v0.1.4 formatter race fix, fiber adapter added, default config changed, docs updated

.gitignore

@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 bin
 data
 dev
+log
 logs
-cmake-build-*/
 *.log
 *.toml
+build.sh

LICENSE

@@ -25,4 +25,4 @@ DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
 SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
 CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
 OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
-OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

README.md

@@ -1,39 +1,44 @@
 # Log
 
-[![Go](https://img.shields.io/badge/Go-1.24+-00ADD8?style=flat&logo=go)](https://golang.org)
+[![Go](https://img.shields.io/badge/Go-1.25+-00ADD8?style=flat&logo=go)](https://golang.org)
 [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-BSD_3--Clause-blue.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause)
 [![Documentation](https://img.shields.io/badge/Docs-Available-green.svg)](doc/)
 
 A high-performance, buffered, rotating file logger for Go applications with built-in disk management, operational monitoring, and framework compatibility adapters.
 
-## ✨ Key Features
+## Key Features
 
-- 🚀 **Lock-free async logging** with minimal application impact
+- **Lock-free async logging** with minimal application impact
-- 📁 **Automatic file rotation** and disk space management
+- **Automatic file rotation** and disk space management
-- 📊 **Operational heartbeats** for production monitoring
+- **Operational heartbeats** for production monitoring
-- 🔄 **Hot reconfiguration** without data loss
+- **Hot reconfiguration** without data loss
-- 🎯 **Framework adapters** for gnet v2 and fasthttp
+- **Framework adapters** for gnet v2, fasthttp, Fiber v2
-- 🛡️ **Production-grade reliability** with graceful shutdown
+- **Production-grade reliability** with graceful shutdown
 
-## 🚀 Quick Start
+## Quick Start
 
 ```go
 package main
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	
     "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
 )
 
 func main() {
     // Create and initialize logger
     logger := log.NewLogger()
-    err := logger.InitWithDefaults("directory=/var/log/myapp")
+    err := logger.ApplyConfigString("directory=/var/log/myapp")
     if err != nil {
-        panic(err)
+        panic(fmt.Errorf("failed to apply logger config: %w", err))
     }
     defer logger.Shutdown()
 
     // Start logging
+	if err = logger.Start(); err != nil {
+        panic(fmt.Errorf("failed to start logger: %w", err))
+    }
     logger.Info("Application started", "version", "1.0.0")
     logger.Debug("Debug information", "user_id", 12345)
     logger.Warn("Warning message", "threshold", 0.95)
@@ -41,50 +46,26 @@ func main() {
 }
 ```
 
-## 📦 Installation
+## Installation
 
 ```bash
 go get github.com/lixenwraith/log
 ```
 
-For configuration management support:
+## Documentation
-```bash
-go get github.com/lixenwraith/config
-```
-
-## 📚 Documentation
 
 - **[Getting Started](doc/getting-started.md)** - Installation and basic usage
-- **[Configuration Guide](doc/configuration.md)** - All configuration options
+- **[Configuration Guide](doc/configuration.md)** - Configuration options
-- **[API Reference](doc/api-reference.md)** - Complete API documentation
+- **[Configuration Builder](doc/builder.md)** - Builder pattern guide
-- **[Logging Guide](doc/logging-guide.md)** - Logging methods and best practices
+- **[API Reference](doc/api.md)** - Complete API documentation
-- **[Examples](doc/examples.md)** - Sample applications and use cases
+- **[Logging Guide](doc/logging.md)** - Logging methods and best practices
++ **[Formatting & Sanitization](doc/formatting.md)** - Standalone formatter and sanitizer packages
+- **[Disk Management](doc/storage.md)** - File rotation and cleanup
+- **[Heartbeat Monitoring](doc/heartbeat.md)** - Operational statistics
+- **[Compatibility Adapters](doc/adapters.md)** - Framework integrations
+- **[Quick Guide](doc/quick-guide_lixenwraith_log.md)** - Quick reference guide
 
-### Advanced Topics
+## Architecture Overview
-
-- **[Disk Management](doc/disk-management.md)** - File rotation and cleanup
-- **[Heartbeat Monitoring](doc/heartbeat-monitoring.md)** - Operational statistics
-- **[Performance Guide](doc/performance.md)** - Architecture and optimization
-- **[Compatibility Adapters](doc/compatibility-adapters.md)** - Framework integrations
-- **[Troubleshooting](doc/troubleshooting.md)** - Common issues and solutions
-
-## 🎯 Framework Integration
-
-The package includes adapters for some popular Go frameworks:
-
-```go
-// gnet v2 integration
-adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
-gnet.Run(handler, "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000", gnet.WithLogger(adapter))
-
-// fasthttp integration
-adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger)
-server := &fasthttp.Server{Logger: adapter}
-```
-
-See [Compatibility Adapters](doc/compatibility-adapters.md) for detailed integration guides.
-
-## 🏗️ Architecture Overview
 
 The logger uses a lock-free, channel-based architecture for high performance:
 
