Node API Logs

A comprehensive API logging and monitoring system for Node.js + Express applications that tracks, analyzes, and visualizes API requests in real-time. Built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB, this system provides detailed insights into your API's performance, errors, and usage patterns.

Note: Currently supports Node.js + Express applications only. Support for other frameworks (like NestJS) will be added in future releases.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• Express.js application
• MongoDB database

Features

1. Real-time API Monitoring

• Track all API requests in real-time
• Monitor response times, session logs, status codes, and request/response bodies
• Filter logs by endpoint, date, time, and status code

2. Comprehensive Dashboard

• Visual metrics for total requests, average response time, and error rates
• Interactive charts showing status code trends
• System resource monitoring (CPU, Memory, Uptime)
• Top 5 slowest endpoints analysis

3. Detailed Log Analysis

• View complete request and response details
• Inspect headers and session logs
• Copy request/response data with one click
• Navigate through paginated log history

4. Security Features

• Role-based access control (Admin/Dev roles)
• Secure authentication with JWT
• Protected dashboard and logs access
• Session management

5. Modern User Interface

• Dark Theme: Modern, professional dark interface
• Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile
• Real-time Updates: Live data refresh and status indicators
• Interactive Charts: Beautiful visualizations with Chart.js
• Debounced Search: Smart search with 500ms delay for better performance
• Color-coded Logs: Visual status indicators for different HTTP status codes
• Copy to Clipboard: One-click copying of request/response data

6. User Management

• Admin Controls: Add and remove users (admin-only)
• Role Management: Automatic role assignment (admin/dev)
• User Settings: Secure logout and account management
• Access Control: Protected routes and API endpoints

Installation

1. Install the package:

npm install api-logger

2. Configure your Express application:

const express = require("express");
const app = express();
const { createExpressLogger } = require("api-logger");

// Important: Place other middleware before createExpressLogger
app.use(function (req, res, next) {
	logger.info(`[${req.method}] ${req.baseUrl}${req.url}`);
	next();
});

// Initialize the logger after other middleware
createExpressLogger({
	app: app as any, // TypeScript support
	mongoUri: "mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database",
	beginswith: ["/api"], // Optional: Only log requests starting with these paths
	specifics: ["/auth"], // Optional: Exclude these paths from logging
});

TypeScript Support

For TypeScript projects, use the following configuration:

import express from "express";
import { createExpressLogger } from "api-logger";

const app = express();

// Your middleware here...

createExpressLogger({
	app: app as any, // Type assertion for TypeScript compatibility
	mongoUri:
		process.env.MONGODB_URI || "mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database",
	beginswith: ["/api"], // Optional: Only log requests starting with these paths
	specifics: ["/auth"], // Optional: Exclude these paths from logging
});

Usage

Accessing the Dashboard

1. Navigate to /logs/login in your browser
2. Log in with your credentials:
   • First user to log in becomes an admin
   • Subsequent users are assigned dev role
   • Password is set on first login

Dashboard Features

Home Page (/logs/home)

• View real-time metrics and system stats
• Monitor API performance trends with customizable time ranges (1h, 24h, 7d, 30d)
• Track system resource usage
• Identify slow endpoints and performance bottlenecks
• Interactive status trend charts
• Live system monitoring

Logs Page (/logs)

• Browse all API requests with modern, responsive interface
• Filter logs by:
  • Endpoint (with debounced search - 500ms delay)
  • Date and time
  • Status code
• View paginated results with color-coded status indicators
• Smart search functionality that waits for user to stop typing
• Visual feedback during search operations

Log Details (/logs/:id)

• View complete request details
• Inspect request and response bodies
• Check headers and session logs
• Copy data for debugging

Settings (/logs/settings)

• Manage your account and user preferences
• Admin Features (admin users only):
  • Add new users with automatic developer role assignment
  • Remove existing users (except self)
  • View all registered users
• Secure logout functionality
• Modern, responsive settings interface

Configuration Options

The createExpressLogger function accepts the following parameters:

