---
name: Structured Logging with Zap
description: How to correctly use the zap structured logging library in this repository instead of standard log or string formatting.
---

# Structured Logging with Zap

When adding logs to the `hireme` repository, **always** use the global `logger.Log` (which is a `zap.SugaredLogger`).

Do **NOT** use `log.Printf` or `fmt.Printf`.
Do **NOT** use `logger.Log.Infof` to format strings with variables if those variables should be structured data.

## Proper Usage (The `w` methods)

Use the `w` variants of the log methods (`Infow`, `Debugw`, `Errorw`, `Warnw`). These methods take a message string as the first argument, followed by variadic key-value pairs.

### Example: API Endpoints

Always include a `"component", "API"` field.

```go
// GOOD
logger.Log.Infow("Triggered endpoint", "component", "API", "endpoint", "/applications", "status", "success")

// BAD - String interpolation hides the data from JSON parsers
logger.Log.Infof("[API] Triggered /applications with status %s", "success")
```

### Example: Background Workers

Include the worker ID and task ID.

```go
// GOOD
logger.Log.Errorw("Task processing failed", "component", "Worker", "worker_id", id, "task_id", task.ID, "error", err)
```

### Example: Database Operations

```go
// GOOD
logger.Log.Debugw("Running query", "component", "DB", "query", "SELECT * FROM jobs")
```

## Summary of `w` Methods

- `logger.Log.Debugw(msg string, keysAndValues ...interface{})`
- `logger.Log.Infow(msg string, keysAndValues ...interface{})`
- `logger.Log.Warnw(msg string, keysAndValues ...interface{})`
- `logger.Log.Errorw(msg string, keysAndValues ...interface{})`
- `logger.Log.Fatalw(msg string, keysAndValues ...interface{})` // Note: calls os.Exit(1)