@@ -94,14 +75,12 @@ Application → Log Methods → Buffered Channel → Background Processor → Fi
             (non-blocking)                    (rotation, cleanup, monitoring)
 ```
 
-Learn more in the [Performance Guide](doc/performance.md).
+## Contributing
-
-## 🤝 Contributing
 
 Contributions and suggestions are welcome!
 There is no contribution policy, but if interested, please submit pull requests to the repository.
 Submit suggestions or issues at [issue tracker](https://github.com/lixenwraith/log/issues).
 
-## 📄 License
+## License
 
 BSD-3-Clause

benchmark_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/benchmark_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// BenchmarkLoggerInfo benchmarks the performance of standard Info logging
+func BenchmarkLoggerInfo(b *testing.B) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(&testing.T{})
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		logger.Info("benchmark message", i)
+	}
+}
+
+// BenchmarkLoggerJSON benchmarks the performance of JSON formatted logging
+func BenchmarkLoggerJSON(b *testing.B) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(&testing.T{})
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.Format = "json"
+	logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		logger.Info("benchmark message", i, "key", "value")
+	}
+}
+
+// BenchmarkLoggerStructured benchmarks the performance of structured JSON logging
+func BenchmarkLoggerStructured(b *testing.B) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(&testing.T{})
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.Format = "json"
+	logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+
+	fields := map[string]any{
+		"user_id": 123,
+		"action":  "benchmark",
+		"value":   42.5,
+	}
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		logger.LogStructured(LevelInfo, "benchmark", fields)
+	}
+}
+
+// BenchmarkConcurrentLogging benchmarks the logger's performance under concurrent load
+func BenchmarkConcurrentLogging(b *testing.B) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(&testing.T{})
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
+		i := 0
+		for pb.Next() {
+			logger.Info("concurrent", i)
+			i++
+		}
+	})
+}

builder.go

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/builder.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+)
+
+// Builder provides a fluent API for building logger configurations
+// It wraps a Config instance and provides chainable methods for setting values
+type Builder struct {
+	cfg *Config
+	err error // Accumulate errors for deferred handling
+}
+
+// NewBuilder creates a new configuration builder with default values
+func NewBuilder() *Builder {
+	return &Builder{
+		cfg: DefaultConfig(),
+	}
+}
+
+// Build creates a new Logger instance with the specified configuration
+func (b *Builder) Build() (*Logger, error) {
+	if b.err != nil {
+		return nil, b.err
+	}
+
+	// Create a new logger
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	// Apply the built configuration, handling all initialization and validation
+	if err := logger.ApplyConfig(b.cfg); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return logger, nil
+}
+
+// Level sets the log level
+func (b *Builder) Level(level int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.Level = level
+	return b
+}
+
+// LevelString sets the log level from a string
+func (b *Builder) LevelString(level string) *Builder {
+	if b.err != nil {
+		return b
+	}
+	levelVal, err := Level(level)
+	if err != nil {
+		b.err = err
+		return b
+	}
+	b.cfg.Level = levelVal
+	return b
+}
+
+// Name sets the log level
+func (b *Builder) Name(name string) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.Name = name
+	return b
+}
+
+// Directory sets the log directory
+func (b *Builder) Directory(dir string) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.Directory = dir
+	return b
+}
+
+// Format sets the output format
+func (b *Builder) Format(format string) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.Format = format
+	return b
+}
+
+// Sanitization sets the sanitization mode
+func (b *Builder) Sanitization(policy sanitizer.PolicyPreset) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.Sanitization = policy
+	return b
+}
+
+// Extension sets the log level
+func (b *Builder) Extension(ext string) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.Extension = ext
+	return b
+}
+
+// BufferSize sets the channel buffer size
+func (b *Builder) BufferSize(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.BufferSize = size
+	return b
+}
+
+// MaxSizeKB sets the maximum log file size in KB
+func (b *Builder) MaxSizeKB(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MaxSizeKB = size
+	return b
+}
+
+// MaxSizeMB sets the maximum log file size in MB
+func (b *Builder) MaxSizeMB(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MaxSizeKB = size * sizeMultiplier
+	return b
+}
+
+// EnableFile enables file output
+func (b *Builder) EnableFile(enable bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.EnableFile = enable
+	return b
+}
+
+// HeartbeatLevel sets the heartbeat monitoring level
+func (b *Builder) HeartbeatLevel(level int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.HeartbeatLevel = level
+	return b
+}
+
+// HeartbeatIntervalS sets the heartbeat monitoring level
+func (b *Builder) HeartbeatIntervalS(interval int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.HeartbeatIntervalS = interval
+	return b
+}
+
+// ShowTimestamp sets whether to show timestamps in logs
+func (b *Builder) ShowTimestamp(show bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.ShowTimestamp = show
+	return b
+}
+
+// ShowLevel sets whether to show log levels
+func (b *Builder) ShowLevel(show bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.ShowLevel = show
+	return b
+}
+
+// TimestampFormat sets the timestamp format string
+func (b *Builder) TimestampFormat(format string) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.TimestampFormat = format
+	return b
+}
+
+// MaxTotalSizeKB sets the maximum total size of all log files in KB
+func (b *Builder) MaxTotalSizeKB(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MaxTotalSizeKB = size
+	return b
+}
+
+// MaxTotalSizeMB sets the maximum total size of all log files in MB
+func (b *Builder) MaxTotalSizeMB(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MaxTotalSizeKB = size * sizeMultiplier
+	return b
+}
+
+// MinDiskFreeKB sets the minimum required free disk space in KB
+func (b *Builder) MinDiskFreeKB(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MinDiskFreeKB = size
+	return b
+}
+
+// MinDiskFreeMB sets the minimum required free disk space in MB
+func (b *Builder) MinDiskFreeMB(size int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MinDiskFreeKB = size * sizeMultiplier
+	return b
+}
+
+// FlushIntervalMs sets the flush interval in milliseconds
+func (b *Builder) FlushIntervalMs(interval int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.FlushIntervalMs = interval
+	return b
+}
+
+// TraceDepth sets the default trace depth for stack traces
+func (b *Builder) TraceDepth(depth int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.TraceDepth = depth
+	return b
+}
+
+// RetentionPeriodHrs sets the log retention period in hours
+func (b *Builder) RetentionPeriodHrs(hours float64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.RetentionPeriodHrs = hours
+	return b
+}
+
+// RetentionCheckMins sets the retention check interval in minutes
+func (b *Builder) RetentionCheckMins(mins float64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.RetentionCheckMins = mins
+	return b
+}
+
+// DiskCheckIntervalMs sets the disk check interval in milliseconds
+func (b *Builder) DiskCheckIntervalMs(interval int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.DiskCheckIntervalMs = interval
+	return b
+}
+
+// EnableAdaptiveInterval enables adaptive disk check intervals
+func (b *Builder) EnableAdaptiveInterval(enable bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.EnableAdaptiveInterval = enable
+	return b
+}
+
+// EnablePeriodicSync enables periodic file sync
+func (b *Builder) EnablePeriodicSync(enable bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.EnablePeriodicSync = enable
+	return b
+}
+
+// MinCheckIntervalMs sets the minimum disk check interval in milliseconds
+func (b *Builder) MinCheckIntervalMs(interval int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MinCheckIntervalMs = interval
+	return b
+}
+
+// MaxCheckIntervalMs sets the maximum disk check interval in milliseconds
+func (b *Builder) MaxCheckIntervalMs(interval int64) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.MaxCheckIntervalMs = interval
+	return b
+}
+
+// ConsoleTarget sets the console output target ("stdout", "stderr", or "split")
+func (b *Builder) ConsoleTarget(target string) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.ConsoleTarget = target
+	return b
+}
+
+// InternalErrorsToStderr sets whether to write internal errors to stderr
+func (b *Builder) InternalErrorsToStderr(enable bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.InternalErrorsToStderr = enable
+	return b
+}
+
+// EnableConsole enables console output
+func (b *Builder) EnableConsole(enable bool) *Builder {
+	b.cfg.EnableConsole = enable
+	return b
+}
+
+// Example usage:
+// logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+//	Directory("/var/log/app").
+//	LevelString("debug").
+//	Format("json").
+//	BufferSize(4096).
+//	EnableConsole(true).
+//	Build()
+//
+// if err == nil {
+//
+//	 defer logger.Shutdown()
+//	 logger.Info("Logger initialized successfully")
+//
+// }

builder_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/builder_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestBuilder_Build tests the full lifecycle of creating a logger using the Builder
+func TestBuilder_Build(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("successful build returns configured logger", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Create a temporary directory for the test
+		tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+
+		// Use the builder to create a logger with custom settings
+		logger, err := NewBuilder().
+			Directory(tmpDir).
+			LevelString("debug").
+			Format("json").
+			BufferSize(2048).
+			EnableConsole(true).
+			EnableFile(true).
+			MaxSizeMB(10).
+			HeartbeatLevel(2).
+			Build()
+
+		// Ensure the logger is cleaned up
+		if logger != nil {
+			defer logger.Shutdown()
+		}
+
+		// Check for build errors
+		require.NoError(t, err, "Builder.Build() should not return an error on valid config")
+		require.NotNil(t, logger, "Builder.Build() should return a non-nil logger")
+
+		// Retrieve the configuration from the logger to verify it was applied correctly
+		cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+		require.NotNil(t, cfg, "Logger.GetConfig() should return a non-nil config")
+
+		// Assert that the configuration values match what was set
+		assert.Equal(t, tmpDir, cfg.Directory)
+		assert.Equal(t, LevelDebug, cfg.Level)
+		assert.Equal(t, "json", cfg.Format)
+		assert.Equal(t, int64(2048), cfg.BufferSize)
+		assert.True(t, cfg.EnableConsole, "EnableConsole should be true")
+		assert.Equal(t, int64(10*1000), cfg.MaxSizeKB)
+		assert.Equal(t, int64(2), cfg.HeartbeatLevel)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("builder error accumulation", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Use an invalid level string to trigger an error within the builder
+		logger, err := NewBuilder().
+			LevelString("invalid-level-string").
+			Directory("/some/dir"). // This should not be evaluated
+			Build()
+
+		// Assert that an error is returned and it's the one we expect
+		require.Error(t, err, "Build should fail with an invalid level string")
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "invalid level string", "Error message should indicate invalid level")
+
+		// Assert that the logger is nil because the build failed
+		assert.Nil(t, logger, "A nil logger should be returned on build error")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("apply config validation error", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Use a configuration that will fail validation inside ApplyConfig,
+		// e.g., an invalid directory path that cannot be created
+		// Note: on linux /root is not writable by non-root users
+		invalidDir := filepath.Join("/root", "unwritable-log-test-dir")
+		logger, err := NewBuilder().
+			Directory(invalidDir).
+			EnableFile(true).
+			Build()
+
+		// Assert that ApplyConfig (called by Build) failed
+		require.Error(t, err, "Build should fail with an unwritable directory")
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "failed to create log directory", "Error message should indicate directory creation failure")
+
+		// Assert that the logger is nil
+		assert.Nil(t, logger, "A nil logger should be returned on apply config error")
+	})
+}

compat/builder.go

@@ -1,72 +1,169 @@
-// FILE: compat/builder.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/compat/builder.go
 package compat
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-	"github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2"
-	"github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
 )
 
-// Builder provides a convenient way to create configured loggers for both frameworks
+// Builder provides a flexible way to create configured logger adapters for gnet and fasthttp
+// It can use an existing *log.Logger instance or create a new one from a *log.Config
 type Builder struct {
-	logger  *log.Logger
+	logger *log.Logger
-	options []string // InitWithDefaults options
+	logCfg *log.Config
+	err    error
 }
 
 // NewBuilder creates a new adapter builder
 func NewBuilder() *Builder {
-	return &Builder{
+	return &Builder{}
-		logger: log.NewLogger(),
-	}
 }
 
-// WithOptions adds configuration options for the underlying logger
+// WithLogger specifies an existing logger to use for the adapters
-func (b *Builder) WithOptions(opts ...string) *Builder {
+// Recommended for applications that already have a central logger instance
-	b.options = append(b.options, opts...)
+// If this is set WithConfig is ignored
+func (b *Builder) WithLogger(l *log.Logger) *Builder {
+	if l == nil {
+		b.err = fmt.Errorf("log/compat: provided logger cannot be nil")
+		return b
+	}
+	b.logger = l
 	return b
 }
 
-// Build initializes the logger and returns adapters for both frameworks
+// WithConfig provides a configuration for a new logger instance
-func (b *Builder) Build() (*GnetAdapter, *FastHTTPAdapter, error) {
+// This is used only if an existing logger is NOT provided via WithLogger
-	// Initialize the logger
+// If neither WithLogger nor WithConfig is used, a default logger will be created
-	if err := b.logger.InitWithDefaults(b.options...); err != nil {
+func (b *Builder) WithConfig(cfg *log.Config) *Builder {
-		return nil, nil, err
+	b.logCfg = cfg
+	return b
+}
+
+// getLogger resolves the logger to be used, creating one if necessary
+func (b *Builder) getLogger() (*log.Logger, error) {
+	if b.err != nil {
+		return nil, b.err
 	}
 
-	// Create adapters
+	// An existing logger was provided, so we use it
-	gnetAdapter := NewGnetAdapter(b.logger)
+	if b.logger != nil {
-	fasthttpAdapter := NewFastHTTPAdapter(b.logger)
+		return b.logger, nil
-
-	return gnetAdapter, fasthttpAdapter, nil
-}
-
-// BuildStructured initializes the logger and returns structured adapters
-func (b *Builder) BuildStructured() (*StructuredGnetAdapter, *FastHTTPAdapter, error) {
-	// Initialize the logger
-	if err := b.logger.InitWithDefaults(b.options...); err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
-	// Create adapters
+	// Create a new logger instance
-	gnetAdapter := NewStructuredGnetAdapter(b.logger)
+	l := log.NewLogger()
-	fasthttpAdapter := NewFastHTTPAdapter(b.logger)
+	cfg := b.logCfg
+	if cfg == nil {
+		// If no config was provided, use the default
+		cfg = log.DefaultConfig()
+	}
 
-	return gnetAdapter, fasthttpAdapter, nil
+	// Apply the configuration
+	if err := l.ApplyConfig(cfg); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Cache the newly created logger for subsequent builds with this builder
+	b.logger = l
+	return l, nil
 }
 
-// GetLogger returns the underlying logger for direct access
+// BuildGnet creates a gnet adapter
-func (b *Builder) GetLogger() *log.Logger {
+// It can be used for servers that require a standard gnet logger
-	return b.logger
+func (b *Builder) BuildGnet(opts ...GnetOption) (*GnetAdapter, error) {
+	l, err := b.getLogger()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewGnetAdapter(l, opts...), nil
 }
 
-// Example usage functions
+// BuildStructuredGnet creates a gnet adapter that attempts to extract structured
-
+// fields from log messages for richer, queryable logs
-// ConfigureGnetServer configures a gnet server with the logger
+func (b *Builder) BuildStructuredGnet(opts ...GnetOption) (*StructuredGnetAdapter, error) {
-func ConfigureGnetServer(adapter *GnetAdapter, opts ...gnet.Option) []gnet.Option {
+	l, err := b.getLogger()
-	return append(opts, gnet.WithLogger(adapter))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewStructuredGnetAdapter(l, opts...), nil
 }
 
-// ConfigureFastHTTPServer configures a fasthttp server with the logger
+// BuildFastHTTP creates a fasthttp adapter
-func ConfigureFastHTTPServer(adapter *FastHTTPAdapter, server *fasthttp.Server) {
+func (b *Builder) BuildFastHTTP(opts ...FastHTTPOption) (*FastHTTPAdapter, error) {
-	server.Logger = adapter
+	l, err := b.getLogger()
-}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewFastHTTPAdapter(l, opts...), nil
+}
+
+// BuildFiber creates a Fiber v2.54.x adapter
+func (b *Builder) BuildFiber(opts ...FiberOption) (*FiberAdapter, error) {
+	l, err := b.getLogger()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewFiberAdapter(l, opts...), nil
+}
+
+// GetLogger returns the underlying *log.Logger instance
+// If a logger has not been provided or created yet, it will be initialized
+func (b *Builder) GetLogger() (*log.Logger, error) {
+	return b.getLogger()
+}
+
+// --- Example Usage ---
+//
+// The following demonstrates how to integrate lixenwraith/log with gnet, fasthttp, and Fiber
+// using a single, shared logger instance
+//
+//	// 1. Create and configure application's main logger
+//	appLogger := log.NewLogger()
+//	logCfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+//	logCfg.Level = log.LevelDebug
+//	if err := appLogger.ApplyConfig(logCfg); err != nil {
+//		panic(fmt.Sprintf("failed to configure logger: %v", err))
+//	}
+//
+//	// 2. Create a builder and provide the existing logger
+//	builder := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(appLogger)
+//
+//	// 3. Build the required adapters
+//	gnetLogger, err := builder.BuildGnet()
+//	if err != nil { /* handle error */ }
+//
+//	fasthttpLogger, err := builder.BuildFastHTTP()
+//	if err != nil { /* handle error */ }
+//
+//	fiberLogger, err := builder.BuildFiber()
+//	if err != nil { /* handle error */ }
+//
+//	// 4. Configure your servers with the adapters
+//
+//	// For gnet:
+//	var events gnet.EventHandler // your-event-handler
+//	// The adapter is passed directly into the gnet options
+//	go gnet.Run(events, "tcp://:9000", gnet.WithLogger(gnetLogger))
+//
+//	// For fasthttp:
+//	// The adapter is assigned directly to the server's Logger field
+//	server := &fasthttp.Server{
+//		Handler: func(ctx *fasthttp.RequestCtx) {
+//			ctx.WriteString("Hello, world!")
+//		},
+//		Logger: fasthttpLogger,
+//	}
+//	go server.ListenAndServe(":8080")
+//
+//	// For Fiber v2.54.x:
+//	// The adapter is passed to fiber.New() via the config
+//	app := fiber.New(fiber.Config{
+//		AppName: "My Application",
+//	})
+//	app.UpdateConfig(fiber.Config{
+//		AppName: "My Application",
+//	})
+//	// Note: Set the logger after app creation if needed
+//	// fiber uses internal logging, adapter can be used in custom middleware
+//	go app.Listen(":3000")

compat/compat_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,350 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/compat/compat_test.go
+package compat
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// createTestCompatBuilder creates a standard setup for compatibility adapter tests
+func createTestCompatBuilder(t *testing.T) (*Builder, *log.Logger, string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	appLogger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+		Directory(tmpDir).
+		Format("json").
+		LevelString("debug").
+		EnableFile(true).
+		Build()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Start the logger before using it
+	err = appLogger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	builder := NewBuilder().WithLogger(appLogger)
+	return builder, appLogger, tmpDir
+}
+
+// readLogFile reads a log file, retrying briefly to await async writes
+func readLogFile(t *testing.T, dir string, expectedLines int) []string {
+	t.Helper()
+	var err error
+
+	// Retry for a short period to handle logging delays
+	for i := 0; i < 20; i++ {
+		var files []os.DirEntry
+		files, err = os.ReadDir(dir)
+		if err == nil && len(files) > 0 {
+			var logFile *os.File
+			logFilePath := filepath.Join(dir, files[0].Name())
+			logFile, err = os.Open(logFilePath)
+			if err == nil {
+				scanner := bufio.NewScanner(logFile)
+				var readLines []string
+				for scanner.Scan() {
+					readLines = append(readLines, scanner.Text())
+				}
+				logFile.Close()
+				if len(readLines) >= expectedLines {
+					return readLines
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("Failed to read %d log lines from directory %s. Last error: %v", expectedLines, dir, err)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// TestCompatBuilder verifies the compatibility builder can be initialized correctly
+func TestCompatBuilder(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("with existing logger", func(t *testing.T) {
+		builder, logger, _ := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+		defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+		gnetAdapter, err := builder.BuildGnet()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.NotNil(t, gnetAdapter)
+		assert.Equal(t, logger, gnetAdapter.logger)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("with config", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logCfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+		logCfg.Directory = t.TempDir()
+
+		builder := NewBuilder().WithConfig(logCfg)
+		fasthttpAdapter, err := builder.BuildFastHTTP()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.NotNil(t, fasthttpAdapter)
+
+		logger1, _ := builder.GetLogger()
+		// The builder now creates AND starts the logger internally if needed
+		// We need to defer shutdown to clean up resources
+		defer logger1.Shutdown()
+	})
+}
+
+// TestGnetAdapter tests the gnet adapter's logging output and format
+func TestGnetAdapter(t *testing.T) {
+	builder, logger, tmpDir := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	var fatalCalled bool
+	adapter, err := builder.BuildGnet(WithFatalHandler(func(msg string) {
+		fatalCalled = true
+	}))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	adapter.Debugf("gnet debug id=%d", 1)
+	adapter.Infof("gnet info id=%d", 2)
+	adapter.Warnf("gnet warn id=%d", 3)
+	adapter.Errorf("gnet error id=%d", 4)
+	adapter.Fatalf("gnet fatal id=%d", 5)
+
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	lines := readLogFile(t, tmpDir, 5)
+
+	// Define expected log data. The order in the "fields" array is fixed by the adapter call
+	expected := []struct{ level, msg string }{
+		{"DEBUG", "gnet debug id=1"},
+		{"INFO", "gnet info id=2"},
+		{"WARN", "gnet warn id=3"},
+		{"ERROR", "gnet error id=4"},
+		{"ERROR", "gnet fatal id=5"},
+	}
+
+	// Filter out the "Logger started" line
+	var logLines []string
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		logLines = append(logLines, line)
+	}
+	require.Len(t, logLines, 5, "Should have 5 gnet log lines after filtering")
+
+	for i, line := range logLines {
+		var entry map[string]any
+		err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &entry)
+		require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to parse log line: %s", line)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, expected[i].level, entry["level"])
+
+		// The logger puts all arguments into a "fields" array
+		// The adapter's calls look like: logger.Info("msg", msg, "source", "gnet")
+		fields := entry["fields"].([]any)
+		assert.Equal(t, "msg", fields[0])
+		assert.Equal(t, expected[i].msg, fields[1])
+		assert.Equal(t, "source", fields[2])
+		assert.Equal(t, "gnet", fields[3])
+	}
+	assert.True(t, fatalCalled, "Custom fatal handler should have been called")
+}
+
+// TestStructuredGnetAdapter tests the gnet adapter with structured field extraction
+func TestStructuredGnetAdapter(t *testing.T) {
+	builder, logger, tmpDir := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	adapter, err := builder.BuildStructuredGnet()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	adapter.Infof("request served status=%d client_ip=%s", 200, "127.0.0.1")
+
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	lines := readLogFile(t, tmpDir, 1)
+
+	// Find our specific log line
+	require.Len(t, lines, 1, "Should be exactly one log line")
+	logLine := lines[0]
+	require.NotEmpty(t, logLine, "Did not find the structured gnet log line")
+
+	var entry map[string]any
+	err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(logLine), &entry)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// The structured adapter parses keys and values, so we check them directly
+	fields := entry["fields"].([]any)
+	assert.Equal(t, "INFO", entry["level"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "msg", fields[0])
+	assert.Equal(t, "request served", fields[1])
+	assert.Equal(t, "status", fields[2])
+	assert.Equal(t, 200.0, fields[3]) // JSON numbers are float64
+	assert.Equal(t, "client_ip", fields[4])
+	assert.Equal(t, "127.0.0.1", fields[5])
+	assert.Equal(t, "source", fields[6])
+	assert.Equal(t, "gnet", fields[7])
+}
+
+// TestFastHTTPAdapter tests the fasthttp adapter's logging output and level detection
+func TestFastHTTPAdapter(t *testing.T) {
+	builder, logger, tmpDir := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	adapter, err := builder.BuildFastHTTP()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	testMessages := []string{
+		"this is some informational message",
+		"a debug message for the developers",
+		"warning: something might be wrong",
+		"an error occurred while processing",
+	}
+	for _, msg := range testMessages {
+		adapter.Printf("%s", msg)
+	}
+
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Expect 4 test messages
+	lines := readLogFile(t, tmpDir, 4)
+	expectedLevels := []string{"INFO", "DEBUG", "WARN", "ERROR"}
+
+	require.Len(t, lines, 4, "Should have 4 fasthttp log lines")
+
+	for i, line := range lines {
+		var entry map[string]any
+		err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &entry)
+		require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to parse log line: %s", line)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, expectedLevels[i], entry["level"])
