What is the order of log levels from lowest to highest?

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Logging levels are used to categorize the entries in your log file. But they categorize in a very specific way, i.e., by urgency. The level allows you to separate the following kinds of information:

  • You can filter your log files during the search.
  • You can manage the amount of information that you log.

The amount and type of information given in the system, and event logs are controlled by the log4j level settings in the configuration file. Each log message is prefixed by the level of the message.

The logging levels are an instance of org.apache.log4j.Level class.

Log4j has the following levels of logging:

Log LevelDescription
ALL This level turns on all levels of logging. It includes the custom logging levels that you have defined. Once this one is configured and the levels are not considered at all, then all the appenders will start pouring the log events in log files.
DEBUG Debug is used a lot for debugging the application at development time. Every log message will appear to log files once this level is set. It basically belongs to developers.
INFO The INFO logging level is used to record messages about routine application operation. In real-time, system administrators watch the info logs to ensure what's happening on the system right now, and if there is any problem in normal flow.
WARN WARN log level is used to indicate that you might have a problem and that you've detected an unusual situation. Maybe you were demanding to invoke a service, and it failed a couple of times before connecting on an automatic retry. It is unexpected and unusual, but no real harm was done, and it's not known whether the issue will persist or recur. Someone should investigate warnings.
ERROR The ERROR log level is used to denote a serious problem that you must have to investigate immediately. Not as serious as FATAL, but still a problem. It simply means that your application has met really undesired state. For example, unexpected formatted input, database unavailability.
FATAL The FATAL log level, like ERROR, designates a problem. But unlike ERROR, it designates a very serious error event. You will not consider their presence very much on a normal day, but once they appear, it signals very bad news, even the application of death.
OFF This is the highest possible rank and is intended to turn off logging.
TRACE This has been recently introduced in version 1.2 and includes more information to debug level logs.

How to set Log Levels?

Set log level in log4j.properties

Set log level in log4j.xml

How do Log Levels Works?

The working of logging levels is actually very simple. During runtime, the application code will create logging requests, which will have a level. At the same time, the logging framework has a log level configured, which acts as a threshold. If the request level is at the configured level or higher level, it gets logged to the configured target. If not, it's denied. It's simple as that.

Let's consider that as the following rank order for the levels:

So if, for instance, the logging framework level is set to WARN, requests with any of the levels WARN, FATAL, and ERROR will be accepted, while the rest will be denied.

What is the order of log levels from lowest to highest?

In the above diagram, the vertical header displays the Level of the LogEvent, while the horizontal header shows the Level associated with the appropriate logging configuration.

For the first column, you will see how the log works in each level. For example, for WARN, (FATAL, ERROR, and WARN) will be visible. For OFF, nothing will be visible.

Log4j Level Example

Configuration File:

Java Program:

Now compile and run the above program and we would get the following output in c:/usr/home/log4j/log.out file:

Warn Message!
Error Message!
Fatal Message!


Next TopicLog4J Logging Methods

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Logging Levels Hierarchy With Code Examples

Hello, everyone! In this post, we will investigate how to discover the answer to Logging Levels Hierarchy using the computer language.

// Higher to lower
TRACE
DEBUG
INFO
WARN
ERROR
FATAL
OFF

Numerous real-world examples illustrate how to deal with the Logging Levels Hierarchy issue.

What is the hierarchy of log levels?

Log4j Level Order/Priority Trace < Debug < Info < Warn < Error < Fatal.03-Aug-2022

What is the highest logging level?

Hierarchy of log4j logging levels are as follows in Highest to Lowest order :

  • TRACE.
  • DEBUG.
  • INFO.
  • WARN.
  • ERROR.
  • FATAL.
  • OFF.

What are the log levels in log4j?

Five standard log4j levels

  • DEBUG Level. This log4j level helps developer to debug application.
  • INFO Level. This log4j level gives the progress and chosen state information.
  • WARN Level. This log4j level gives a warning about an unexpected event to the user.
  • ERROR Level.
  • FATAL Level.
  • ALL Level.
  • OFF Level.
  • TRACE Level.

How do you define a log level?

What Is a Logging Level. A log level or log severity is a piece of information telling how important a given log message is. It is a simple, yet very powerful way of distinguishing log events from each other. If the log levels are used properly in your application all you need is to look at the severity first.08-Oct-2020

What are the five levels of logging?

Logging levels explained. The most common logging levels include FATAL, ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE, ALL, and OFF.02-Mar-2021

What is root level in logging?

The root logger resides at the top of the logger hierarchy. It is exceptional in three ways: it always exists, its level cannot be set to null. it cannot be retrieved by name.17-Sept-2008

Is trace higher than DEBUG?

Ans. TRACE designates finer grained informational events than the DEBUG. TRACE is level lower than DEBUG.

What is verbose level?

In software, verbose logging is the practice of recording to a persistent medium as much information as you possibly can about events that occur while the software runs. It's also worth mentioning that verbose logging is generally a mode that you can toggle on and off.03-Apr-2018

What is INFO level logging?

You use the INFO logging level to record messages about routine application operation. Those are entries you usually don't care that much about, to be honest. If things go bad during development, you'll be looking at DEBUG entries. When things go bad in production, ERROR entries are what you're looking for.08-Feb-2019

What are the logging levels in Java?

Use the Proper Log Levels

What is the hierarchy of log levels?

Logging levels explained. The most common logging levels include FATAL, ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE, ALL, and OFF. Some of them are important, others less important, while others are meta-considerations. The standard ranking of logging levels is as follows: ALL < TRACE < DEBUG < INFO < WARN < ERROR < FATAL < OFF.

Which of the following is correct order for log4j levels?

Log4j Level Order/Priority Trace is of the lowest priority and Fatal is having highest priority. Below is the log4j logging level order. Trace < Debug < Info < Warn < Error < Fatal. When we define logger level, anything having higher priority logs are also getting printed.

What are the log levels in log4j?

Five standard log4j levels.
DEBUG Level. This log4j level helps developer to debug application. ... .
INFO Level. This log4j level gives the progress and chosen state information. ... .
WARN Level. This log4j level gives a warning about an unexpected event to the user. ... .
ERROR Level. ... .
FATAL Level. ... .
ALL Level. ... .
OFF Level. ... .
TRACE Level..

What are the log levels in Java?

Use the Proper Log Levels.