XLFacility
An elegant and extensive logging facility for OS X and iOS with built-in database, Telnet, and HTTP servers.
What is XLFacility?
XLFacility is an extensive logging framework for OS X and iOS applications, providing a robust alternative to NSLog. It enables developers to log messages to multiple destinations—including databases, files, and remote servers—with customizable formats and filtering. The framework solves the need for flexible, performant logging in Apple ecosystem apps, especially for debugging and monitoring.
iOS and OS X developers who need advanced logging capabilities beyond NSLog, particularly those building apps requiring remote monitoring, persistent log storage, or customizable log output.
Developers choose XLFacility for its elegant architecture, built-in remote logging servers (Telnet/HTTP), and extensible logger system—all without third-party dependencies. It offers superior flexibility and performance compared to basic logging solutions.
Overview
Elegant and extensive logging facility for OS X & iOS (includes database, Telnet and HTTP servers)
Use Cases
Best For
- Replacing NSLog with a more powerful and customizable logging system
- Remote debugging of iOS or OS X apps via Telnet or HTTP interfaces
- Persisting application logs to a SQLite database for later analysis
- Adding an on-screen logging overlay for real-time debugging in UI
- Capturing stderr and stdout from third-party libraries in a unified log
- Writing custom loggers for specialized logging destinations
Not Ideal For
- Projects targeting non-Apple platforms like Android or web, as XLFacility is exclusively for macOS and iOS
- Apps that must adhere to strict security guidelines, such as those submitted to the App Store, where enabling Telnet or HTTP servers by default is discouraged
- Teams working exclusively in Swift who prefer frameworks with native Swift support and modern concurrency models
- Applications requiring logging with zero configuration or automatic integration, since XLFacility mandates manual logger setup and format customization
Pros & Cons
Pros
Seamlessly replaces NSLog with improved performance and customizable output formats, allowing developers to change log formats easily, as shown in the README where formats like "[%l | %q] %m" are demonstrated.
Includes built-in Telnet and HTTP servers for real-time log monitoring from remote devices, enabling live debugging without physical access, with examples for adding XLTelnetServerLogger and accessing logs via terminal or web browser.
Allows easy creation of custom loggers through XLCallbackLogger or subclassing XLLogger, with the README providing code snippets for implementing custom logging logic in just a few lines.
Built with a clean codebase that relies solely on Objective-C runtime and Grand Central Dispatch, ensuring lightweight integration and avoiding external library conflicts, as emphasized in the project's philosophy.
Cons
The framework is written in Objective-C, which may require bridging in Swift projects and doesn't leverage Swift's modern features, potentially alienating Swift-focused developers and adding complexity.
The Telnet and HTTP servers, while useful for debugging, are not recommended for production apps due to security and privacy risks, limiting their practicality in shipped applications as the README explicitly warns against enabling them by default.
Each logger instance must be manually instantiated, configured with formats and log levels, and added to the shared facility, which can be verbose and error-prone compared to more automated logging solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
CocoaLumberjackA fast & simple, yet powerful & flexible logging framework for macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS and visionOS
PulseNetwork logger for Apple platforms
SwiftyBeaverConvenient & secure logging during development & release in Swift 4 & 5
NSLoggerA modern, flexible logging tool
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.