Better Stack Pino transport

Start logging in 3 steps

1. Install

Install the @logtail/pino npm package:

npm install @logtail/pino

2. Set up

Set up the Pino logger with the Better Stack transport:

const token = '$SOURCE_TOKEN'; 
const pino = require('pino');
const transport = pino.transport({
  target: "@logtail/pino",
  options: {
    sourceToken: token,
    options: { endpoint: 'https://$INGESTING_HOST' },
  },
});
const logger = pino(transport);

3. Start logging

Use the Pino logger as usual:

logger.error("Something bad happened.");
logger.info({
    item: "Orange Soda",
    price: 100.00
}, "Log message with structured logging. ->");

You should see your logs in Better Stack → Live tail.

Custom log levels

Pino lets you define your own levels with its customLevels option. On Pino 8.21 and newer, those levels reach Better Stack under their own names. On older versions, a custom number falls back to the nearest default level, so pass the same levels to the transport's customLevels option to keep their names:

const logger = pino(
  { customLevels: { notice: 35, critical: 55 } },
  pino.transport({
    target: "@logtail/pino",
    options: {
      sourceToken: token,
      options: { endpoint: 'https://$INGESTING_HOST' },
      customLevels: { notice: 35, critical: 55 },
    },
  }),
);

logger.notice("Service started");

The transport's customLevels option also accepts a comma-separated string, "notice:35,critical:55", and takes precedence over the names Pino reports, so you can send different names to Better Stack than the ones you use in your code.

Logging from serverless functions

The Pino transport sends logs from a worker thread, which serverless platforms like AWS Lambda freeze as soon as your handler returns. Its last logs may never reach Better Stack.

In serverless functions, use LogtailStream instead and flush the logs before the handler returns:

npm install @logtail/pino @logtail/node

const pino = require('pino');
const { Logtail } = require('@logtail/node');
const { LogtailStream } = require('@logtail/pino');

const logtail = new Logtail('$SOURCE_TOKEN', {
  endpoint: 'https://$INGESTING_HOST',
});
const logger = pino(new LogtailStream(logtail));

exports.handler = async (event) => {
  logger.info('Handling event');

  // Send all logs before the function is frozen
  await logtail.flush();
  return { statusCode: 200 };
};

LogtailStream requires @logtail/pino 0.5.12 or newer.

Need help?

Please let us know at hello@betterstack.com.
We're happy to help! 🙏

Additional resources

Want to learn more about Pino log levels and adding contextual data to your logs?
Check out our Complete Guide to Pino Logging in Node.js.