+		fields := entry["fields"].([]any)
+		assert.Equal(t, "msg", fields[0])
+		assert.Equal(t, testMessages[i], fields[1])
+		assert.Equal(t, "source", fields[2])
+		assert.Equal(t, "fasthttp", fields[3])
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFiberAdapter tests the Fiber adapter's logging output across all log levels
+func TestFiberAdapter(t *testing.T) {
+	builder, logger, tmpDir := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	var fatalCalled bool
+	var panicCalled bool
+	adapter, err := builder.BuildFiber(
+		WithFiberFatalHandler(func(msg string) {
+			fatalCalled = true
+		}),
+		WithFiberPanicHandler(func(msg string) {
+			panicCalled = true
+		}),
+	)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Test formatted logging (Tracef, Debugf, Infof, Warnf, Errorf, Fatalf, Panicf)
+	adapter.Tracef("fiber trace id=%d", 1)
+	adapter.Debugf("fiber debug id=%d", 2)
+	adapter.Infof("fiber info id=%d", 3)
+	adapter.Warnf("fiber warn id=%d", 4)
+	adapter.Errorf("fiber error id=%d", 5)
+	adapter.Fatalf("fiber fatal id=%d", 6)
+	adapter.Panicf("fiber panic id=%d", 7)
+
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	lines := readLogFile(t, tmpDir, 7)
+
+	expected := []struct {
+		level string
+		msg   string
+	}{
+		{"DEBUG", "fiber trace id=1"},
+		{"DEBUG", "fiber debug id=2"},
+		{"INFO", "fiber info id=3"},
+		{"WARN", "fiber warn id=4"},
+		{"ERROR", "fiber error id=5"},
+		{"ERROR", "fiber fatal id=6"},
+		{"ERROR", "fiber panic id=7"},
+	}
+
+	require.Len(t, lines, 7, "Should have 7 fiber log lines")
+
+	for i, line := range lines {
+		var entry map[string]any
+		err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &entry)
+		require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to parse log line: %s", line)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, expected[i].level, entry["level"])
+		fields := entry["fields"].([]any)
+		assert.Equal(t, "msg", fields[0])
+		assert.Equal(t, expected[i].msg, fields[1])
+		assert.Equal(t, "source", fields[2])
+		assert.Equal(t, "fiber", fields[3])
+	}
+	assert.True(t, fatalCalled, "Custom fatal handler should have been called")
+	assert.True(t, panicCalled, "Custom panic handler should have been called")
+}
+
+// TestFiberAdapterStructuredLogging tests Fiber's structured logging (WithLogger methods)
+func TestFiberAdapterStructuredLogging(t *testing.T) {
+	builder, logger, tmpDir := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	adapter, err := builder.BuildFiber()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Test structured logging with key-value pairs
+	adapter.Infow("request served", "status", 200, "client_ip", "127.0.0.1", "method", "GET")
+	adapter.Debugw("query executed", "duration_ms", 42, "query", "SELECT * FROM users")
+
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	lines := readLogFile(t, tmpDir, 2)
+	require.Len(t, lines, 2, "Should have 2 fiber structured log lines")
+
+	// Check first structured log (Infow)
+	var entry1 map[string]any
+	err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(lines[0]), &entry1)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "INFO", entry1["level"])
+	fields1 := entry1["fields"].([]any)
+	assert.Equal(t, "msg", fields1[0])
+	assert.Equal(t, "request served", fields1[1])
+	assert.Equal(t, "source", fields1[2])
+	assert.Equal(t, "fiber", fields1[3])
+	assert.Equal(t, "status", fields1[4])
+	assert.Equal(t, 200.0, fields1[5]) // JSON numbers are float64
+	assert.Equal(t, "client_ip", fields1[6])
+	assert.Equal(t, "127.0.0.1", fields1[7])
+
+	// Check second structured log (Debugw)
+	var entry2 map[string]any
+	err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(lines[1]), &entry2)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "DEBUG", entry2["level"])
+	fields2 := entry2["fields"].([]any)
+	assert.Equal(t, "msg", fields2[0])
+	assert.Equal(t, "query executed", fields2[1])
+	assert.Equal(t, "source", fields2[2])
+	assert.Equal(t, "fiber", fields2[3])
+	assert.Equal(t, "duration_ms", fields2[4])
+	assert.Equal(t, 42.0, fields2[5]) // JSON numbers are float64
+}
+
+// TestFiberBuilderIntegration ensures Fiber adapter can be built from builder
+func TestFiberBuilderIntegration(t *testing.T) {
+	builder, logger, _ := createTestCompatBuilder(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	fiberAdapter, err := builder.BuildFiber()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.NotNil(t, fiberAdapter)
+	assert.Equal(t, logger, fiberAdapter.logger)
+}

compat/fasthttp.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// FILE: compat/fasthttp.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/compat/fasthttp.go
 package compat
 
 import (
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
 )
 
-// FastHTTPAdapter wraps lixenwraith/log.Logger to implement fasthttp's Logger interface
+// FastHTTPAdapter wraps lixenwraith/log.Logger to implement fasthttp Logger interface
 type FastHTTPAdapter struct {
 	logger        *log.Logger
 	defaultLevel  int64
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func WithLevelDetector(detector func(string) int64) FastHTTPOption {
 }
 
 // Printf implements fasthttp's Logger interface
-func (a *FastHTTPAdapter) Printf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *FastHTTPAdapter) Printf(format string, args ...any) {
 	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
 
 	// Detect log level from message content

compat/fiber.go

@@ -0,0 +1,254 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/compat/fiber.go
+package compat
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+)
+
+// FiberAdapter wraps lixenwraith/log.Logger to implement Fiber's CommonLogger interface
+// This provides compatibility with Fiber v2.54.x logging requirements
+type FiberAdapter struct {
+	logger       *log.Logger
+	fatalHandler func(msg string) // Customizable fatal behavior
+	panicHandler func(msg string) // Customizable panic behavior
+}
+
+// NewFiberAdapter creates a new Fiber-compatible logger adapter
+func NewFiberAdapter(logger *log.Logger, opts ...FiberOption) *FiberAdapter {
+	adapter := &FiberAdapter{
+		logger: logger,
+		fatalHandler: func(msg string) {
+			os.Exit(1) // Default behavior
+		},
+		panicHandler: func(msg string) {
+			panic(msg) // Default behavior
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		opt(adapter)
+	}
+
+	return adapter
+}
+
+// FiberOption allows customizing adapter behavior
+type FiberOption func(*FiberAdapter)
+
+// WithFiberFatalHandler sets a custom fatal handler
+func WithFiberFatalHandler(handler func(string)) FiberOption {
+	return func(a *FiberAdapter) {
+		a.fatalHandler = handler
+	}
+}
+
+// WithFiberPanicHandler sets a custom panic handler
+func WithFiberPanicHandler(handler func(string)) FiberOption {
+	return func(a *FiberAdapter) {
+		a.panicHandler = handler
+	}
+}
+
+// --- Logger interface implementation (7 methods) ---
+
+// Trace logs at trace/debug level
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Trace(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Debug("msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "level", "trace")
+}
+
+// Debug logs at debug level
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Debug(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Debug("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Info logs at info level
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Info(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Info("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Warn logs at warn level
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Warn(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Warn("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Error logs at error level
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Error(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Fatal logs at error level and triggers fatal handler
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Fatal(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "fatal", true)
+
+	// Ensure log is flushed before exit
+	_ = a.logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	if a.fatalHandler != nil {
+		a.fatalHandler(msg)
+	}
+}
+
+// Panic logs at error level and triggers panic handler
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Panic(v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprint(v...)
+	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "panic", true)
+
+	// Ensure log is flushed before panic
+	_ = a.logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	if a.panicHandler != nil {
+		a.panicHandler(msg)
+	}
+}
+
+// Write makes FiberAdapter implement io.Writer interface
+// This allows it to be used with fiber.Config.ErrorHandler output redirection
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	msg := string(p)
+	// Trim trailing newline if present
+	if len(msg) > 0 && msg[len(msg)-1] == '\n' {
+		msg = msg[:len(msg)-1]
+	}
+	a.logger.Info("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+	return len(p), nil
+}
+
+// --- FormatLogger interface implementation (7 methods) ---
+
+// Tracef logs at trace/debug level with printf-style formatting
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Tracef(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Debug("msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "level", "trace")
+}
+
+// Debugf logs at debug level with printf-style formatting
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Debugf(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Debug("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Infof logs at info level with printf-style formatting
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Infof(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Info("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Warnf logs at warn level with printf-style formatting
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Warnf(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Warn("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Errorf logs at error level with printf-style formatting
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Errorf(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+}
+
+// Fatalf logs at error level and triggers fatal handler
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Fatalf(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "fatal", true)
+
+	// Ensure log is flushed before exit
+	_ = a.logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	if a.fatalHandler != nil {
+		a.fatalHandler(msg)
+	}
+}
+
+// Panicf logs at error level and triggers panic handler
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Panicf(format string, v ...any) {
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, v...)
+	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "panic", true)
+
+	// Ensure log is flushed before panic
+	_ = a.logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	if a.panicHandler != nil {
+		a.panicHandler(msg)
+	}
+}
+
+// --- WithLogger interface implementation (7 methods) ---
+
+// Tracew logs at trace/debug level with structured key-value pairs
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Tracew(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+6)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "level", "trace")
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Debug(fields...)
+}
+
+// Debugw logs at debug level with structured key-value pairs
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Debugw(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+4)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Debug(fields...)
+}
+
+// Infow logs at info level with structured key-value pairs
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Infow(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+4)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Info(fields...)
+}
+
+// Warnw logs at warn level with structured key-value pairs
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Warnw(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+4)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Warn(fields...)
+}
+
+// Errorw logs at error level with structured key-value pairs
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Errorw(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+4)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber")
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Error(fields...)
+}
+
+// Fatalw logs at error level with structured key-value pairs and triggers fatal handler
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Fatalw(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+6)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "fatal", true)
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Error(fields...)
+
+	// Ensure log is flushed before exit
+	_ = a.logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	if a.fatalHandler != nil {
+		a.fatalHandler(msg)
+	}
+}
+
+// Panicw logs at error level with structured key-value pairs and triggers panic handler
+func (a *FiberAdapter) Panicw(msg string, keysAndValues ...any) {
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(keysAndValues)+6)
+	fields = append(fields, "msg", msg, "source", "fiber", "panic", true)
+	fields = append(fields, keysAndValues...)
+	a.logger.Error(fields...)
+
+	// Ensure log is flushed before panic
+	_ = a.logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	if a.panicHandler != nil {
+		a.panicHandler(msg)
+	}
+}

compat/gnet.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// FILE: compat/gnet.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/compat/gnet.go
 package compat
 
 import (
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
 )
 
-// GnetAdapter wraps lixenwraith/log.Logger to implement gnet's logging.Logger interface
+// GnetAdapter wraps lixenwraith/log.Logger to implement gnet logging.Logger interface
 type GnetAdapter struct {
 	logger       *log.Logger
 	fatalHandler func(msg string) // Customizable fatal behavior
@@ -42,31 +42,31 @@ func WithFatalHandler(handler func(string)) GnetOption {
 }
 
 // Debugf logs at debug level with printf-style formatting
-func (a *GnetAdapter) Debugf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *GnetAdapter) Debugf(format string, args ...any) {
 	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
 	a.logger.Debug("msg", msg, "source", "gnet")
 }
 
 // Infof logs at info level with printf-style formatting
-func (a *GnetAdapter) Infof(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *GnetAdapter) Infof(format string, args ...any) {
 	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
 	a.logger.Info("msg", msg, "source", "gnet")
 }
 
 // Warnf logs at warn level with printf-style formatting
-func (a *GnetAdapter) Warnf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *GnetAdapter) Warnf(format string, args ...any) {
 	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
 	a.logger.Warn("msg", msg, "source", "gnet")
 }
 
 // Errorf logs at error level with printf-style formatting
-func (a *GnetAdapter) Errorf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *GnetAdapter) Errorf(format string, args ...any) {
 	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
 	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "gnet")
 }
 
 // Fatalf logs at error level and triggers fatal handler
-func (a *GnetAdapter) Fatalf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *GnetAdapter) Fatalf(format string, args ...any) {
 	msg := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
 	a.logger.Error("msg", msg, "source", "gnet", "fatal", true)
 

compat/structured_gnet.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// FILE: compat/structured.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/compat/structured_gnet.go
 package compat
 
 import (
@@ -10,19 +10,19 @@ import (
 )
 
 // parseFormat attempts to extract structured fields from printf-style format strings
-// This is useful for preserving structured logging semantics
+// Useful for preserving structured logging semantics
-func parseFormat(format string, args []interface{}) []interface{} {
+func parseFormat(format string, args []any) []any {
 	// Pattern to detect common structured patterns like "key=%v" or "key: %v"
 	keyValuePattern := regexp.MustCompile(`(\w+)\s*[:=]\s*%[vsdqxXeEfFgGpbcU]`)
 
 	matches := keyValuePattern.FindAllStringSubmatchIndex(format, -1)
 	if len(matches) == 0 || len(matches) > len(args) {
 		// Fallback to simple message if pattern doesn't match
-		return []interface{}{"msg", fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)}
+		return []any{"msg", fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)}
 	}
 
 	// Build structured fields
-	fields := make([]interface{}, 0, len(matches)*2+2)
+	fields := make([]any, 0, len(matches)*2+2)
 	lastEnd := 0
 	argIndex := 0
 
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func NewStructuredGnetAdapter(logger *log.Logger, opts ...GnetOption) *Structure
 }
 
 // Debugf logs with structured field extraction
-func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Debugf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Debugf(format string, args ...any) {
 	if a.extractFields {
 		fields := parseFormat(format, args)
 		a.logger.Debug(append(fields, "source", "gnet")...)
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Debugf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 }
 
 // Infof logs with structured field extraction
-func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Infof(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Infof(format string, args ...any) {
 	if a.extractFields {
 		fields := parseFormat(format, args)
 		a.logger.Info(append(fields, "source", "gnet")...)
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Infof(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 }
 
 // Warnf logs with structured field extraction
-func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Warnf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Warnf(format string, args ...any) {
 	if a.extractFields {
 		fields := parseFormat(format, args)
 		a.logger.Warn(append(fields, "source", "gnet")...)
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Warnf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 }
 
 // Errorf logs with structured field extraction
-func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Errorf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+func (a *StructuredGnetAdapter) Errorf(format string, args ...any) {
 	if a.extractFields {
 		fields := parseFormat(format, args)
 		a.logger.Error(append(fields, "source", "gnet")...)

config.go

@@ -1,29 +1,40 @@
-// FILE: config.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/config.go
 package log
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
 )
 
 // Config holds all logger configuration values
 type Config struct {
+	// File and Console output settings
+	EnableConsole bool   `toml:"enable_console"` // Enable console output (stdout/stderr)
+	ConsoleTarget string `toml:"console_target"` // "stdout", "stderr", or "split"
+	EnableFile    bool   `toml:"enable_file"`    // Enable file output
+
 	// Basic settings
-	Level     int64  `toml:"level"`
+	Level     int64  `toml:"level"`     // Log records at or above this Level will be logged
-	Name      string `toml:"name"` // Base name for log files
+	Name      string `toml:"name"`      // Base name for log files
-	Directory string `toml:"directory"`
+	Directory string `toml:"directory"` // Directory for log files
-	Format    string `toml:"format"` // "txt" or "json"
+	Extension string `toml:"extension"` // Log file extension
-	Extension string `toml:"extension"`
 
 	// Formatting
-	ShowTimestamp   bool   `toml:"show_timestamp"`
+	Format          string                 `toml:"format"`           // "txt", "raw", or "json"
-	ShowLevel       bool   `toml:"show_level"`
+	ShowTimestamp   bool                   `toml:"show_timestamp"`   // Add timestamp to log records
-	TimestampFormat string `toml:"timestamp_format"` // Time format for log timestamps
+	ShowLevel       bool                   `toml:"show_level"`       // Add level to log record
+	TimestampFormat string                 `toml:"timestamp_format"` // Time format for log timestamps
+	Sanitization    sanitizer.PolicyPreset `toml:"sanitization"`     // "raw", "json", "txt", "shell"
 
 	// Buffer and size limits
 	BufferSize     int64 `toml:"buffer_size"`       // Channel buffer size
-	MaxSizeMB      int64 `toml:"max_size_mb"`       // Max size per log file
+	MaxSizeKB      int64 `toml:"max_size_kb"`       // Max size per log file
-	MaxTotalSizeMB int64 `toml:"max_total_size_mb"` // Max total size of all logs in dir
+	MaxTotalSizeKB int64 `toml:"max_total_size_kb"` // Max total size of all logs in dir
-	MinDiskFreeMB  int64 `toml:"min_disk_free_mb"`  // Minimum free disk space required
+	MinDiskFreeKB  int64 `toml:"min_disk_free_kb"`  // Minimum free disk space required
 
 	// Timers
 	FlushIntervalMs    int64   `toml:"flush_interval_ms"`    // Interval for flushing file buffer
@@ -42,34 +53,35 @@ type Config struct {
 	HeartbeatLevel     int64 `toml:"heartbeat_level"`      // 0=disabled, 1=proc only, 2=proc+disk, 3=proc+disk+sys
 	HeartbeatIntervalS int64 `toml:"heartbeat_interval_s"` // Interval seconds for heartbeat
 
-	// Stdout/console output settings
-	EnableStdout bool   `toml:"enable_stdout"` // Mirror logs to stdout/stderr
-	StdoutTarget string `toml:"stdout_target"` // "stdout" or "stderr"
-	DisableFile  bool   `toml:"disable_file"`  // Disable file output entirely
-
 	// Internal error handling
 	InternalErrorsToStderr bool `toml:"internal_errors_to_stderr"` // Write internal errors to stderr
 }
 
 // defaultConfig is the single source for all configurable default values
 var defaultConfig = Config{
-	// Basic settings
+	// Output settings
+	EnableConsole: true,
+	ConsoleTarget: "stderr",
+	EnableFile:    false,
+
+	// File settings
 	Level:     LevelInfo,
 	Name:      "log",
-	Directory: "./logs",
+	Directory: "./log",
-	Format:    "txt",
 	Extension: "log",
 
 	// Formatting
+	Format:          "raw",
 	ShowTimestamp:   true,
 	ShowLevel:       true,
 	TimestampFormat: time.RFC3339Nano,
+	Sanitization:    PolicyRaw,
 
 	// Buffer and size limits
 	BufferSize:     1024,
-	MaxSizeMB:      10,
+	MaxSizeKB:      1000,
-	MaxTotalSizeMB: 50,
+	MaxTotalSizeKB: 5000,
-	MinDiskFreeMB:  100,
+	MinDiskFreeKB:  10000,
 
 	// Timers
 	FlushIntervalMs:    100,
@@ -88,11 +100,6 @@ var defaultConfig = Config{
 	HeartbeatLevel:     0,
 	HeartbeatIntervalS: 60,
 
-	// Stdout settings
-	EnableStdout: false,
-	StdoutTarget: "stdout",
-	DisableFile:  false,
-
 	// Internal error handling
 	InternalErrorsToStderr: false,
 }
@@ -100,39 +107,69 @@ var defaultConfig = Config{
 // DefaultConfig returns a copy of the default configuration
 func DefaultConfig() *Config {
 	// Create a copy to prevent modifications to the original
-	config := defaultConfig
+	return defaultConfig.Clone()
-	return &config
 }
 
-// validate performs basic sanity checks on the configuration values.
+// Clone creates a deep copy of the configuration
-func (c *Config) validate() error {
+func (c *Config) Clone() *Config {
-	// Individual field validations
+	copiedConfig := *c
-	fields := map[string]any{
+	return &copiedConfig
-		"name":                   c.Name,
+}
-		"format":                 c.Format,
+
-		"extension":              c.Extension,
+// Validate performs validation on the configuration
-		"timestamp_format":       c.TimestampFormat,
+func (c *Config) Validate() error {
-		"buffer_size":            c.BufferSize,
+	// String validations
-		"max_size_mb":            c.MaxSizeMB,
+	if strings.TrimSpace(c.Name) == "" {
-		"max_total_size_mb":      c.MaxTotalSizeMB,
+		return fmtErrorf("log name cannot be empty")
-		"min_disk_free_mb":       c.MinDiskFreeMB,
-		"flush_interval_ms":      c.FlushIntervalMs,
-		"disk_check_interval_ms": c.DiskCheckIntervalMs,
-		"min_check_interval_ms":  c.MinCheckIntervalMs,
-		"max_check_interval_ms":  c.MaxCheckIntervalMs,
-		"trace_depth":            c.TraceDepth,
-		"retention_period_hrs":   c.RetentionPeriodHrs,
-		"retention_check_mins":   c.RetentionCheckMins,
-		"heartbeat_level":        c.HeartbeatLevel,
-		"heartbeat_interval_s":   c.HeartbeatIntervalS,
-		"stdout_target":          c.StdoutTarget,
-		"level":                  c.Level,
 	}
 
-	for key, value := range fields {
+	if c.Format != "txt" && c.Format != "json" && c.Format != "raw" {
-		if err := validateConfigValue(key, value); err != nil {
+		return fmtErrorf("invalid format: '%s' (use txt, json, or raw)", c.Format)
-			return err
+	}
-		}
+
+	switch c.Sanitization {
+	case PolicyRaw, PolicyJSON, PolicyTxt, PolicyShell:
+		// valid policy
+	default:
+		return fmtErrorf("invalid sanitization policy: '%s' (use raw, json, txt, or shell)", c.Sanitization)
+	}
+
+	if strings.HasPrefix(c.Extension, ".") {
+		return fmtErrorf("extension should not start with dot: %s", c.Extension)
+	}
+
+	if strings.TrimSpace(c.TimestampFormat) == "" {
+		return fmtErrorf("timestamp_format cannot be empty")
+	}
+
+	if c.ConsoleTarget != "stdout" && c.ConsoleTarget != "stderr" && c.ConsoleTarget != "split" {
+		return fmtErrorf("invalid console_target: '%s' (use stdout, stderr, or split)", c.ConsoleTarget)
+	}
+
+	// Numeric validations
+	if c.BufferSize <= 0 {
+		return fmtErrorf("buffer_size must be positive: %d", c.BufferSize)
+	}
+
+	if c.MaxSizeKB < 0 || c.MaxTotalSizeKB < 0 || c.MinDiskFreeKB < 0 {
+		return fmtErrorf("size limits cannot be negative")
+	}
+
+	if c.FlushIntervalMs <= 0 || c.DiskCheckIntervalMs <= 0 ||
+		c.MinCheckIntervalMs <= 0 || c.MaxCheckIntervalMs <= 0 {
+		return fmtErrorf("interval settings must be positive")
+	}
+
+	if c.TraceDepth < 0 || c.TraceDepth > 10 {
+		return fmtErrorf("trace_depth must be between 0 and 10: %d", c.TraceDepth)
+	}
+
+	if c.RetentionPeriodHrs < 0 || c.RetentionCheckMins < 0 {
+		return fmtErrorf("retention settings cannot be negative")
+	}
+
+	if c.HeartbeatLevel < 0 || c.HeartbeatLevel > 3 {
+		return fmtErrorf("heartbeat_level must be between 0 and 3: %d", c.HeartbeatLevel)
 	}
 
 	// Cross-field validations
@@ -147,4 +184,232 @@ func (c *Config) validate() error {
 	}
 
 	return nil
+}
+
+// applyConfigField applies a single key-value override to a Config
+// This is the core field mapping logic for string overrides
+func applyConfigField(cfg *Config, key, value string) error {
+	switch key {
+	// Basic settings
+	case "level":
+		// Special handling: accept both numeric and named values
+		if numVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64); err == nil {
+			cfg.Level = numVal
+		} else {
+			// Try parsing as named level
+			levelVal, err := Level(value)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmtErrorf("invalid level value '%s': %w", value, err)
+			}
+			cfg.Level = levelVal
+		}
+	case "name":
+		cfg.Name = value
+	case "directory":
+		cfg.Directory = value
+	case "extension":
+		cfg.Extension = value
+
+	// Formatting
+	case "format":
+		cfg.Format = value
