Implementing structured logging

Logs are blocks of text that most applications produce during runtime. They are designed to be mini-reports about what is happening in the application, allowing us to track and trace errors that occur within our applications.

In a monolithic application, we typically write logs to a log file or a database. In fact, in .NET Core, we have access to powerful logging providers and third-party libraries that allow us to integrate with several log output destinations. There is no absolute best destination, and while some work better than others, it is really a matter of project preference and overall comfort.

Logging in a monolithic setup is straightforward. Keep in mind that all components of a monolith are in the same space and are directly connected. In a distributed system, however, this gets more complicated because activities occur across multiple applications. The standard approach is to create logs for each service, which can result in numerous...