• app: Your Express application instance (use app as any for TypeScript)
• mongoUri: MongoDB connection string (e.g., mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database)
• beginswith: Array of path prefixes to log (optional, e.g., ['/api'])
• specifics: Array of paths to exclude from logging (optional, e.g., ['/auth'])

Environment Variables

For production deployments, consider using environment variables:

createExpressLogger({
	app: app as any,
	mongoUri: process.env.MONGODB_URI || 'mongodb://localhost:27017/your-database',
	beginswith: process.env.LOG_PREFIXES ? process.env.LOG_PREFIXES.split(',') : ['/api'],
	specifics: process.env.LOG_EXCLUDE ? process.env.LOG_EXCLUDE.split(',') : ['/auth'],
});

Performance Features

• Database Indexes: Automatically created for optimal query performance
• Query Optimization: Optimized aggregation queries with proper indexing
• Asynchronous Logging: Non-blocking log storage
• Connection Pooling: Optimized MongoDB connections
• Field Projection: Reduced data transfer for better performance
• Debounced Search: Smart search with 500ms delay to reduce server load
• Efficient Pagination: Optimized data loading with proper limits

Modern UI Components

The dashboard features a modern, professional interface built with:

• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework for consistent styling
• Chart.js: Interactive charts for data visualization
• Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with adaptive layouts
• Dark Theme: Professional dark interface with proper contrast
• Loading States: Visual feedback during data operations
• Error Handling: Graceful error display with clear messaging
• Copy Functionality: One-click copying of JSON data
• Color Coding: Visual status indicators for different HTTP status codes

Troubleshooting

Middleware Ordering

The order of middleware in Express is crucial. If you're using other logging middleware, make sure to place it before createExpressLogger. For example:

// Correct order:
app.use(function (req, res, next) {
	logger.info(`[${req.method}] ${req.baseUrl}${req.url}`);
	next();
});

createExpressLogger({
	/* config */
});

// Incorrect order (may cause issues):
createExpressLogger({
	/* config */
});
app.use(function (req, res, next) {
	logger.info(`[${req.method}] ${req.baseUrl}${req.url}`);
	next();
});

Performance Issues

If you're experiencing slow loading times:

1. Check Indexes: Ensure database indexes are created automatically
2. Monitor Memory: Check server memory usage
3. Database Connection: Verify MongoDB connection pooling
4. Query Optimization: The system includes optimized queries for better performance

Security

• All dashboard routes are protected by JWT authentication
• First-time login creates an admin account
• Subsequent logins create dev accounts
• Session tokens expire after 1 hour
• Secure cookie-based authentication
• Role-based access control for user management
• Admin-only user creation and removal features
• Protected API endpoints with proper authorization

User Management

The system includes comprehensive user management features:

Admin Features

• Add Users: Create new user accounts with automatic developer role assignment
• Remove Users: Delete user accounts (admins cannot remove themselves)
• View Users: See all registered users in the system
• Role Management: Automatic role assignment based on login order

User Roles

• Admin: Full access to all features including user management
• Developer: Standard access to dashboard, logs, and settings (no user management)

First-Time Setup

1. Navigate to /logs/login
2. First user to log in automatically becomes an admin
3. Subsequent users are assigned developer role
4. Admins can then add additional users through the settings page

Recent Updates

Version 2.0.0 Features

• ✅ Modern Dark UI: Complete redesign with professional dark theme
• ✅ User Management: Admin controls for adding/removing users
• ✅ Debounced Search: Smart search with 500ms delay for better performance
• ✅ Time Range Filters: Customizable dashboard metrics (1h, 24h, 7d, 30d)
• ✅ Color-coded Logs: Visual status indicators for different HTTP status codes
• ✅ Responsive Design: Mobile-first approach with adaptive layouts
• ✅ Enhanced Error Handling: Graceful error display with clear messaging
• ✅ Copy Functionality: One-click copying of JSON data
• ✅ Loading States: Visual feedback during data operations

Roadmap

• Add support for NestJS applications
• Add support for other Node.js frameworks
• Implement real-time WebSocket updates
• Add custom alert configurations
• Support for multiple database types
• Export functionality for logs and reports
• Advanced filtering and search capabilities
• API rate limiting and monitoring

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.