+	case "show_timestamp":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for show_timestamp '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.ShowTimestamp = boolVal
+	case "show_level":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for show_level '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.ShowLevel = boolVal
+	case "timestamp_format":
+		cfg.TimestampFormat = value
+	case "sanitization":
+		cfg.Sanitization = sanitizer.PolicyPreset(value)
+
+	// Buffer and size limits
+	case "buffer_size":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for buffer_size '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.BufferSize = intVal
+	case "max_size_kb":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for max_size_kb '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.MaxSizeKB = intVal
+	case "max_total_size_kb":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for max_total_size_kb '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.MaxTotalSizeKB = intVal
+	case "min_disk_free_kb":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for min_disk_free_kb '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.MinDiskFreeKB = intVal
+
+	// Timers
+	case "flush_interval_ms":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for flush_interval_ms '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.FlushIntervalMs = intVal
+	case "trace_depth":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for trace_depth '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.TraceDepth = intVal
+	case "retention_period_hrs":
+		floatVal, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid float value for retention_period_hrs '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.RetentionPeriodHrs = floatVal
+	case "retention_check_mins":
+		floatVal, err := strconv.ParseFloat(value, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid float value for retention_check_mins '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.RetentionCheckMins = floatVal
+
+	// Disk check settings
+	case "disk_check_interval_ms":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for disk_check_interval_ms '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.DiskCheckIntervalMs = intVal
+	case "enable_adaptive_interval":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for enable_adaptive_interval '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.EnableAdaptiveInterval = boolVal
+	case "enable_periodic_sync":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for enable_periodic_sync '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.EnablePeriodicSync = boolVal
+	case "min_check_interval_ms":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for min_check_interval_ms '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.MinCheckIntervalMs = intVal
+	case "max_check_interval_ms":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for max_check_interval_ms '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.MaxCheckIntervalMs = intVal
+
+	// Heartbeat configuration
+	case "heartbeat_level":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for heartbeat_level '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.HeartbeatLevel = intVal
+	case "heartbeat_interval_s":
+		intVal, err := strconv.ParseInt(value, 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid integer value for heartbeat_interval_s '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.HeartbeatIntervalS = intVal
+
+	// Console output settings
+	case "enable_console":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for enable_console '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.EnableConsole = boolVal
+	case "console_target":
+		cfg.ConsoleTarget = value
+	case "enable_file":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for enable_file '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.EnableFile = boolVal
+
+	// Internal error handling
+	case "internal_errors_to_stderr":
+		boolVal, err := strconv.ParseBool(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("invalid boolean value for internal_errors_to_stderr '%s': %w", value, err)
+		}
+		cfg.InternalErrorsToStderr = boolVal
+
+	default:
+		return fmtErrorf("unknown configuration key '%s'", key)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// configRequiresRestart checks if config changes require processor restart
+func configRequiresRestart(oldCfg, newCfg *Config) bool {
+	// Channel size change requires restart
+	if oldCfg.BufferSize != newCfg.BufferSize {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// File output changes require restart
+	if oldCfg.EnableFile != newCfg.EnableFile {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// Directory or file naming changes require restart
+	if oldCfg.Directory != newCfg.Directory ||
+		oldCfg.Name != newCfg.Name ||
+		oldCfg.Extension != newCfg.Extension {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// Timer changes require restart
+	if oldCfg.FlushIntervalMs != newCfg.FlushIntervalMs ||
+		oldCfg.DiskCheckIntervalMs != newCfg.DiskCheckIntervalMs ||
+		oldCfg.EnableAdaptiveInterval != newCfg.EnableAdaptiveInterval ||
+		oldCfg.HeartbeatIntervalS != newCfg.HeartbeatIntervalS ||
+		oldCfg.HeartbeatLevel != newCfg.HeartbeatLevel ||
+		oldCfg.RetentionCheckMins != newCfg.RetentionCheckMins ||
+		oldCfg.RetentionPeriodHrs != newCfg.RetentionPeriodHrs {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
+// combineConfigErrors combines multiple configuration errors into a single error.
+func combineConfigErrors(errors []error) error {
+	if len(errors) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if len(errors) == 1 {
+		return errors[0]
+	}
+
+	var sb strings.Builder
+	sb.WriteString("log: multiple configuration errors:")
+	for i, err := range errors {
+		errMsg := err.Error()
+		// Remove "log: " prefix from individual errors to avoid duplication
+		if strings.HasPrefix(errMsg, "log: ") {
+			errMsg = errMsg[5:]
+		}
+		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\n  %d. %s", i+1, errMsg))
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("%s", sb.String())
 }

config_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/config_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestDefaultConfig verifies that the default configuration is created with expected values
+func TestDefaultConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+
+	assert.NotNil(t, cfg)
+	assert.Equal(t, LevelInfo, cfg.Level)
+	assert.Equal(t, "log", cfg.Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "log", cfg.Extension)
+	assert.Equal(t, "./log", cfg.Directory)
+	assert.Equal(t, "raw", cfg.Format)
+	assert.Equal(t, PolicyRaw, cfg.Sanitization)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.ShowTimestamp)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.ShowLevel)
+	assert.Equal(t, time.RFC3339Nano, cfg.TimestampFormat)
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(1024), cfg.BufferSize)
+}
+
+// TestConfigClone verifies that cloning a config creates a deep copy
+func TestConfigClone(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg1 := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg1.Level = LevelDebug
+	cfg1.Directory = "/custom/path"
+
+	cfg2 := cfg1.Clone()
+
+	// Verify deep copy
+	assert.Equal(t, cfg1.Level, cfg2.Level)
+	assert.Equal(t, cfg1.Directory, cfg2.Directory)
+
+	// Modify original
+	cfg1.Level = LevelError
+
+	// Verify clone unchanged
+	assert.Equal(t, LevelDebug, cfg2.Level)
+}
+
+// TestConfigValidate checks various invalid configuration scenarios to ensure they produce errors
+func TestConfigValidate(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		modify    func(*Config)
+		wantError string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "valid config",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) {},
+			wantError: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "empty name",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.Name = "" },
+			wantError: "log name cannot be empty",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "invalid format",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.Format = "invalid" },
+			wantError: "invalid format",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "extension with dot",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.Extension = ".log" },
+			wantError: "extension should not start with dot",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "negative buffer size",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.BufferSize = -1 },
+			wantError: "buffer_size must be positive",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "invalid trace depth",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.TraceDepth = 11 },
+			wantError: "trace_depth must be between 0 and 10",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "invalid heartbeat level",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.HeartbeatLevel = 4 },
+			wantError: "heartbeat_level must be between 0 and 3",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "invalid stdout target",
+			modify:    func(c *Config) { c.ConsoleTarget = "invalid" },
+			wantError: "invalid console_target",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "min > max check interval",
+			modify: func(c *Config) {
+				c.MinCheckIntervalMs = 1000
+				c.MaxCheckIntervalMs = 500
+			},
+			wantError: "min_check_interval_ms",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			cfg := DefaultConfig()
+			tt.modify(cfg)
+			err := cfg.Validate()
+
+			if tt.wantError == "" {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+			} else {
+				assert.Error(t, err)
+				assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), tt.wantError)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestConcurrentApplyConfig verifies that applying configurations concurrently does not cause race conditions or panics
+func TestConcurrentApplyConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+
+	// Concurrent config applications
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(id int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+
+			cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+			// Vary settings
+			if id%2 == 0 {
+				cfg.Level = LevelDebug
+				cfg.Format = "json"
+			} else {
+				cfg.Level = LevelInfo
+				cfg.Format = "txt"
+			}
+			cfg.TraceDepth = int64(id % 5)
+
+			err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+			// Log with new config
+			logger.Info("config test", id)
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	// Verify logger still functional
+	logger.Info("after concurrent config")
+	err := logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Check log file exists and has content
+	files, err := os.ReadDir(tmpDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(files), 1)
+}

constant.go

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/constant.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/formatter"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+)
+
+// Log level constants
+const (
+	LevelDebug int64 = -4
+	LevelInfo  int64 = 0
+	LevelWarn  int64 = 4
+	LevelError int64 = 8
+)
+
+// Heartbeat log levels
+const (
+	LevelProc int64 = 12
+	LevelDisk int64 = 16
+	LevelSys  int64 = 20
+)
+
+// Record flags for controlling output structure
+const (
+	FlagRaw            = formatter.FlagRaw // Bypasses both formatter and sanitizer
+	FlagShowTimestamp  = formatter.FlagShowTimestamp
+	FlagShowLevel      = formatter.FlagShowLevel
+	FlagStructuredJSON = formatter.FlagStructuredJSON
+	FlagDefault        = formatter.FlagDefault
+)
+
+// Sanitizer policies
+const (
+	PolicyRaw   = sanitizer.PolicyRaw
+	PolicyJSON  = sanitizer.PolicyJSON
+	PolicyTxt   = sanitizer.PolicyTxt
+	PolicyShell = sanitizer.PolicyShell
+)
+
+// Storage
+const (
+	// Threshold for triggering reactive disk check
+	reactiveCheckThresholdBytes int64 = 10 * 1024 * 1024
+	// Size multiplier for KB, MB
+	sizeMultiplier = 1000
+)
+
+// Timers
+const (
+	// Minimum wait time used throughout the package
+	minWaitTime = 10 * time.Millisecond
+	// Factors to adjust check interval
+	adaptiveIntervalFactor float64 = 1.5 // Slow down
+	adaptiveSpeedUpFactor  float64 = 0.8 // Speed up
+)

doc/adapters.md

@@ -0,0 +1,634 @@
+# Compatibility Adapters
+
+Guide to using lixenwraith/log with popular Go networking frameworks through compatibility adapters.
+
+## Overview
+
+The `compat` package provides adapters that allow the lixenwraith/log logger to work seamlessly with:
+
+- **gnet v2**: High-performance event-driven networking framework
+- **fasthttp**: Fast HTTP implementation
+
+### Features
+
+- Full interface compatibility
+- Preserves structured logging
+- Configurable behavior
+- Shared logger instances
+- Optional field extraction
+
+## gnet Adapter
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+```go
+import (
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+    "github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2"
+)
+
+// Create logger
+logger := log.NewLogger()
+cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+cfg.Directory = "/var/log/gnet"
+logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+// Create adapter
+adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
+
+// Use with gnet
+gnet.Run(eventHandler, "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000", 
+    gnet.WithLogger(adapter),
+)
+```
+
+### gnet Interface Implementation
+
+The adapter implements all gnet logger methods:
+
+```go
+type GnetAdapter struct {
+    logger *log.Logger
+}
+
+// Methods implemented:
+// - Debugf(format string, args ...any)
+// - Infof(format string, args ...any)
+// - Warnf(format string, args ...any)
+// - Errorf(format string, args ...any)
+// - Fatalf(format string, args ...any)
+```
+
+### Custom Fatal Behavior
+
+Override default fatal handling:
+
+```go
+adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger,
+    compat.WithFatalHandler(func(msg string) {
+        // Custom cleanup
+        saveApplicationState()
+        notifyOperations(msg)
+        gracefulShutdown()
+        os.Exit(1)
+    }),
+)
+```
+
+### Complete gnet Example
+
+```go
+type echoServer struct {
+    gnet.BuiltinEventEngine
+    logger gnet.Logger
+}
+
+func (es *echoServer) OnBoot(eng gnet.Engine) gnet.Action {
+    es.logger.Infof("Server started on %s", eng.Addrs)
+    return gnet.None
+}
+
+func (es *echoServer) OnTraffic(c gnet.Conn) gnet.Action {
+    buf, _ := c.Next(-1)
+    es.logger.Debugf("Received %d bytes from %s", len(buf), c.RemoteAddr())
+    c.Write(buf)
+    return gnet.None
+}
+
+func main() {
+    logger := log.NewLogger()
+	cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+    cfg.Directory = "/var/log/gnet"
+	cfg.Format = "json"
+	cfg.BufferSize = 2048
+	logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+    defer logger.Shutdown()
+    
+    adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
+    
+    gnet.Run(
+        &echoServer{logger: adapter},
+        "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000",
+        gnet.WithMulticore(true),
+        gnet.WithLogger(adapter),
+    )
+}
+```
+
+## fasthttp Adapter
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+```go
+import (
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+    "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
+)
+
+// Create logger
+logger := log.NewLogger()
+cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+cfg.Directory = "/var/log/fasthttp"
+logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+// Create adapter
+adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger)
+
+// Configure server
+server := &fasthttp.Server{
+    Handler: requestHandler,
+    Logger:  adapter,
+}
+```
+
+### Level Detection
+
+The adapter automatically detects log levels from message content:
+
+```go
+// Default detection rules:
+// - Contains "error", "failed", "fatal", "panic" → ERROR
+// - Contains "warn", "warning", "deprecated" → WARN  
+// - Contains "debug", "trace" → DEBUG
+// - Otherwise → INFO
+```
+
+### Custom Level Detection
+
+```go
+adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger,
+    compat.WithDefaultLevel(log.LevelInfo),
+    compat.WithLevelDetector(func(msg string) int64 {
+        // Custom detection logic
+        if strings.Contains(msg, "CRITICAL") {
+            return log.LevelError
+        }
+        if strings.Contains(msg, "performance") {
+            return log.LevelWarn
+        }
+        // Return 0 to use the adapter's default log level (log.LevelInfo by default)
+        return 0
+    }),
+)
+```
+
+## Builder Pattern
+
+### Using Existing Logger (Recommended)
+
+Share a configured logger across adapters:
+
+```go
+// Create and configure your main logger
+logger := log.NewLogger()
+cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+cfg.Level = log.LevelDebug
+logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+logger.Start()
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+// Create builder with existing logger
+builder := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(logger)
+
+// Build adapters
+gnetAdapter, _ := builder.BuildGnet()
+if err != nil { return err }
+
+fasthttpAdapter, _ := builder.BuildFastHTTP()
+if err != nil { return err }
+```
+
+### Creating New Logger
+
+Let the builder create a logger with config:
+
+```go
+// Option 1: With custom config
+cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+cfg.Directory = "/var/log/app"
+builder := compat.NewBuilder().WithConfig(cfg)
+
+// Option 2: Default config (created on first build)
+builder := compat.NewBuilder()
+if err != nil { return err }
+
+// Build adapters
+gnetAdapter, _ := builder.BuildGnet()
+logger, _ := builder.GetLogger() // Retrieve for direct use
+```
+
+### Structured gnet Adapter
+
+Extract fields from printf-style formats:
+
+```go
+structuredAdapter, _ := builder.BuildStructuredGnet()
+// "client=%s port=%d" → {"client": "...", "port": ...}
+```
+
+## Structured Logging
+
+### Field Extraction
+
+Structured adapters can extract fields from printf-style formats:
+
+```go
+// Regular adapter output:
+// "client=192.168.1.1 port=8080"
+
+// Structured adapter output:
+// {"client": "192.168.1.1", "port": 8080, "source": "gnet"}
+```
+
+### Pattern Detection
+
+The structured adapter recognizes patterns like:
+- `key=%v`
+- `key: %v`
+- `key = %v`
+
+```go
+adapter := compat.NewStructuredGnetAdapter(logger)
+
+// These will extract structured fields:
+adapter.Infof("client=%s port=%d", "192.168.1.1", 8080)
+// → {"client": "192.168.1.1", "port": 8080}
+
+adapter.Errorf("user: %s, error: %s", "john", "auth failed")
+// → {"user": "john", "error": "auth failed"}
+
+// These remain as messages:
+adapter.Infof("Connected to server")
+// → {"msg": "Connected to server"}
+```
+
+### Integration Examples
+
+#### Microservice with Both Frameworks
+
+```go
+type Service struct {
+    gnetAdapter     *compat.GnetAdapter
+    fasthttpAdapter *compat.FastHTTPAdapter
+    logger          *log.Logger
+}
+
+func NewService() (*Service, error) {
+    // Create and configure logger
+    logger := log.NewLogger()
+    cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+    cfg.Directory = "/var/log/service"
+    cfg.Format = "json"
+    cfg.HeartbeatLevel = 2
+    if err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg); err != nil {
+        return nil, err
+    }
+    if err := logger.Start(); err != nil {
+        return nil, err
+    }
+
+    // Create builder with the logger
+    builder := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(logger)
+
+    // Build adapters
+    gnetAdapter, err := builder.BuildGnet()
+    if err != nil {
+        logger.Shutdown()
+        return nil, err
+    }
+
+    fasthttpAdapter, err := builder.BuildFastHTTP()
+    if err != nil {
+        logger.Shutdown()
+        return nil, err
+    }
+
+    return &Service{
+        gnetAdapter:     gnetAdapter,
+        fasthttpAdapter: fasthttpAdapter,
+        logger:          logger,
+    }, nil
+}
+```
+
+#### Middleware Integration
+
+```go
+// gnet middleware
+func loggingMiddleware(adapter *compat.GnetAdapter) gnet.EventHandler {
+    return func(c gnet.Conn) gnet.Action {
+        start := time.Now()
+        addr := c.RemoteAddr()
+        
+        // Process connection
+        action := next(c)
+        
+        adapter.Infof("conn_duration=%v remote=%s action=%v",
+            time.Since(start), addr, action)
+        
+        return action
+    }
+}
+
+// fasthttp middleware
+func requestLogger(adapter *compat.FastHTTPAdapter) fasthttp.RequestHandler {
+    return func(ctx *fasthttp.RequestCtx) {
+        start := time.Now()
+        
+        // Process request
+        next(ctx)
+        
+        // Adapter will detect level from status
+        adapter.Printf("method=%s path=%s status=%d duration=%v",
+            ctx.Method(), ctx.Path(), 
+            ctx.Response.StatusCode(),
+            time.Since(start))
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Simple integration example suite
+
+Below simple client and server examples can be used to test the basic functionality of the adapters. They are not included in the package to avoid dependency creep.
+
+
+#### gnet server
+
+
+```go
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"syscall"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+	"github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2"
+)
+
+type echoServer struct {
+	gnet.BuiltinEventEngine
+	adapter *compat.GnetAdapter
+}
+
+func (es *echoServer) OnTraffic(c gnet.Conn) gnet.Action {
+	buf, _ := c.Next(-1)
+	if len(buf) > 0 {
+		es.adapter.Infof("Echo %d bytes", len(buf))
+		c.Write(buf)
+	}
+	return gnet.None
+}
+
+func main() {
+	// Minimal logger config
+	logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+		Directory("./logs_gnet").
+		Format("json").
+		LevelString("info").
+		HeartbeatLevel(0).
+		Build()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := logger.Start(); err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	adapter, err := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(logger).BuildGnet()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	handler := &echoServer{adapter: adapter}
+
+	fmt.Println("Starting gnet server on :9000")
+	fmt.Println("Press Ctrl+C to stop")
+
+	// Signal handling
+	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
+
+	go func() {
+		if err := gnet.Run(handler, "tcp://:9000",
+			gnet.WithLogger(adapter),
+		); err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("gnet error: %v\n", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	<-sigChan
+	fmt.Println("\nShutting down...")
+	logger.Shutdown()
+}
+```
+
+#### fasthttp server
+
+
+```go
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"syscall"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+	"github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	// Minimal logger config
+	logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+		Directory("./logs_fasthttp").
+		Format("json").
+		LevelString("info").
+		HeartbeatLevel(0).
+		Build()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := logger.Start(); err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	adapter, err := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(logger).BuildFastHTTP()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	server := &fasthttp.Server{
+		Handler: func(ctx *fasthttp.RequestCtx) {
+			adapter.Printf("Request: %s %s", ctx.Method(), ctx.Path())
+			ctx.WriteString("OK")
+		},
+		Logger: adapter,
+		Name:   "TestServer",
+	}
+
+	fmt.Println("Starting FastHTTP server on :8080")
+	fmt.Println("Press Ctrl+C to stop")
+
+	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
+
+	go func() {
+		if err := server.ListenAndServe(":8080"); err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("FastHTTP error: %v\n", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	<-sigChan
+	fmt.Println("\nShutting down...")
+	server.Shutdown()
+	logger.Shutdown()
+}
+```
+
+#### Fiber server
+
+
+```go
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"syscall"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/gofiber/fiber/v2"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	// Minimal logger config
+	logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+		Directory("./logs_fiber").
+		Format("json").
+		LevelString("info").
+		HeartbeatLevel(0).
+		Build()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := logger.Start(); err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	adapter, err := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(logger).BuildFiber()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	app := fiber.New(fiber.Config{
+		DisableStartupMessage: true,
+	})
+
+	app.Use(func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
+		adapter.Infow("Request", "method", c.Method(), "path", c.Path())
+		return c.Next()
+	})
+
+	app.Get("/", func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
+		return c.SendString("OK")
+	})
+
+	fmt.Println("Starting Fiber server on :3000")
+	fmt.Println("Press Ctrl+C to stop")
+
+	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
+
+	go func() {
+		if err := app.Listen(":3000"); err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("Fiber error: %v\n", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	<-sigChan
+	fmt.Println("\nShutting down...")
+	app.ShutdownWithTimeout(2 * time.Second)
+	logger.Shutdown()
+}
+```
+
+#### Client
+
+Client for all adapter servers.
+
+```bash
+# Run with:
+go run client.go -target=gnet
+go run client.go -target=fasthttp
+go run client.go -target=fiber
+```
+
+
+```go
+package main
+
+import (
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+)
+
+var target = flag.String("target", "fiber", "Target: gnet|fasthttp|fiber")
+
+func main() {
+	flag.Parse()
+
+	switch *target {
+	case "gnet":
+		conn, err := net.Dial("tcp", "localhost:9000")
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		conn.Write([]byte("TEST"))
+		buf := make([]byte, 4)
+		conn.Read(buf)
+		conn.Close()
+		fmt.Println("gnet: received echo")
+
+	case "fasthttp":
+		resp, err := http.Get("http://localhost:8080/")
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		resp.Body.Close()
+		fmt.Printf("fasthttp: %s\n", body)
+
+	case "fiber":
+		resp, err := http.Get("http://localhost:3000/")
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		resp.Body.Close()
+		fmt.Printf("fiber: %s\n", body)
+	}
+}
+```
+

doc/api.md

@@ -1,20 +1,7 @@
 # API Reference
 
-[← Configuration](configuration.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Logging Guide →](logging-guide.md)
-
 Complete API documentation for the lixenwraith/log package.
 
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Logger Creation](#logger-creation)
-- [Initialization Methods](#initialization-methods)
-- [Logging Methods](#logging-methods)
-- [Trace Logging Methods](#trace-logging-methods)
-- [Special Logging Methods](#special-logging-methods)
-- [Control Methods](#control-methods)
-- [Constants](#constants)
-- [Error Types](#error-types)
-
 ## Logger Creation
 
 ### NewLogger
@@ -32,88 +19,49 @@ logger := log.NewLogger()
 
 ## Initialization Methods
 
-### Init
+### ApplyConfig
 
