               ▼
    │                      │          Remove stack/time/     Formatter
    │                      │          caller/file/line       or Bytes()
    │                      │                                 or Message
    │                      ▼
    │              entry.Dup()
    │              (thread-safe)
    │
    ▼
Original Entry
(unchanged)

---

Performance

Benchmarks

Based on actual test results from the comprehensive test suite:

Operation	Overhead	Notes
Hook.Fire()	<1µs	Per log entry processed
Entry Duplication	~48 bytes	Memory allocation per entry
Field Filtering	<500ns	Per filtered field
Formatter Call	Varies	Depends on formatter (JSON ~10µs, Text ~5µs)
Write Operation	Varies	Depends on underlying io.Writer

Throughput:

• Single logger: ~10,000 entries/second (with file writer)
• Concurrent loggers: Limited by io.Writer, not hook overhead
• Field filtering: Negligible impact on overall performance

Memory Usage

Hook Overhead:

Base struct:           ~128 bytes
Per log entry:         ~48 bytes (entry duplication)
Zero allocations:      For access log mode with pre-allocated []byte

Scalability: Hooks are called synchronously by logrus for each matching entry. Performance is limited by the underlying io.Writer speed, not the hook itself.

Scalability

• Concurrent Loggers: Safe when multiple goroutines log to the same logger
• Multiple Hooks: Each hook adds minimal overhead (~1µs per hook)
• Tested Scenarios: Up to 10,000 log entries/second with file writers
• Zero Race Conditions: All tests pass with -race detector

Note: For high-throughput scenarios (>10,000 writes/sec), consider using the github.com/nabbar/golib/ioutils/aggregator package to buffer writes to slower io.Writers.

---

Use Cases

1. Multi-Destination Logging

Write logs to multiple destinations with different formats:

// JSON logs to file
fileHook, _ := hookwriter.New(logFile, fileOpt, nil, &logrus.JSONFormatter{})

// Text logs to console
consoleHook, _ := hookwriter.New(os.Stdout, consoleOpt, nil, &logrus.TextFormatter{})

logger.AddHook(fileHook)
logger.AddHook(consoleHook)

Real-world: Separate application logs (detailed) from user-facing console output (concise).

2. Error-Only File

Route only errors to a dedicated file:

errorHook, _ := hookwriter.New(errorFile, opt, []logrus.Level{
    logrus.ErrorLevel,
    logrus.FatalLevel,
    logrus.PanicLevel,
}, &logrus.JSONFormatter{})

Real-world: Centralized error monitoring and alerting.

3. HTTP Access Logs

Generate clean access logs without structured fields:

accessOpt := &config.OptionsStd{
    EnableAccessLog: true,  // Message-only mode
}
accessHook, _ := hookwriter.New(accessLog, accessOpt, nil, nil)

logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
    "method": "GET",
    "path":   "/api/users",
    "status": 200,
}).Info("GET /api/users - 200 OK - 45ms")
// Output: "GET /api/users - 200 OK - 45ms\n"

Real-world: Apache/Nginx-style access logs without JSON overhead.

4. Filtered Debug Output

Remove verbose fields for cleaner debugging:

debugOpt := &config.OptionsStd{
    DisableStack:     true,
    DisableTimestamp: true,
    EnableTrace:      false,
}
debugHook, _ := hookwriter.New(os.Stdout, debugOpt, []logrus.Level{logrus.DebugLevel}, nil)

Real-world: Development logging without cluttering output.

5. Network Log Shipping

Send logs to remote syslog or logging service:

conn, _ := net.Dial("tcp", "log-server:514")
netHook, _ := hookwriter.New(conn, netOpt, nil, &logrus.JSONFormatter{})

// Logs automatically sent to remote server
logger.AddHook(netHook)

Real-world: Centralized logging infrastructure, SIEM integration.

---

Quick Start

Installation

go get github.com/nabbar/golib/logger/hookwriter

Basic Example

package main

import (
    "os"
    
    "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
    "github.com/nabbar/golib/logger/config"
    "github.com/nabbar/golib/logger/hookwriter"
)

func main() {
    logger := logrus.New()
    
    // Configure hook options
    opt := &config.OptionsStd{
        DisableStandard: false,
        DisableColor:    true,
    }
    
    // Create hook writing to stdout
    hook, err := hookwriter.New(os.Stdout, opt, nil, &logrus.TextFormatter{})
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    
    // Register hook
    logger.AddHook(hook)
    
    // Log with fields (fields required for hook to write)
    logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
        "msg":    "User logged in",
        "user":   "john",
        "action": "login",
    }).Info("ignored") // message in logrus function are ignored, must be in field
}

File Writing

file, _ := os.Create("app.log")
defer file.Close()

opt := &config.OptionsStd{
    DisableStandard: false,
    DisableColor:    true,
}

hook, _ := hookwriter.New(file, opt, nil, &logrus.JSONFormatter{})
logger.AddHook(hook)

// Fields are required for hook to write in standard mode
logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
    "module": "auth",
    "status": "success",
}).Info("ignored message")

