v3.0.0 API 21+ Apache-2.0

Powerful logging for Android

logback-android brings the reliable, fast, and flexible logback framework to Android — log to logcat, files, SQLite, sockets, syslog, and email, all from one XML config.

Get Started Try the Config Editor View on GitHub

dependencies {
  implementation 'org.slf4j:slf4j-api:2.0.7'
  implementation 'com.github.tony19:logback-android:3.0.0'
}

Why logback-android?

A production-grade logging framework built on the proven logback engine, tuned for Android.

Multiple destinations

Send logs simultaneously to logcat, files, SQLite databases, sockets, syslog, and email — each with its own filters and formats.

Declarative XML config

Change logging behavior without touching code. Drop a logback.xml into your assets, or configure programmatically if you prefer.

Fast and lightweight

A lite port of logback that trims server-only baggage, keeping your APK small and your logging overhead low.

Familiar SLF4J API

Write log statements against SLF4J, the de-facto standard Java logging facade. Code that logs on the server logs the same way on Android.

Android-aware

Built-in variables like ${DATA_DIR}, ${PACKAGE_NAME}, and ${VERSION_NAME} resolve at runtime, so configs work across devices and app versions.

Battle-tested

Powered by the same engine trusted in countless JVM deployments for over a decade, maintained and adapted for Android since 2011.

Quick start

Three steps to structured, configurable logging in your app.

Add the dependencies

In your module's build.gradle:
```
dependencies {
  implementation 'org.slf4j:slf4j-api:2.0.7'
  implementation 'com.github.tony19:logback-android:3.0.0'
}
```
Supporting devices older than Android 8.0? Use the Java 8 artifact logback-android-jdk8 instead (minSdk 21).

Create `app/src/main/assets/logback.xml`

This minimal config sends everything at DEBUG and above to logcat:

<configuration
  xmlns="https://tony19.github.io/logback-android/xml"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="https://tony19.github.io/logback-android/xml https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/tony19/logback-android/logback.xsd"
>
  <appender name="logcat" class="ch.qos.logback.classic.android.LogcatAppender">
    <tagEncoder>
      <pattern>%logger{12}</pattern>
    </tagEncoder>
    <encoder>
      <pattern>[%-20thread] %msg</pattern>
    </encoder>
  </appender>

  <root level="DEBUG">
    <appender-ref ref="logcat" />
  </root>
</configuration>

Or skip the hand-writing — build it visually with the Config Editor.

Log away

import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

public class MainActivity extends Activity {
  private static final Logger log =
      LoggerFactory.getLogger(MainActivity.class);

  @Override
  protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    log.info("hello world");
  }
}

Build your config visually

The interactive Config Editor lets you add and remove loggers and appenders, tweak levels, patterns, and rolling policies — and generates a ready-to-use logback.xml as you type.

Open the Config Editor