 ```go
-func (l *Logger) Init(cfg *config.Config, basePath string) error
+func (l *Logger) ApplyConfig(cfg *Config) error
 ```
 
-Initializes the logger using settings from a `config.Config` instance.
+Applies a validated configuration to the logger. This is the recommended method for applications that need full control over configuration.
 
 **Parameters:**
-- `cfg`: Configuration instance containing logger settings
+- `cfg`: A `*Config` struct with desired settings
-- `basePath`: Prefix for configuration keys (e.g., "logging" looks for "logging.level", "logging.directory", etc.)
 
 **Returns:**
-- `error`: Initialization error if configuration is invalid
+- `error`: Configuration error if invalid
 
 **Example:**
 ```go
-cfg := config.New()
+logger := log.NewLogger()
-cfg.Load("app.toml", os.Args[1:])
+
-err := logger.Init(cfg, "logging")
+cfg := log.GetConfig()
+cfg.Level = log.LevelDebug
+cfg.Directory = "/var/log/app"
+err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
 ```
 
-### InitWithDefaults
+### ApplyConfigString
 
 ```go
-func (l *Logger) InitWithDefaults(overrides ...string) error
+func (l *Logger) ApplyConfigString(overrides ...string) error
 ```
 
-Initializes the logger using built-in defaults with optional overrides.
+Applies key-value overrides to the logger. Convenient interface for minor changes.
 
 **Parameters:**
-- `overrides`: Variable number of "key=value" strings
+- `overrides`: Variadic overrides in the format "key=value"
 
 **Returns:**
-- `error`: Initialization error if overrides are invalid
+- `error`: Configuration error if invalid
 
 **Example:**
 ```go
-err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
+logger := log.NewLogger()
-    "directory=/var/log/app",
-    "level=-4",
-    "format=json",
-)
-```
 
