Alish Giri

Posted on Jun 17 • Updated on Jun 24

Say no to console.log!

#javascript

Do you always use console.log in your projects during development?

And even though we will keep using console.log, there are other alternatives that will make your development more fun and productive.

NOTE: If you are viewing log in a terminal especially if you are a backend developer then you can try JSON.stringify(your_data, null, 2) and use console.log() on the result. This will make sure that you don't get {... value: [Object, Object]} in the log and the log will also be formatted making it easier to read.

console.dir()

For hierarchical listing of arrays and objects.

console.dir(["apples", "oranges", "bananas"]);

console.table()

For rows and columns listing of arrays (might not be suitable for objects).

console.table(["apples", "oranges", "bananas"]);

console.table({"a": 1, "b": 2, "c": 3});

console.group()

console.log('This is the top outer level');

console.group('Task 1');
console.log('Task activity 1');
console.log('Task activity 2');
console.groupEnd();

console.group('Task 2');
console.log('Task activity 3');
console.log('Task activity 4');
console.groupEnd();

console.log('Back to the top outer level');

console.time() & console.timeEnd()

try {
  console.time("record-1");
  await someAsyncTask();
} catch (error) {
   // handle error
} finally {
  console.timeEnd("record-1");
}

console.clear()

This will clear the console.

I hope this was helpful! 🚀

Top comments (114)

Samuel Rouse • Jun 18

Great list! When I'm debugging I often put a console.trace() within a console.group(). This lets me provide identifying information at the group label, and be able to open the group to get to the detailed trace information without it blowing up the console.

Alex • Jun 19

Haven’t heard about console.trace(), that’s a gem! The more you know…

John Poku • Aug 3

Great

John Poku • Aug 3

Great

Muhammad Ateeq • Jul 6

That's a neat debugging technique! Using console.trace() within console.group() sounds really efficient for organizing and accessing detailed trace information without cluttering the console. Thanks for sharing this tip—it's definitely going to be useful in my debugging toolkit!

John Poku • Aug 3

Nice

Syed Muhammad Ali Raza • Jun 19

There are many like

console.error
console.assert()
console.trace()
console.groupEnd()

ChaoPas • Jul 7

thanks for sharing

modelair • Jun 21

the article of 2024. 🤦‍♂️

Allan Bonadio • Jun 21

There's also console.info() which is increasingly almost exactly the same as console.log(). Yes, now it seems, exactly the same on Chrome. Gets a blue icon in Safari. And gets a ⓘ icon in Firefox. (I usually use emojis to mark different log msgs - more variety.)

Muhammad Ateeq • Jul 8

Thanks for pointing that out! It's interesting to see how console.info() has become so similar to console.log() across different browsers. Using emojis to differentiate log messages is a great idea—adds a bit of fun and clarity to debugging!

Thaísa Vieira • Jun 17

Great tips, I love them and I'll start using them every day.

Dang Ninh • Sep 3

the JSON.stringify life pro tip could also be applied to the browser environment when you're trying to log out something that has lost its reference due to garbage collection (for example, you try to log some value of an object before a page unload)

Alish Giri • Sep 3

Thanks for mentioning!

Muhammad Ateeq • Jul 5

Great points! While console.log is a go-to for many developers, exploring alternatives can significantly enhance productivity. Using console.dir() for detailed hierarchical listings and JSON.stringify(your_data, null, 2) for formatted logs in the terminal are excellent practices. These methods improve readability and help prevent the clutter often associated with complex objects. Thanks for sharing these tips!