All 15 Logging questions
More in Logging
What are Python's five standard logging severity levels, from lowest to highest? What does logging.basicConfig() do, and what are its common pitfalls? How do you format log output to include the timestamp, logger name, level, and message? What is the relationship between Logger, Handler, Formatter, and Filter in the logging module? How do you configure logging using a dictionary via logging.config.dictConfig? How do you include structured context (like a request ID) in every log message using LoggerAdapter or extra? What's the difference between propagate=True and propagate=False on a logger? What's the danger of using %-style, f-string, or .format() interpolation directly in a log call's message argument versus lazy % substitution? How do RotatingFileHandler and TimedRotatingFileHandler prevent log files from growing unbounded? How does logger.exception() differ from logger.error(), and when should you use it?
Advertisement
Back to results for “Logging”
Python › Logging

Why is it recommended to use logging.getLogger(__name__) instead of the root logger in library and module code?

Intermediate

Answer

Using __name__ creates a logger named after the module's dotted path, forming a hierarchy that mirrors your package structure. This lets consumers of your code configure logging per-module (e.g., silence a noisy submodule while keeping others verbose) and makes log output traceable to its source without every module competing for the single root logger's configuration.
# in mypackage/database.py
import logging
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)  # 'mypackage.database'

def connect():
    logger.debug('Connecting to database...')
Real-world example A library author uses getLogger(__name__) throughout so downstream applications can selectively enable DEBUG logging just for 'mylib.network' while keeping 'mylib.parsing' at WARNING.

Common follow-ups: How does logger hierarchy and propagation work with dotted names?;Why shouldn't libraries call basicConfig()?

Modules & Packaging;Logging
All 15 Logging questions