-### LoadConfig
+err := logger.ApplyConfigString("directory=/var/log/app", "name=app")
-
-```go
-func (l *Logger) LoadConfig(path string, args []string) error
-```
-
-Loads configuration from a TOML file with CLI overrides.
-
-**Parameters:**
-- `path`: Path to TOML configuration file
-- `args`: Command-line arguments for overrides
-
-**Returns:**
-- `error`: Load or initialization error
-
-**Example:**
-```go
-err := logger.LoadConfig("config.toml", os.Args[1:])
-```
-
-### SaveConfig
-
-```go
-func (l *Logger) SaveConfig(path string) error
-```
-
-Saves the current logger configuration to a file.
-
-**Parameters:**
-- `path`: Path where configuration should be saved
-
-**Returns:**
-- `error`: Save error if write fails
-
-**Example:**
-```go
-err := logger.SaveConfig("current-config.toml")
 ```
 
 ## Logging Methods
@@ -172,6 +120,37 @@ Logs a message at error level (8).
 logger.Error("Database connection failed", "host", "db.example.com", "error", err)
 ```
 
+### LogStructured
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) LogStructured(level int64, message string, fields map[string]any)
+```
+
+Logs a message with structured fields as proper JSON (when format="json").
+
+**Example:**
+```go
+logger.LogStructured(log.LevelInfo, "User action", map[string]any{
+    "user_id": 42,
+    "action": "login",
+    "metadata": map[string]any{"ip": "192.168.1.1"},
+     })
+```
+
+### Write
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) Write(args ...any)
+```
+
+Outputs raw, unformatted data regardless of configured format. Bypasses all formatting (timestamps, levels, JSON structure) and writes args as space-separated strings without a trailing newline.
+
+**Example:**
+```go
+logger.Write("METRIC", "cpu_usage", 85.5, "timestamp", 1234567890)
+// Output: METRIC cpu_usage 85.5 timestamp 1234567890
+```
+
 ## Trace Logging Methods
 
 These methods include function call traces in the log output.
@@ -328,18 +307,6 @@ const (
 
 Special levels for heartbeat monitoring that bypass level filtering.
 
-### Format Flags
-
-```go
-const (
-    FlagShowTimestamp int64 = 0b01
-    FlagShowLevel     int64 = 0b10
-    FlagDefault             = FlagShowTimestamp | FlagShowLevel
-)
-```
-
-Flags controlling log entry format.
-
 ### Level Helper Function
 
 ```go
@@ -360,13 +327,40 @@ Converts level string to numeric constant.
 level, err := log.Level("debug")  // Returns -4
 ```
 
+### Format Flags
+
+```go
+const (
+    FlagRaw            = formatter.FlagRaw            // Bypass formatting
+    FlagShowTimestamp  = formatter.FlagShowTimestamp  // Include timestamp
+    FlagShowLevel      = formatter.FlagShowLevel      // Include level
+    FlagStructuredJSON = formatter.FlagStructuredJSON // Structured JSON
+    FlagDefault        = formatter.FlagDefault        // Default flags
+)
+```
+
+Control output formatting behavior. These flags are re-exported from the formatter package.
+
+### Sanitization Policies
+
+```go
+const (
+    PolicyRaw   = sanitizer.PolicyRaw   // No sanitization
+    PolicyJSON  = sanitizer.PolicyJSON  // JSON-safe output
+    PolicyTxt   = sanitizer.PolicyTxt   // Text file safe
+    PolicyShell = sanitizer.PolicyShell // Shell-safe output
+)
+```
+
+Pre-configured sanitization policies. These are re-exported from the sanitizer package.
+
 ## Error Types
 
 The logger returns errors prefixed with "log: " for easy identification:
 
 ```go
 // Configuration errors
-"log: invalid format: 'xml' (use txt or json)"
+"log: invalid format: 'xml' (use txt, json, or raw)"
 "log: buffer_size must be positive: 0"
 
 // Initialization errors
@@ -382,9 +376,7 @@ The logger returns errors prefixed with "log: " for easy identification:
 
 All public methods are thread-safe and can be called concurrently from multiple goroutines. The logger uses atomic operations and channels to ensure safe concurrent access without locks in the critical path.
 
-## Usage Examples
+### Usage Pattern Example
-
-### Complete Service Example
 
