Replace print debugging with structured JSON logs

I still find bugs by scrolling through print() output, and once two things run at once I can't tell which line came from which run.

BeginnerRead 5 minDoing: a couple of hours6 steps

▶ Start

What you'll have at the end

Every log line printed as one JSON object with a timestamp, a level, and the fields you actually query on

Before you start

You need

A running Python service whose code still calls print for anything you want to see while it runs, already receiving real requests through some web framework.

Not covered

A shared id that ties one request's lines together across services or calls, and any log aggregation or search tool downstream of the process's own output.

Leans on

6 steps

Where to go next

Give every request a correlation ID that survives your stack

Once every line is structured, add a shared id here so one request's lines, across every log line and every service, can be pulled together.

Checked 19 Aug 2026

Part of the Backend Observability and Monitoring cookbook