CODEWITHSUNDEEP
phpmysqllogging
k102
k102

Reputation: 8079

What is the best practice for logging users activity?

I'd like to implement users' activity logging for my web app (php+js+mysql).

Previously, I've used this appoach:

Now I don't really want to put so much logic in the database, so my question is: what is the best practice? Should I stay with the described method, or should I use something else?

Edit 1

I've seen this question, but I'm intrested in comparing the described method with one in the answers.

Edit 2

Why do I need logs: I need to know which user to blame if something goes wrong =)

Logs have to contain changed data and new data to see what has actually changed.

There won't be many users cause it's a corporate app and our company is not so large.

The main question is where should I put logging logics: database or application (php backend) level?

Upvotes: 12

Views: 29980

Answers (3)

John Demian
John Demian

Reputation: 121

I'd really avoid adding another layer of logic on top of your current PHP+MySQL setup. Scaling that service will be hard as it is, the last thing you want to do is run queries on top of what you already go going to get different actions that a user took. I understand there won't be a ton of users, well, not right now they aren't but who can tell what will happen 12 or 24 months from now.

An easier way would be to log everything and then use a tool that aggregates those logs and manages that for you. Take sematext.com for example. They offer their logs app for free with some limitations but it should be plenty enough for you to understand if this is something that you can use or not.

Check out the little logs preview screen. All your log data is there, easy to read, and understand and they also have a pretty neat filtering and search option too.

Logs app in Sematext.com

Other similar tools are

  1. Datadoghq.com
  2. Logdna.com
  3. logz.io

Most of them come with a free tier or free trial so that you can give 'em a go before sticking with one as each tool will have their own fortes.

Upvotes: 1

Neville Kuyt
Neville Kuyt

Reputation: 29629

As always, "it depends".

If the evolution over time of your core business concepts is important, it should be a first-class concept in your database design, as well as your PHP logic. Fowler writes about this in "Analysis patterns". This allows you to capture who made which changes to your business objects and answer questions like "who changed the project from type x to y on date z?", "how often did user x change product y?" etc. It does make the domain model more complex.

If you don't need this level of integration, my preference is to put the logging functionality in PHP; triggers have a horrible way of slowing down a database, or leading to unexpected side effects, or being forgotten by developers making changes to the schema. So, in PHP, I'd include explicit "log this" statements, possibly using an aspect-oriented framework (though I've never used that in PHP, only in Java).

Upvotes: 16

Doa
Doa

Reputation: 2015

For logging, you want to have a table logs, where you log the session id $_SESSION['id'] (presuming you have sessions?) and the user's activity. You then insert it using a delayed MySQL query (because the logs are not high priority):

INSERT DELAYED INTO table (session_id, activity) VALUES ('1234', 'blah');

Refer to this link for more information on DELAYED inserts.

In other words, put all the logic on the PHP side, just have a MySQL table in which you log any activities using delayed. This would be a function log_activity($session_id, $activity) that you can call from anywhere where there is a loggable activity.

Upvotes: 11

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