Debug Logger
As PHP moves forward, so must WordPress. This plugin helps WordPress use the tools of modern PHP. Monolog — PHP’s most popular logging package — is a composer package. Since WordPress doesn’t currently have a universal…
Consider an alternative
Debug Logger shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Was last updated 5 years ago, and scores 21/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 5 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.7 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Debug Logger stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| debug | >100 |
| logging | >100 |
| logs | >100 |
| monolog | #38 |
| psr-3 | >100 |
About Debug Logger
From the official readme · v0.3.0Description
As PHP moves forward, so must WordPress. This plugin helps WordPress use the tools of modern PHP. Monolog — PHP’s most popular logging package — is a composer package. Since WordPress doesn’t currently have a universal way to support composer, this WordPress plugin is meant to start bridging the gap. This logger is PSR-3 compliant, a PHP standard which Monolog also uses.
Logging Levels
There are 8 logging levels available, defined by RFC 5424. The levels specified in
order from the most severe to the least severe:
- Emergency: system is unusable
- Alert: action must be taken immediately
- Critical: critical conditions
- Error: error conditions
- Warning: warning conditions
- Notice: normal but significant condition
- Info: informational messages
- Debug: debug-level messages
Installation
This section describes how to install the plugin and get it working.
- Upload the
wp-debug-loggerfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
-
Enable debugging in your
wp-config.php// in your wp-config.php
define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true );
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false );
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true );
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_MINIMUM_LEVEL’, ‘debug’ );// For good measure, this will hide errors from being displayed on-screen
@ini_set(‘display_errors’, 0); -
As you write your code, sprinkle in these Log methods.
Minimum Level
WP_DEBUG_MINIMUM_LEVEL is a new constant that determines the minimum severity level you wish to write to your wp-content/debug.log file. In your development environment, I recommend using debug so you can see all the errors being written. For your production environment, I’d recommend the error level, so you can capture all the significant problems. Here are the values to use: emergency, alert, critical, error, warning, notice, info, debug. Note: they’re all lowercase, as the value is case-sensitive.
Displaying Errors
In your development environment, you may choose to set WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to true, so the error messages show in your browser. However, I strongly recommend that you do not change it, for your production environment. These settings can be placed anywhere above the line.
/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */
Frequently asked questions
Why not just use the error_log function?
You still can. However, the plugin will add value to your logging efforts. Using this logger will add structure io the debug.log file, and give you a modern PHP interface to control the amount of logging in your website. The logging methods in this plugin also provide information about the severity of the error.
Where can I find more documentation?
This project is developed on Github. There is a more complete readme there, with links to supplemental information.
Why use PSR-3?
A PSR is a PHP Standard Recommendation. PSRs are use to create and maintain interoperability between PHP-based frameworks and content management systems.
Changelog
Gain the ability to log WP_Error objects
0.3.0
- Add the ability to log WP_Error objects
- Add
Log::wp_error()and its correspondingLogger->log_wp_errormethod - Add method Logger->has_level() to ensure a level exists
- Add
0.2.0
- Add
Log::print()andLog::dump()methods - Improve documentation
0.1.0
- Import PSR-3 from PHP FIG into
libdirectory - Create Logger class to write log
- Create Log class to statically interact with Logger class
- Add usage instructions and logging levels
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Debug Logger alternatives
All debug plugins →
FAQ
Debug Logger: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026
Is Debug Logger free?
Yes. Debug Logger is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Debug Logger safe to use in 2026?
Debug Logger shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Was last updated 5 years ago, and scores 21/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Debug Logger?
Debug Logger is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,167 times since it launched in April 2021. It was downloaded 35 times in the last 30 days.
Does Debug Logger work with WordPress 7.1?
Debug Logger is officially tested up to WordPress 5.7.19, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Debug Logger need?
Debug Logger requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Debug Logger last updated?
The latest version, 0.3.0, was released on May 3, 2021 (5 years ago).
Who makes Debug Logger?
Debug Logger is developed and maintained by Andrew Woods.
What are the best alternatives to Debug Logger?
The most popular alternatives to Debug Logger are WP Crontrol (300K+ installs), Query Monitor (200K+ installs) and Debug Bar (20K+ installs).
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