Monitoring and logging are two essential practices in software development and operations, particularly for maintaining the health and performance of applications.

Monitoring involves the continuous observation of a system’s performance and behavior. It captures and analyzes data about the application’s execution, helping developers and operations teams identify and respond to issues proactively. Monitoring tools provide transparency, allowing teams to address stability, performance, and error-related problems effectively ³. It is a passive process that collects data in the background, often without explicit events triggering it.

On the other hand, logging is the process of recording specific events that occur within an application. Logs are generated based on explicit actions, such as errors or exceptions, and provide detailed insights into the application’s flow and behavior. While logging is crucial for diagnosing issues, it is often complemented by monitoring to give a comprehensive view of system health ³².

In summary, both monitoring and logging are vital for ensuring the reliability and performance of applications, but they serve different purposes and should be used together for optimal results.