Stop Using Print: A Beginner’s Guide to Python Logging

When your code breaks, your first instinct is probably to add print("HERE!") or print(variable) to see what’s happening. This Python Logging Guide will help you learn better practices.

This works for tiny scripts. But for real applications, it’s messy. You have to remember to delete them later, and you can’t easily save that output to a file.

The professional solution is the logging module.

Why Logging is Better

1. Levels: You can categorize messages (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL).
2. Permanence: You can save logs to a file to read later (e.g., if your script crashes overnight).
3. Control: You can turn off low-level (DEBUG) logs instantly without deleting code.

Basic Setup

It’s built into Python, so just import it.

import logging

# Configure it ONCE at the start of your script
logging.basicConfig(
    level=logging.DEBUG, # The lowest level you want to see
    format='%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s'
)

# Now use it instead of print()
logging.debug("This is a detailed debug message for developers.")
logging.info("User 'Alice' just logged in.")
logging.warning("Disk space is getting low.")
logging.error("Could not connect to database!")
logging.critical("SYSTEM CRASH IMMINENT!")

Output:

2026-01-31 14:30:01,123 - INFO - User 'Alice' just logged in.
2026-01-31 14:30:01,124 - WARNING - Disk space is getting low.

Notice how it automatically adds the timestamp and level for you!