# Example project To help you get started with using Logtail in your Ruby projects, we have prepared a simple program that showcases the usage of Logtail logger. ## Download and install the example project You can download the example project from GitHub directly or you can clone it to a select directory. Make sure you are in the projects directory and run the following command: ```bash bundle install ``` This will install all dependencies listed in the `Gemfile.lock` file. Alternatively, add `gem "logtail"` to your `Gemfile` manually and then run `bundle install`. ## Run the example project Replace `` with your actual source token in the `main.rb` file. You can find your source token by going to _logtail.com -> sources -> edit_. To run the example application, run the following command adding your source token: ```bash bundle exec ruby main.rb ``` This will create a total of 5 different logs, each corresponding to a different log level. You can review these logs in Logtail. # Logging The `logger` instance we created in the installation section is used to send log messages to Logtail. It provides 5 logging methods for the 5 default log levels. The log levels and their method are: - **DEBUG** - Send debug messages using the `debug()` method - **INFO** - Send informative messages about the application progress using the `info()` method - **WARN** - Report non-critical issues using the `warn()` method - **ERROR** - Send messages about serious problems using the `error()` method - **FATAL** - Send messages about fatal events that caused the app to crash using the `fatal()` method ## Logging example In this example, we will send two logs - **DEBUG** and **INFO** ```ruby # Send debug logs messages using the debug() method logger.debug("Logtail is ready!") # Send informative messages about interesting events using the info() method logger.info("I am using Logtail!") ``` This will create the following output: ```json { "dt": "2021-03-29T11:24:54.788Z", "level": "debug", "message": "Logtail is ready!", "context": { "runtime": { "thread_id": 123, "file": "main.rb", "line": 6, "frame": null, "frame_label": "
" }, "system": { "hostname": "hostname" "pid": 1234 } } } { "dt": "2021-03-29T11:24:54.788Z", "level": "info", "message": "I am using Logtail!", "context": { "runtime": { "thread_id": 123, "file": "main.rb", "line": 6, "frame": null, "frame_label": "
" }, "system": { "hostname": "hostname" "pid": 1234 } } } ``` ## Log structured data You can also log additional structured data. This can help you provide additional information when debugging and troubleshooting your application. You can provide this data as the second argument to any logging method. ```ruby # Send messages about worrying events using the warn() method # You can also log additional structured data logger.warn( "log structured data", item: { url: "https://fictional-store.com/item-123", price: 100.00 } ) ``` This will create the following output: ```json { "dt": "2021-03-29T11:24:54.788Z", "level": "warn", "message": "log structured data", "item": { "url": "https://fictional-store.com/item-123", "price": 100.00 }, "context": { "runtime": { "thread_id": 123, "file": "main.rb", "line": 7, "frame": null, "frame_label": "
" }, "system": { "hostname": "hostname" "pid": 1234 } } } ``` ## Context We add information about the current runtime environment and the current process into a `context` field of the logged item by default. If you want to add custom information to all logged items (e.g., the ID of the current user), you can do so by adding a custom context: ```ruby # Provide context to the logs Logtail.with_context(user: { id: 123 }) do logger.info('new subscription') end ``` This will generate the following JSON output: ```json { "dt": "2021-03-29T11:24:54.788Z", "level": "warn", "message": "new subscription", "context": { "runtime": { "thread_id": 123456, "file": "main.rb", "line": 2, "frame": null, "frame_label": "
" }, "system": { "hostname": "hostname" "pid": 1234 }, "user": { "id": 123 } } } ``` We will automatically add the information about the current user to each log if you're using Ruby on Rails and the Devise gem. If you're not using Devise or you want to log some additional information for every request your Rails app handles, you can easily implement this using Rails' `around_action` in your application controller. A simple implementation could look like this: ```ruby class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base around_action :with_logtail_context private def with_logtail_context if user_signed_in? Logtail.with_context(user_context) { yield } else yield end end def user_context Logtail::Contexts::User.new( id: current_user.id, name: current_user.name, email: current_user.email ) end end ```