 ```go
 type Service struct {
@@ -393,12 +385,11 @@ type Service struct {
 
 func NewService() (*Service, error) {
     logger := log.NewLogger()
-    err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
+    err := logger.ApplyConfigString(
         "directory=/var/log/service",
         "format=json",
         "buffer_size=2048",
-        "heartbeat_level=1",
+        "heartbeat_level=1")
-    )
     if err != nil {
         return nil, fmt.Errorf("logger init: %w", err)
     }
@@ -421,8 +412,4 @@ func (s *Service) ProcessRequest(id string) error {
 func (s *Service) Shutdown() error {
     return s.logger.Shutdown(5 * time.Second)
 }
-```
+```
-
----
-
-[← Configuration](configuration.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Logging Guide →](logging-guide.md)

doc/builder.md

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+# Builder Pattern Guide
+
+The Builder provides a fluent API for constructing and initializing logger instances with compile-time safety and deferred validation.
+
+## Creating a Builder
+
+NewBuilder creates a new builder for constructing a logger instance.
+```go
+func NewBuilder() *Builder
+```
+```go
+builder := log.NewBuilder()
+```
+
+## Builder Methods
+
+All builder methods return `*Builder` for chaining. Errors are accumulated and returned by `Build()`.
+
+### Common Methods
+
+| Method                                | Parameters                    | Description                                 |
+|---------------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
+| `Level(level int64)`                  | `level`: Numeric log level    | Sets log level (-4 to 8)                    |
+| `LevelString(level string)`           | `level`: Named level          | Sets level by name ("debug", "info", etc.)  |
+| `Name(name string)`                   | `name`: Base filename         | Sets log file base name                     |
+| `Directory(dir string)`               | `dir`: Path                   | Sets log directory                          |
+| `Format(format string)`               | `format`: Output format       | Sets format ("txt", "json", "raw")          |
+| `Sanitization(policy string)`         | `policy`: Sanitization policy | Sets policy ("txt", "json", "raw", "shell")  |
+| `Extension(ext string)`               | `ext`: File extension         | Sets log file extension                     |
+| `BufferSize(size int64)`              | `size`: Buffer size           | Sets channel buffer size                    |
+| `MaxSizeKB(size int64)`               | `size`: Size in KB            | Sets max file size in KB                    |
+| `MaxSizeMB(size int64)`               | `size`: Size in MB            | Sets max file size in MB                    |
+| `MaxTotalSizeKB(size int64)`          | `size`: Size in KB            | Sets max total log directory size in KB     |
+| `MaxTotalSizeMB(size int64)`          | `size`: Size in MB            | Sets max total log directory size in MB     |
+| `MinDiskFreeKB(size int64)`           | `size`: Size in KB            | Sets minimum required free disk space in KB |
+| `MinDiskFreeMB(size int64)`           | `size`: Size in MB            | Sets minimum required free disk space in MB |
+| `EnableConsole(enable bool)`          | `enable`: Boolean             | Enables console output                      |
+| `EnableFile(enable bool)`             | `enable`: Boolean             | Enables file output                         |
+| `ConsoleTarget(target string)`        | `target`: "stdout"/"stderr"   | Sets console output target                  |
+| `ShowTimestamp(show bool)`            | `show`: Boolean               | Controls timestamp display                  |
+| `ShowLevel(show bool)`                | `show`: Boolean               | Controls log level display                  |
+| `TimestampFormat(format string)`      | `format`: Time format         | Sets timestamp format (Go time format)      |
+| `HeartbeatLevel(level int64)`         | `level`: 0-3                  | Sets monitoring level (0=off)               |
+| `HeartbeatIntervalS(interval int64)`  | `interval`: Seconds           | Sets heartbeat interval                     |
+| `FlushIntervalMs(interval int64)`     | `interval`: Milliseconds      | Sets buffer flush interval                  |
+| `TraceDepth(depth int64)`             | `depth`: 0-10                 | Sets default function trace depth           |
+| `DiskCheckIntervalMs(interval int64)` | `interval`: Milliseconds      | Sets disk check interval                    |
+| `EnableAdaptiveInterval(enable bool)` | `enable`: Boolean             | Enables adaptive disk check intervals       |
+| `MinCheckIntervalMs(interval int64)`  | `interval`: Milliseconds      | Sets minimum adaptive interval              |
+| `MaxCheckIntervalMs(interval int64)`  | `interval`: Milliseconds      | Sets maximum adaptive interval              |
+| `EnablePeriodicSync(enable bool)`     | `enable`: Boolean             | Enables periodic disk sync                  |
+| `RetentionPeriodHrs(hours float64)`   | `hours`: Hours                | Sets log retention period                   |
+| `RetentionCheckMins(mins float64)`    | `mins`: Minutes               | Sets retention check interval               |
+| `InternalErrorsToStderr(enable bool)` | `enable`: Boolean             | Send internal errors to stderr              |
+
+## Build
+```go
+func (b *Builder) Build() (*Logger, error)
+```
+
+Creates and initializes a logger instance with the configured settings.
+Returns accumulated errors if any builder operations failed.
+```go
+logger, err := builder.Build()
+if err != nil {
+    // Handle validation or initialization errors
+}
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+```
+
+## Usage Pattern
+```go
+// Single-step logger creation and initialization
+logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+    Directory("/var/log/app").
+    Format("json").
+    LevelString("debug").
+    Build()
+
+if err != nil { return err }
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+// Start the logger
+err = logger.Start()
+if err != nil { return err }
+
+logger.Info("Application started")
+```

doc/compatibility-adapters.md

@@ -1,444 +0,0 @@
-# Compatibility Adapters
-
-[← Performance](performance.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Examples →](examples.md)
-
-Guide to using lixenwraith/log with popular Go networking frameworks through compatibility adapters.
-
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Overview](#overview)
-- [gnet Adapter](#gnet-adapter)
-- [fasthttp Adapter](#fasthttp-adapter)
-- [Builder Pattern](#builder-pattern)
-- [Structured Logging](#structured-logging)
-- [Advanced Configuration](#advanced-configuration)
-
-## Overview
-
-The `compat` package provides adapters that allow the lixenwraith/log logger to work seamlessly with:
-
-- **gnet v2**: High-performance event-driven networking framework
-- **fasthttp**: Fast HTTP implementation
-
-### Features
-
-- ✅ Full interface compatibility
-- ✅ Preserves structured logging
-- ✅ Configurable behavior
-- ✅ Shared logger instances
-- ✅ Optional field extraction
-
-## gnet Adapter
-
-### Basic Usage
-
-```go
-import (
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
-    "github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2"
-)
-
-// Create logger
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-logger.InitWithDefaults("directory=/var/log/gnet")
-defer logger.Shutdown()
-
-// Create adapter
-adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
-
-// Use with gnet
-gnet.Run(eventHandler, "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000", 
-    gnet.WithLogger(adapter),
-)
-```
-
-### gnet Interface Implementation
-
-The adapter implements all gnet logger methods:
-
-```go
-type GnetAdapter struct {
-    logger *log.Logger
-}
-
-// Methods implemented:
-// - Debugf(format string, args ...interface{})
-// - Infof(format string, args ...interface{})
-// - Warnf(format string, args ...interface{})
-// - Errorf(format string, args ...interface{})
-// - Fatalf(format string, args ...interface{})
-```
-
-### Custom Fatal Behavior
-
-Override default fatal handling:
-
-```go
-adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger,
-    compat.WithFatalHandler(func(msg string) {
-        // Custom cleanup
-        saveApplicationState()
-        notifyOperations(msg)
-        gracefulShutdown()
-        os.Exit(1)
-    }),
-)
-```
-
-### Complete gnet Example
-
-```go
-type echoServer struct {
-    gnet.BuiltinEventEngine
-    logger gnet.Logger
-}
-
-func (es *echoServer) OnBoot(eng gnet.Engine) gnet.Action {
-    es.logger.Infof("Server started on %s", eng.Addrs)
-    return gnet.None
-}
-
-func (es *echoServer) OnTraffic(c gnet.Conn) gnet.Action {
-    buf, _ := c.Next(-1)
-    es.logger.Debugf("Received %d bytes from %s", len(buf), c.RemoteAddr())
-    c.Write(buf)
-    return gnet.None
-}
-
-func main() {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=/var/log/gnet",
-        "format=json",
-        "buffer_size=2048",
-    )
-    defer logger.Shutdown()
-    
-    adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
-    
-    gnet.Run(
-        &echoServer{logger: adapter},
-        "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000",
-        gnet.WithMulticore(true),
-        gnet.WithLogger(adapter),
-    )
-}
-```
-
-## fasthttp Adapter
-
-### Basic Usage
-
-```go
-import (
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
-    "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
-)
-
-// Create logger
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-logger.InitWithDefaults("directory=/var/log/fasthttp")
-defer logger.Shutdown()
-
-// Create adapter
-adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger)
-
-// Configure server
-server := &fasthttp.Server{
-    Handler: requestHandler,
-    Logger:  adapter,
-}
-```
-
-### Level Detection
-
-The adapter automatically detects log levels from message content:
-
-```go
-// Default detection rules:
-// - Contains "error", "failed", "fatal", "panic" → ERROR
-// - Contains "warn", "warning", "deprecated" → WARN  
-// - Contains "debug", "trace" → DEBUG
-// - Otherwise → INFO
-```
-
-### Custom Level Detection
-
-```go
-adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger,
-    compat.WithDefaultLevel(log.LevelInfo),
-    compat.WithLevelDetector(func(msg string) int64 {
-        // Custom detection logic
-        if strings.Contains(msg, "CRITICAL") {
-            return log.LevelError
-        }
-        if strings.Contains(msg, "performance") {
-            return log.LevelWarn
-        }
-        // Return 0 to use the adapter's default log level (log.LevelInfo by default)
-        return 0
-    }),
-)
-```
-
-### Complete fasthttp Example
-
-```go
-func main() {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=/var/log/fasthttp",
-        "format=json",
-        "heartbeat_level=1",
-    )
-    defer logger.Shutdown()
-    
-    adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger,
-        compat.WithDefaultLevel(log.LevelInfo),
-    )
-    
-    server := &fasthttp.Server{
-        Handler: func(ctx *fasthttp.RequestCtx) {
-            // Your handler logic
-            ctx.Success("text/plain", []byte("Hello!"))
-        },
-        Logger:              adapter,
-        Name:               "MyServer",
-        Concurrency:        fasthttp.DefaultConcurrency,
-        DisableKeepalive:   false,
-        TCPKeepalive:       true,
-        ReduceMemoryUsage:  true,
-    }
-    
-    if err := server.ListenAndServe(":8080"); err != nil {
-        logger.Error("Server failed", "error", err)
-    }
-}
-```
-
-## Builder Pattern
-
-### Shared Configuration
-
-Use the builder for multiple adapters with shared configuration:
-
-```go
-// Create builder
-builder := compat.NewBuilder().
-    WithOptions(
-        "directory=/var/log/app",
-        "format=json",
-        "buffer_size=4096",
-        "max_size_mb=100",
-        "heartbeat_level=2",
-    )
-
-// Build adapters
-gnetAdapter, fasthttpAdapter, err := builder.Build()
-if err != nil {
-    panic(err)
-}
-
-// Get logger for direct use
-logger := builder.GetLogger()
-defer logger.Shutdown()
-
-// Use adapters in your servers
-// ...
-```
-
-### Structured Adapters
-
-For enhanced field extraction:
-
-```go
-// Build with structured adapters
-gnetStructured, fasthttpAdapter, err := builder.BuildStructured()
-```
-
-## Structured Logging
-
-### Field Extraction
-
-Structured adapters can extract fields from printf-style formats:
-
-```go
-// Regular adapter output:
-// "client=192.168.1.1 port=8080"
-
-// Structured adapter output:
-// {"client": "192.168.1.1", "port": 8080, "source": "gnet"}
-```
-
-### Pattern Detection
-
-The structured adapter recognizes patterns like:
-- `key=%v`
-- `key: %v`
-- `key = %v`
-
-```go
-adapter := compat.NewStructuredGnetAdapter(logger)
-
-// These will extract structured fields:
-adapter.Infof("client=%s port=%d", "192.168.1.1", 8080)
-// → {"client": "192.168.1.1", "port": 8080}
-
-adapter.Errorf("user: %s, error: %s", "john", "auth failed")
-// → {"user": "john", "error": "auth failed"}
-
-// These remain as messages:
-adapter.Infof("Connected to server")
-// → {"msg": "Connected to server"}
-```
-
-## Advanced Configuration
-
-### High-Performance Setup
-
-```go
-builder := compat.NewBuilder().
-    WithOptions(
-        "directory=/var/log/highperf",
-        "format=json",
-        "buffer_size=8192",           // Large buffer
-        "flush_interval_ms=1000",     // Batch writes
-        "enable_periodic_sync=false", // Reduce I/O
-        "heartbeat_level=1",          // Monitor drops
-    )
-```
-
-### Development Setup
-
-```go
-builder := compat.NewBuilder().
-    WithOptions(
-        "directory=./logs",
-        "format=txt",              // Human-readable
-        "level=-4",                // Debug level
-        "trace_depth=3",           // Include traces
-        "enable_stdout=true",      // Console output
-        "flush_interval_ms=50",    // Quick feedback
-    )
-```
-
-### Container Setup
-
-```go
-builder := compat.NewBuilder().
-    WithOptions(
-        "disable_file=true",       // No files
-        "enable_stdout=true",      // Console only
-        "format=json",             // For aggregators
-        "level=0",                 // Info and above
-    )
-```
-
-### Helper Functions
-
-Configure servers with adapters:
-
-```go
-// Configure gnet with options
-opts := compat.ConfigureGnetServer(adapter,
-    gnet.WithMulticore(true),
-    gnet.WithReusePort(true),
-)
-gnet.Run(handler, addr, opts...)
-
-// Configure fasthttp
-server := &fasthttp.Server{Handler: handler}
-compat.ConfigureFastHTTPServer(adapter, server)
-```
-
-### Integration Examples
-
-#### Microservice with Both Frameworks
-
-```go
-type Service struct {
-    gnetAdapter     *compat.GnetAdapter
-    fasthttpAdapter *compat.FastHTTPAdapter
-    logger          *log.Logger
-}
-
-func NewService() (*Service, error) {
-    builder := compat.NewBuilder().
-        WithOptions(
-            "directory=/var/log/service",
-            "format=json",
-            "heartbeat_level=2",
-        )
-    
-    gnet, fasthttp, err := builder.Build()
-    if err != nil {
-        return nil, err
-    }
-    
-    return &Service{
-        gnetAdapter:     gnet,
-        fasthttpAdapter: fasthttp,
-        logger:         builder.GetLogger(),
-    }, nil
-}
-
-func (s *Service) StartTCPServer() error {
-    return gnet.Run(handler, "tcp://0.0.0.0:9000",
-        gnet.WithLogger(s.gnetAdapter),
-    )
-}
-
-func (s *Service) StartHTTPServer() error {
-    server := &fasthttp.Server{
-        Handler: s.handleHTTP,
-        Logger:  s.fasthttpAdapter,
-    }
-    return server.ListenAndServe(":8080")
-}
-
-func (s *Service) Shutdown() error {
-    return s.logger.Shutdown(5 * time.Second)
-}
-```
-
-#### Middleware Integration
-
-```go
-// gnet middleware
-func loggingMiddleware(adapter *compat.GnetAdapter) gnet.EventHandler {
-    return func(c gnet.Conn) gnet.Action {
-        start := time.Now()
-        addr := c.RemoteAddr()
-        
-        // Process connection
-        action := next(c)
-        
-        adapter.Infof("conn_duration=%v remote=%s action=%v",
-            time.Since(start), addr, action)
-        
-        return action
-    }
-}
-
-// fasthttp middleware
-func requestLogger(adapter *compat.FastHTTPAdapter) fasthttp.RequestHandler {
-    return func(ctx *fasthttp.RequestCtx) {
-        start := time.Now()
-        
-        // Process request
-        next(ctx)
-        
-        // Adapter will detect level from status
-        adapter.Printf("method=%s path=%s status=%d duration=%v",
-            ctx.Method(), ctx.Path(), 
-            ctx.Response.StatusCode(),
-            time.Since(start))
-    }
-}
-```
-
----
-
-[← Performance](performance.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Examples →](examples.md)

doc/configuration.md

@@ -1,56 +1,46 @@
 # Configuration Guide
 
-[← Getting Started](getting-started.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [API Reference →](api-reference.md)
-
 This guide covers all configuration options and methods for customizing logger behavior.
 
