Getting Started

Install via Composer: composer require zendframework/zend-log
Create a basic logger in your bootstrap or service manager: instantiate Zend\Log\Logger and attach writers (e.g., Zend\Log\Writer\Stream for file logging)

First use case: log errors or activity to a local file:

$logger = new Zend\Log\Logger();
$logger->addWriter(new Zend\Log\Writer\Stream('data/logs/app.log'));
$logger->err('Something went wrong');

Review the Zend Framework logging documentation (archived but still accessible) and examine src/Logger.php and src/Writer/ for core classes.

Implementation Patterns

Structured logging: Use Zend\Log\Formatter\JsonFormatter or custom formatters to emit JSON logs for compatibility with modern log aggregators (e.g., ELK, Datadog)
Priority-based filtering: Attach filters to writers (e.g., Zend\Log\Filter\Priority) to suppress low-priority messages in production:
```
$writer->addFilter(new Zend\Log\Filter\Priority(Zend\Log\Logger::WARNING));
```
DI via service manager: Register LoggerInterface and wire up with ZendLogFactory in Zend Expressive/Laminas applications
PSR-3 bridge: Use Zend\Log\Logger as a PSR-3 logger (it implements Psr\Log\LoggerInterface) for drop-in compatibility with PSR-compliant tools
Async/async-like logging: Pair with Zend\Log\Writer\Stream and buffered writers to batch writes for performance-critical flows

Deprecated but stable: This package is archived (as of 2022); migrate to laminas/laminas-log (composer require laminas/laminas-log) to receive ongoing fixes
Namespace deprecation warnings: After migration to Laminas, ensure autoloading isn’t broken by lingering Zend\* references in your config or factories
Stream writer path pitfalls: Ensure the log file path is writable; use absolute paths instead of relative ones to avoid permission or working-directory issues
Formatter order matters: Add formatters before adding writers; once attached, reconfiguring the formatter may not propagate
Missing async support: For high-volume apps, consider wrapping writes in a background job (e.g., queues with RabbitMQ or Redis) since this package is synchronous by default
Debugging tip: Enable Zend\Log\Logger::DEBUG in development to trace internal behavior—check Zend\Log\Logger::DEBUG vs. Zend\Log\Logger::NOTICE priorities for granular control