Java Logger Utility with SLF4J Integration

This utility captures debug logs in a FIFO queue and dumps them when an exception occurs. It helps in diagnosing issues by providing the sequence of debug messages leading up to the exception.

Features

1. FIFO Queue for Debug Messages:

   • Operates in a FIFO (First In, First Out) manner.
   • When the queue reaches its maximum capacity, the oldest message is removed to make space for new messages.
   • The size of the queue can be controlled using the maxDebugMessages environment variable.

2. Debug Logging:

   • The debug(String msg) method is used to add debug messages to the queue.
   • If the queue is full, the oldest message is removed before adding the new message.

3. Exception Handling:

   • When an exception occurs, the debug messages are dumped.
   • This helps in diagnosing the issue by providing the sequence of debug messages leading up to the exception.

Installation

To include this utility in your project, add the following dependency to your pom.xml if you are using Maven:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>debug-logger</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.0</version>
</dependency>

Usage

To log a debug message, use the debug(String msg) method of the DebugLoggerAdapter class. Ensure that the DebugLoggerAdapter is properly configured to handle exceptions and dump the debug messages.

Example

import com.example.DebugLoggerAdapter;

public class Example {
    private static final DebugLoggerAdapter logger = new DebugLoggerAdapter();

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            logger.debug("Starting application...");
            // Your application logic here
            logger.debug("Application running...");
        } catch (Exception e) {
            logger.dumpDebugMessages(e);
        }
    }
}

Configuration

Set the maxDebugMessages environment variable to control the size of the debug message queue. For example, in a Unix-based system, you can set it as follows:

export maxDebugMessages=100

Future Enhancements

Currently, this utility captures logs at the process level. Future enhancements may include capturing logs at the thread level. However, managing thread-level debug logs in applications with many concurrent threads could be challenging due to the complexity of garbage collecting thread-specific logs. Even with the latest Java implementations, such as advanced garbage collectors (G1, ZGC, Shenandoah) and ThreadLocal for thread-specific data, careful management is required to avoid memory leaks and performance issues.

References

For more information, visit the SLF4J FAQ.