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NLog VS Apache Log4j

Compare NLog VS Apache Log4j and see what are their differences

NLog logo NLog

NLog is a free logging platform for .NET with rich log routing and management capabilities.

Apache Log4j logo Apache Log4j

Log4j is a logging framework (APIs) written in Java.
  • NLog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-07
  • Apache Log4j Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17

NLog features and specs

  • Flexibility
    NLog is highly configurable and can be extended to suit various logging requirements. It supports different logging targets like files, databases, console, and more, allowing developers to choose the appropriate medium for their logging needs.
  • Easy to Use
    NLog offers a straightforward setup process and provides an intuitive API for logging in .NET applications, making it easy for developers to integrate it into their projects.
  • Performance
    NLog is known for its high performance, capable of handling large volumes of log entries efficiently. It offers asynchronous logging, which helps reduce the performance impact on applications.
  • Rich Features
    NLog includes advanced features like log filtering, layout rendering, multi-targeting, and more. It supports conditional logging and can be extended with custom targets and layouts.
  • Active Community and Support
    NLog has an active open-source community, offering wide support, regular updates, and extensive documentation, which helps developers resolve issues and implement best practices.

Possible disadvantages of NLog

  • Configuration Complexity
    While NLog is flexible, its configuration can become complex, especially for large applications with multiple log targets and custom setups, requiring careful management and understanding.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers new to logging frameworks or .NET logging libraries, there may be a learning curve to fully understand and utilize all of NLog's features and configuration options.
  • Dependency Management
    Introducing NLog into a project adds an additional dependency, which can complicate dependency management if the project already uses other logging libraries or has specific dependency restrictions.
  • Overhead
    Although NLog is designed for performance, some setups might introduce overhead, particularly if synchronous logging is used extensively or improper configurations are applied, impacting application performance.
  • Potential Over-configuration
    The wide range of customizable options can sometimes lead developers to over-configure their logging setup, which may result in maintenance challenges and difficulties in managing log outputs effectively.

Apache Log4j features and specs

  • Flexibility
    Log4j offers a highly flexible logging framework with a wide range of configuration options, allowing developers to customize logging behavior to fit their specific needs.
  • Scalability
    The architecture of Log4j is designed to handle large-scale applications, efficiently managing large volumes of log data with minimal performance impacts.
  • Wide Adoption
    As a well-established project, Log4j is widely adopted across many industries, ensuring good community support and regular updates.
  • Multiple Output Options
    Log4j supports logging data to various output destinations such as console, files, databases, and more, which enhances its versatility.
  • Support for Custom Filters and Layouts
    Developers can extend Log4j with custom filters and layouts, providing greater control over what gets logged and how logs are formatted.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Log4j

  • Complex Configuration
    The configuration of Log4j can be complex and overwhelming for beginners due to its extensive options and flexibility.
  • Security Vulnerabilities
    In the past, Log4j has faced significant security issues such as the Log4Shell vulnerability, highlighting potential risks if not properly managed and updated.
  • Performance Overhead
    While scalable, improper configuration can lead to performance overhead in applications, particularly if logging is not appropriately filtered or managed.
  • Legacy Usage
    Older versions of Log4j (like 1.x) are still in use despite being deprecated, which can pose maintenance and upgrade challenges.
  • Classpath Conflicts
    Log4j may cause classpath conflicts in multi-library environments due to dependencies, which can complicate integration in some projects.

NLog videos

NLog Synth PRO - AUv3 Synth - Amazingly CPU Friendly Synth - Review & Demo

More videos:

  • Demo - IOS Synth Review: NLog Pro Synth Overview and Sound Demos

Apache Log4j videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NLog and Apache Log4j)
Monitoring Tools
65 65%
35% 35
Log Management
0 0%
100% 100
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Log4j should be more popular than NLog. It has been mentiond 27 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

NLog mentions (6)

  • Essential .NET Libraries Every Developer Should Know
    Need an alternative logging library? NLog is another fantastic choice. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Best approach for logging in ASP.NET
    Log4Net does not get that much attention any more. From my understanding it served as an alternative for Log4J, but today better and more modern solutions have been created. I migrated a codebase over to .NET Core a couple of years ago, and it seemed that Log4net had issues running on Linux because of kernel calls inside their codebase. If you look at the version history on NuGet, it had just 3 patch releases last... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Powershell logging module
    I'm going to look at psframework mentioned elsewhere, but I make use of .NET NLog https://nlog-project.org/. it's not terribly hard to wire up, and is pretty feature rich. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Writing logs into Elastic with NLog , ELK and .Net 5.0
    On the other hand, NLog is a flexible and free logging platform for various .NET platforms, including .NET standard. NLog makes it easy to write to several targets. (database, file, console) and change the logging configuration on-the-fly. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
  • How do you separate production code from development code? Do you manually remove logging at every release?
    For instance, we use NLog for our .NET projects. The nice thing there is that you use an external configuration file (nlog.config or your application's default configuration file) to configure logging. You can specify various "loggers" and "appenders", so that you can route your logs to several places, and all you have to do is change configuration between environments. You can do things like allowing for... Source: almost 4 years ago
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Apache Log4j mentions (27)

  • Most Effective Approaches for Debugging Applications
    Structured logging transforms debugging by providing a detailed, searchable record of an application’s state, including variable values, stack traces, and user actions. According to Gartner, organizations with robust logging systems resolve production issues 40% faster. Doug Crawford, President and Founder of Best Trade Schools, highlights their value: “Implementing a structured logging system… makes isolating the... - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
  • Studying Log4Shell
    The official website. The vulnerability was introduced in 2.0-beta7 which was released in 2013. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Apache POI Setup Logging Error
    What you need is log4j-core, what you downloaded is some kind of connector between log4j and JUL. Tbh I don't know what JUL is, but that's not important. You can get log4j-core on from the official website - https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/ or in maven repo. In case you're not using maven, I highly, highly recommend you using it for managing your dependencies. Source: over 2 years ago
  • 5 Best Logging Solutions for Java
    Log4J(https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/) is a Java-based logging framework. It is a part of Apache Logging Services. It was also the most popular and widely used Java logging solution until the exposure of its Log4Shell vulnerability last year. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Reduce Security Risks by Keeping Dependencies Up-To-Date with GitHub Actions and Dependabot
    Almost nothing is more ubiquitous in applications than logging libraries. No matter which type of application - hastily thrown-together prototypes, decades-old enterprise monoliths, newly built event-driven serverless apps - there is always the need to log. Even in non-production-grade applications where standard observability patterns such as monitoring and alerting might not be applied - logging is usually... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing NLog and Apache Log4j, you can also consider the following products

Serilog - Backend Development and Utilities

tinylog - tinylog is a lightweight logging framework with static logger class for Java and can be configured...

LOGBack - Logging framework

Sumo Logic - Sumo Logic is a secure, purpose-built cloud-based machine data analytics service that leverages big data for real-time IT insights

ZeroLog - ZeroLog is a JSON logging library that allows you to log messages in a structured, searchable, and easily parseable format and allow for customizable output.

LogDNA - Cloud log management system.