Access Log Mode

accessFile, _ := os.Create("access.log")
defer accessFile.Close()

opt := &config.OptionsStd{
    EnableAccessLog: true,  // Message-only
}

hook, _ := hookwriter.New(accessFile, opt, nil, nil)
logger.AddHook(hook)

// In access log mode: only message is written, fields are ignored
logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
    "method": "GET",
    "status": 200,
}).Info("GET /api/users - 200 OK")
// Output: "GET /api/users - 200 OK\n" (fields ignored in access log mode)

Field Filtering

opt := &config.OptionsStd{
    DisableStack:     true,   // Remove stack traces
    DisableTimestamp: true,   // Remove timestamps
    EnableTrace:      false,  // Remove caller/file/line
}

hook, _ := hookwriter.New(os.Stdout, opt, nil, &logrus.TextFormatter{
    DisableTimestamp: true,
})
logger.AddHook(hook)

// Fields "stack", "time", "caller" will be filtered out
logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
    "stack":  "trace...",    // Filtered out by DisableStack
    "time":   "...",         // Filtered out by DisableTimestamp
    "caller": "...",         // Filtered out by EnableTrace=false
    "user":   "john",        // Kept
    "msg":    "Filtered log" // Kept
}).Info("ignored message")
// Output: level=info fields.msg="Filtered log" user=john

Multiple Hooks

// JSON to file
fileHook, _ := hookwriter.New(logFile, &config.OptionsStd{
    DisableColor: true,
}, nil, &logrus.JSONFormatter{})

// Text to console
consoleHook, _ := hookwriter.New(os.Stdout, &config.OptionsStd{
    DisableColor: false,
}, nil, &logrus.TextFormatter{})

logger.AddHook(fileHook)
logger.AddHook(consoleHook)

// Logs written to both destinations (field required for hook to write)
logger.WithField("msg", "Application started").WithField("app", "myapp").Info("ignored message")

---

Best Practices

Testing

The package includes a comprehensive test suite with 90.2% code coverage and 31 test specifications using BDD methodology (Ginkgo v2 + Gomega).

Key test coverage:

• ✅ All public APIs and configuration options
• ✅ Concurrent access with race detector (zero races detected)
• ✅ Field filtering behavior (stack, timestamp, trace)
• ✅ Access log mode and formatter integration
• ✅ Error handling and edge cases

For detailed test documentation, see TESTING.md.

✅ DO

Check for nil hook:

// DisableStandard can return nil hook
hook, err := hookwriter.New(writer, opt, nil, nil)
if err != nil {
    return err
}
if hook != nil {
    logger.AddHook(hook)
}

Use appropriate formatters:

// JSON for machine parsing
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(file, opt, nil, &logrus.JSONFormatter{})

// Text for human reading
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(os.Stdout, opt, nil, &logrus.TextFormatter{})

Close writers explicitly:

file, _ := os.Create("app.log")
defer file.Close()  // Always close

hook, _ := hookwriter.New(file, opt, nil, formatter)
logger.AddHook(hook)

Use level filtering:

// Only errors to error file
errorLevels := []logrus.Level{
    logrus.ErrorLevel,
    logrus.FatalLevel,
    logrus.PanicLevel,
}
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(errorFile, opt, errorLevels, formatter)

❌ DON'T

Don't ignore nil writer errors:

// ❌ BAD: Ignoring error
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(nil, opt, nil, nil)
logger.AddHook(hook)  // Panic!

// ✅ GOOD: Check error
hook, err := hookwriter.New(nil, opt, nil, nil)
if err != nil {
    return err
}

Don't use blocking writers without buffering:

// ❌ BAD: Slow network write blocks all logging
netConn, _ := net.Dial("tcp", "slow-server:514")
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(netConn, opt, nil, formatter)

// ✅ GOOD: Use aggregator for buffering
agg, _ := aggregator.New(ctx, aggregator.Config{
    FctWriter: netConn.Write,
    BufWriter: 1000,
})
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(agg, opt, nil, formatter)

Don't forget to add fields in standard mode:

// ❌ BAD: No fields = no output in standard mode
logger.Info("This won't be written by the hook")

// ✅ GOOD: Add at least one field in standard mode
logger.WithField("msg", "This will be written").WithField("app", "myapp").Info("ignored message")

// ℹ️  NOTE: In access log mode (EnableAccessLog=true), only message is used

Don't mix DisableColor incorrectly:

// ❌ BAD: DisableColor=false but writing to file
opt := &config.OptionsStd{DisableColor: false}
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(file, opt, nil, formatter)  // Color codes in file!

// ✅ GOOD: DisableColor=true for files
opt := &config.OptionsStd{DisableColor: true}
hook, _ := hookwriter.New(file, opt, nil, formatter)

---

API Reference

HookWriter Interface

type HookWriter interface {
    logtps.Hook
}

The HookWriter interface extends logtps.Hook (which itself extends logrus.Hook) and implements all required methods for logrus hook integration.

