projectmycelium/docs/dev/design/archive/vision/parts/log-free-codebase-policy.md

Log-Free Codebase Policy

Overview

The Project Mycelium maintains a log-free codebase in main and development branches as a core architectural design decision. This policy ensures clean, production-ready code and simplifies maintenance, debugging, and AI-assisted development.

Policy Statement

All log:: statements must be removed from the codebase before merging to main or development branches.

Rationale

1. Code Cleanliness

• Removes visual clutter and noise from the codebase
• Improves code readability and maintainability
• Reduces file size and complexity

2. Production Readiness

• Eliminates potential performance overhead from logging statements
• Prevents accidental logging of sensitive information
• Ensures consistent behavior across environments

3. AI-Assisted Development

• Simplifies code analysis and pattern recognition for AI tools
• Reduces token count and complexity for AI code generation
• Enables more accurate code migrations and refactoring

4. Maintenance Benefits

• Reduces merge conflicts from logging changes
• Eliminates outdated or inconsistent log messages
• Simplifies code review process

Implementation Guidelines

✅ Allowed Usage

• Feature Branches: Developers may use log:: statements for troubleshooting and debugging in feature branches
• Local Development: Temporary logging for development and testing purposes
• Debugging Sessions: Short-term logging to diagnose specific issues

❌ Prohibited Usage

• Main Branch: No log:: statements allowed in main branch
• Development Branch: No log:: statements allowed in development branch
• Production Code: No logging statements in production-ready code
• Permanent Logging: No long-term or permanent logging infrastructure

Enforcement

1. Pre-Merge Cleanup

All feature branches must have log:: statements removed before creating pull requests:

# Check for log statements before merging
find src -name "*.rs" -exec grep -l "log::" {} \;

# Remove all log statements (if any found)
find src -name "*.rs" -exec perl -i -pe 'BEGIN{undef $/;} s/\s*log::[^;]*;//g' {} \;

# Verify removal
cargo check --lib

2. Automated Checks

• CI/CD pipeline should include log statement detection
• Pre-commit hooks can prevent accidental commits with logging
• Code review checklist includes log statement verification

3. Migration History

• 2025-01-06: Removed 881+ log statements from entire codebase
• Dashboard Controller: 443 log statements removed
• Other Controllers: 438 log statements removed across 24 files

Alternative Approaches

For Debugging

Instead of permanent logging, use:

1. Conditional Compilation:

   #[cfg(debug_assertions)]
   eprintln!("Debug: {}", value);
   

2. Feature Flags:

   #[cfg(feature = "debug-logging")]
   log::debug!("Debug information");
   

3. Test-Only Logging:

   #[cfg(test)]
   println!("Test debug: {}", value);
   

For Production Monitoring

• Use external monitoring tools (Prometheus, Grafana)
• Implement structured error handling with Result types
• Use application metrics instead of log statements
• Implement health check endpoints

Benefits Realized

1. Codebase Statistics

• Before: 881+ log statements across 24 files
• After: 0 log statements (100% reduction)
• Compilation: Clean builds with only minor unused variable warnings

2. Development Improvements

• Simplified ResponseBuilder migration process
• Reduced code complexity for AI-assisted refactoring
• Cleaner code reviews and merge processes
• Improved code readability and maintainability

3. Performance Benefits

• Reduced binary size
• Eliminated runtime logging overhead
• Faster compilation times
• Cleaner production deployments

Compliance

Developer Responsibilities

1. Remove all log:: statements before creating pull requests
2. Verify clean builds after log removal
3. Use alternative debugging approaches for troubleshooting
4. Follow the log-free policy consistently across all contributions

Code Review Requirements

1. Check for log statements in all code reviews
2. Verify compilation after any log-related changes
3. Ensure policy compliance before approving merges
4. Document any exceptions (if absolutely necessary)

Exceptions

No exceptions are currently allowed. The log-free policy is absolute for main and development branches.

If logging becomes absolutely necessary for specific use cases, it must be:

1. Approved by the architecture team
2. Implemented with feature flags
3. Documented as an architectural decision
4. Reviewed regularly for removal

Related Documentation

• Builder Pattern Architecture
• ResponseBuilder Migration Guide
• Code Quality Standards
• AI-Assisted Development Guidelines

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Last Updated: 2025-01-06
Policy Version: 1.0
Status: Active and Enforced