Implemented Methods:

• Fire(entry *logrus.Entry) error - Process and write log entry
• Levels() []logrus.Level - Return log levels handled by this hook
• RegisterHook(log *logrus.Logger) - Convenience method to register hook
• Run(ctx context.Context) - No-op for lifecycle compatibility
• IsRunning() bool - Always returns true (stateless hook)

Configuration

type OptionsStd struct {
    DisableStandard  bool  // If true, returns nil hook (disabled)
    DisableColor     bool  // If true, wraps writer with colorable.NewNonColorable()
    DisableStack     bool  // If true, filters out stack trace fields
    DisableTimestamp bool  // If true, filters out time fields
    EnableTrace      bool  // If true, includes caller/file/line fields
    EnableAccessLog  bool  // If true, uses message-only mode (no fields/formatting)
}

Function Signature:

func New(w io.Writer, opt *OptionsStd, lvls []logrus.Level, f logrus.Formatter) (HookWriter, error)

Parameters:

• w - Target io.Writer (required, error if nil)
• opt - Configuration options (nil or DisableStandard returns nil hook)
• lvls - Log levels to handle (nil or empty defaults to logrus.AllLevels)
• f - Optional formatter (nil uses entry.Bytes())

Returns:

• Hook instance (or nil if disabled)
• Error if writer is nil

Field Filtering

The hook filters fields from duplicated entries based on configuration:

Field	Filtered By	Field Name	Description
Stack Trace	DisableStack	"stack"	Stack traces from errors
Timestamp	DisableTimestamp	"time"	Log entry timestamp
Caller	!EnableTrace	"caller"	Function that logged
File	!EnableTrace	"file"	Source file path
Line	!EnableTrace	"line"	Source line number

Note: Filtering occurs on a duplicated entry (entry.Dup()), so the original entry remains unchanged for other hooks.

Error Handling

Errors Returned:

var (
    ErrInvalidWriter = errors.New("hook writer is nil")
)

When Errors Occur:

• New() returns error if w is nil
• Fire() returns errors from formatter or writer
• Hook gracefully handles empty data (returns nil, no write)

Error Propagation:

• Formatter errors propagate to caller
• Writer errors propagate to caller
• Logrus logs but doesn't stop on hook errors

---

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:

Code Quality

• Follow Go best practices and idioms
• Maintain or improve code coverage (target: >80%)
• Pass all tests including race detector
• Use gofmt and golint

AI Usage Policy

• ❌ AI must NEVER be used to generate package code or core functionality
• ✅ AI assistance is limited to:
  • Testing (writing and improving tests)
  • Debugging (troubleshooting and bug resolution)
  • Documentation (comments, README, TESTING.md)
• All AI-assisted work must be reviewed and validated by humans

Testing

• Add tests for new features
• Use Ginkgo v2 / Gomega for test framework
• Ensure zero race conditions
• Maintain coverage above 80%

Documentation

• Update GoDoc comments for public APIs
• Add examples for new features
• Update README.md and TESTING.md if needed

Pull Request Process

• Fork the repository
• Create a feature branch
• Write clear commit messages
• Ensure all tests pass
• Update documentation
• Submit PR with description of changes

---

Improvements & Security

Current Status

The package is production-ready with no urgent improvements or security vulnerabilities identified.

Code Quality Metrics

• ✅ 90.2% test coverage (target: >80%)
• ✅ Zero race conditions detected with -race flag
• ✅ Thread-safe when used with logrus (logrus serializes hook calls)
• ✅ Memory-safe with proper entry duplication
• ✅ No goroutine leaks (stateless design)

Future Enhancements (Non-urgent)

The current implementation is stable and performant.

---

Resources

Package Documentation

• GoDoc - Complete API reference with function signatures, method descriptions, and runnable examples. Essential for understanding the public interface and usage patterns.

• doc.go - In-depth package documentation including design philosophy, architecture diagrams, field filtering logic, access log mode, and performance considerations. Provides detailed explanations of internal mechanisms and best practices for production use.

• TESTING.md - Comprehensive test suite documentation covering test architecture, BDD methodology with Ginkgo v2, coverage analysis (90.2%), and guidelines for writing new tests. Includes troubleshooting and CI integration examples.

Related golib Packages

• github.com/nabbar/golib/logger/config - Configuration types including OptionsStd used for hook configuration. Provides standardized configuration structures across logger components.

• github.com/nabbar/golib/logger/types - Logger interfaces and field constants (FieldStack, FieldTime, FieldCaller, etc.). Defines common types and constants used throughout the logger ecosystem.

• github.com/nabbar/golib/ioutils/aggregator - Thread-safe write aggregator for buffering writes to slow io.Writers. Recommended for high-throughput logging scenarios with network or slow file systems.

External References

• Logrus Documentation - Official logrus documentation for structured logging in Go. The hookwriter package integrates seamlessly with logrus through the standard Hook interface.

• Effective Go - Official Go programming guide covering best practices for interfaces, error handling, and I/O patterns. The hookwriter package follows these conventions for idiomatic Go code.

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AI Transparency

In compliance with EU AI Act Article 50.4: AI assistance was used for testing, documentation, and bug resolution under human supervision. All core functionality is human-designed and validated.

---

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

Copyright (c) 2025 Nicolas JUHEL

---

Maintained by: Nicolas JUHEL
Package: github.com/nabbar/golib/logger/hookwriter
Version: See releases for versioning