-## Table of Contents
+## Initialization
 
-- [Configuration Methods](#configuration-methods)
+log.NewLogger() creates a new instance of logger with DefaultConfig.
-- [Configuration Parameters](#configuration-parameters)
+
-- [Configuration Examples](#configuration-examples)
+```go
-- [Dynamic Reconfiguration](#dynamic-reconfiguration)
+logger := log.NewLogger()
-- [Configuration Best Practices](#configuration-best-practices)
+```
 
 ## Configuration Methods
 
-### Method 1: InitWithDefaults
+### ApplyConfig & ApplyConfigString
 
-Simple string-based configuration using key=value pairs:
+Direct struct configuration using the Config struct, or key-value overrides:
 
 ```go
-logger := log.NewLogger()
+logger := log.NewLogger() // logger instance created with DefaultConfig (using default values)
-err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=/var/log/myapp",
-    "level=-4",
-    "format=json",
-    "max_size_mb=100",
-)
-```
 
-### Method 2: Init with config.Config
+// Note: with default config, logs only go to stderr (file output disabled by default)
+logger.Start()  // Required before logging
+logger.Info("info raw log record written to stderr")
 
-Integration with external configuration management:
+// Directly change config struct
+cfg := log.GetConfig()
+cfg.Level = log.LevelDebug
+cfg.Name = "myapp"
+cfg.Directory = "/var/log/myapp"
+cfg.Format = "json"
+cfg.MaxSizeKB = 100
+err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
 
-```go
+logger.Info("info json log record written to /var/log/myapp/myapp.log")
-cfg := config.New()
-cfg.Load("app.toml", os.Args[1:])
 
-logger := log.NewLogger()
+// Override values with key-value string
-err := logger.Init(cfg, "logging")  // Uses [logging] section
+err = logger.ApplyConfigString(
-```
+    "directory=/var/log/",
+	"extension=txt"
+    "format=txt")
 
-Example TOML configuration:
+logger.Info("info txt log record written to /var/log/myapp.txt")
-
-```toml
-[logging]
-level = -4
-directory = "/var/log/myapp"
-format = "json"
-max_size_mb = 100
-buffer_size = 2048
-heartbeat_level = 2
-heartbeat_interval_s = 300
 ```
 
 ## Configuration Parameters
@@ -59,22 +49,26 @@ heartbeat_interval_s = 300
 
 | Parameter | Type | Description | Default    |
 |-----------|------|-------------|------------|
-| `level` | `int64` | Minimum log level (-4=Debug, 0=Info, 4=Warn, 8=Error) | `0`        |
+| `level` | `int64` | Minimum log level (-4=Debug, 0=Info, 4=Warn, 8=Error) | `0` |
 | `name` | `string` | Base name for log files | `"log"`    |
-| `directory` | `string` | Directory to store log files | `"./logs"` |
+| `extension` | `string` | Log file extension (without dot) | `"log"` |
-| `format` | `string` | Output format: `"txt"` or `"json"` | `"txt"`    |
+| `directory` | `string` | Directory to store log files | `"./log"` |
-| `extension` | `string` | Log file extension (without dot) | `"log"`    |
+| `format` | `string` | Output format: `"txt"`, `"json"`, or `"raw"` | `"raw"` |
-| `internal_errors_to_stderr` | `bool` | Write logger's internal errors to stderr | `false`    |
+| `sanitization` | `string` | Sanitization policy: `"raw"`, `"txt"`, `"json"`, or `"shell"` | `"raw"` |
+| `timestamp_format` | `string` | Custom timestamp format (Go time format) | `time.RFC3339Nano` |
+| `internal_errors_to_stderr` | `bool` | Write logger's internal errors to stderr | `false` |
 
 ### Output Control
 
-| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
+| Parameter        | Type | Description                                          | Default    |
-|-----------|------|-------------|---------|
+|------------------|------|------------------------------------------------------|------------|
-| `show_timestamp` | `bool` | Include timestamps in log entries | `true` |
+| `show_timestamp` | `bool` | Include timestamps in log entries                    | `true`     |
-| `show_level` | `bool` | Include log level in entries | `true` |
+| `show_level`     | `bool` | Include log level in entries                         | `true`     |
-| `enable_stdout` | `bool` | Mirror logs to stdout/stderr | `false` |
+| `enable_console` | `bool` | Enable console output (stdout/stderr)                | `true`     |
-| `stdout_target` | `string` | Console target: `"stdout"` or `"stderr"` | `"stdout"` |
+| `console_target` | `string` | Console target: `"stdout"`, `"stderr"`, or `"split"` | `"stderr"` |
-| `disable_file` | `bool` | Disable file output (console-only) | `false` |
+| `enable_file`    | `bool` | Enable file output (console-only)                    | `false`    |
+
+**Note:** When `console_target="split"`, INFO/DEBUG logs go to stdout while WARN/ERROR logs go to stderr.
 
 ### Performance Tuning
 
@@ -88,11 +82,11 @@ heartbeat_interval_s = 300
 ### File Management
 
 | Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
-|-----------|------|-------------|---------|
+|-----------|------|-------------|--------|
-| `max_size_mb` | `int64` | Maximum size per log file (MB) | `10` |
+| `max_size_kb` | `int64` | Maximum size per log file (KB) | `1000` |
-| `max_total_size_mb` | `int64` | Maximum total log directory size (MB) | `50` |
+| `max_total_size_kb` | `int64` | Maximum total log directory size (KB) | `5000` |
-| `min_disk_free_mb` | `int64` | Minimum required free disk space (MB) | `100` |
+| `min_disk_free_kb` | `int64` | Minimum required free disk space (KB) | `10000` |
-| `retention_period_hrs` | `float64` | Hours to keep log files (0=disabled) | `0.0` |
+| `retention_period_hrs` | `float64` | Hours to keep log files (0=disabled) | `0.0`  |
 | `retention_check_mins` | `float64` | Retention check interval (minutes) | `60.0` |
 
 ### Disk Monitoring
@@ -111,178 +105,4 @@ heartbeat_interval_s = 300
 | `heartbeat_level` | `int64` | Heartbeat detail (0=off, 1=proc, 2=+disk, 3=+sys) | `0` |
 | `heartbeat_interval_s` | `int64` | Heartbeat interval (seconds) | `60` |
 
-## Configuration Examples
+---
-
-### Development Configuration
-
-Verbose logging with quick rotation for testing:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=./logs",
-    "level=-4",              // Debug level
-    "format=txt",            // Human-readable
-    "max_size_mb=1",         // Small files for testing
-    "flush_interval_ms=50",  // Quick flushes
-    "trace_depth=3",         // Include call traces
-    "enable_stdout=true",    // Also print to console
-)
-```
-
-### Production Configuration
-
-Optimized for performance with monitoring:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=/var/log/app",
-    "level=0",                    // Info and above
-    "format=json",                // Machine-parseable
-    "buffer_size=4096",           // Large buffer
-    "max_size_mb=1000",          // 1GB files
-    "max_total_size_mb=50000",   // 50GB total
-    "retention_period_hrs=168",   // 7 days
-    "heartbeat_level=2",          // Process + disk stats
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",   // 5 minutes
-    "enable_periodic_sync=false", // Reduce I/O
-)
-```
-
-### Container/Cloud Configuration
-
-Console-only with structured output:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "enable_stdout=true",
-    "disable_file=true",     // No file output
-    "format=json",           // Structured for log aggregators
-    "level=0",               // Info level
-    "show_timestamp=true",   // Include timestamps
-    "internal_errors_to_stderr=false", // Suppress internal errors
-)
-```
-
-### High-Security Configuration
-
-Strict disk limits with frequent cleanup:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=/secure/logs",
-    "level=4",                    // Warn and Error only
-    "max_size_mb=100",           // 100MB files
-    "max_total_size_mb=1000",    // 1GB total max
-    "min_disk_free_mb=5000",     // 5GB free required
-    "retention_period_hrs=24",    // 24 hour retention
-    "retention_check_mins=15",    // Check every 15 min
-    "flush_interval_ms=10",       // Immediate flush
-)
-```
-
-## Dynamic Reconfiguration
-
-The logger supports hot reconfiguration without losing data:
-
-```go
-// Initial configuration
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-logger.InitWithDefaults("level=0", "directory=/var/log/app")
-
-// Later, change configuration
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "level=-4",              // Now debug level
-    "enable_stdout=true",    // Add console output
-    "heartbeat_level=1",     // Enable monitoring
-)
-```
-
-During reconfiguration:
-- Pending logs are preserved
-- Files are rotated if needed
-- New settings take effect immediately
-
-## Configuration Best Practices
-
-### 1. Choose Appropriate Buffer Sizes
-
-```go
-// Low-volume application
-"buffer_size=256"
-
-// Medium-volume application (default)
-"buffer_size=1024"
-
-// High-volume application
-"buffer_size=4096"
-
-// Extreme volume (with monitoring)
-"buffer_size=8192"
-"heartbeat_level=1"  // Monitor for dropped logs
-```
-
-### 2. Set Sensible Rotation Limits
-
-Consider your disk space and retention needs:
-
-```go
-// Development
-"max_size_mb=10"
-"max_total_size_mb=100"
-
-// Production with archival
-"max_size_mb=1000"       // 1GB files
-"max_total_size_mb=0"    // No limit (external archival)
-"retention_period_hrs=168" // 7 days local
-
-// Space-constrained environment
-"max_size_mb=50"
-"max_total_size_mb=500"
-"min_disk_free_mb=1000"
-```
-
-### 3. Use Appropriate Formats
-
-```go
-// Development/debugging
-"format=txt"
-"show_timestamp=true"
-"show_level=true"
-
-// Production with log aggregation
-"format=json"
-"show_timestamp=true"  // Aggregators parse this
-"show_level=true"
-```
-
-### 4. Configure Monitoring
-
-For production systems, enable heartbeats:
-
-```go
-// Basic monitoring
-"heartbeat_level=1"      // Process stats only
-"heartbeat_interval_s=300" // Every 5 minutes
-
-// Full monitoring
-"heartbeat_level=3"      // Process + disk + system
-"heartbeat_interval_s=60"  // Every minute
-```
-
-### 5. Platform-Specific Paths
-
-```go
-// Linux/Unix
-"directory=/var/log/myapp"
-
-// Windows
-"directory=C:\\Logs\\MyApp"
-
-// Container (ephemeral)
-"disable_file=true"
-"enable_stdout=true"
-```
-
----
-
-[← Getting Started](getting-started.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [API Reference →](api-reference.md)

doc/disk-management.md

@@ -1,348 +0,0 @@
-# Disk Management
-
-[← Logging Guide](logging-guide.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Heartbeat Monitoring →](heartbeat-monitoring.md)
-
-Comprehensive guide to log file rotation, retention policies, and disk space management.
-
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [File Rotation](#file-rotation)
-- [Disk Space Management](#disk-space-management)
-- [Retention Policies](#retention-policies)
-- [Adaptive Monitoring](#adaptive-monitoring)
-- [Recovery Behavior](#recovery-behavior)
-- [Best Practices](#best-practices)
-
-## File Rotation
-
-### Automatic Rotation
-
-Log files are automatically rotated when they reach the configured size limit:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=100",  // Rotate at 100MB
-)
-```
-
-### Rotation Behavior
-
-1. **Size Check**: Before each write, the logger checks if the file would exceed `max_size_mb`
-2. **New File Creation**: Creates a new file with timestamp: `appname_240115_103045_123456789.log`
-3. **Seamless Transition**: No logs are lost during rotation
-4. **Old File Closure**: Previous file is properly closed and synced
-
-### File Naming Convention
-
-```
-{name}_{YYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_{nanoseconds}.{extension}
-
-Example: myapp_240115_143022_987654321.log
-```
-
-Components:
-- `name`: Configured log name
-- `YYMMDD`: Date (year, month, day)
-- `HHMMSS`: Time (hour, minute, second)
-- `nanoseconds`: For uniqueness
-- `extension`: Configured extension
-
-## Disk Space Management
-
-### Space Limits
-
-The logger enforces two types of space limits:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_total_size_mb=1000",   // Total log directory size
-    "min_disk_free_mb=5000",    // Minimum free disk space
-)
-```
-
-### Automatic Cleanup
-
-When limits are exceeded, the logger:
-1. Identifies oldest log files
-2. Deletes them until space requirements are met
-3. Preserves the current active log file
-4. Logs cleanup actions for audit
-
-### Example Configuration
-
-```go
-// Conservative: Strict limits
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=50",          // 50MB files
-    "max_total_size_mb=500",   // 500MB total
-    "min_disk_free_mb=1000",   // 1GB free required
-)
-
-// Generous: Large files, external archival
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=1000",        // 1GB files
-    "max_total_size_mb=0",     // No total limit
-    "min_disk_free_mb=100",    // 100MB free required
-)
-
-// Balanced: Production defaults
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=100",         // 100MB files
-    "max_total_size_mb=5000",  // 5GB total
-    "min_disk_free_mb=500",    // 500MB free required
-)
-```
-
-## Retention Policies
-
-### Time-Based Retention
-
-Automatically delete logs older than a specified duration:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "retention_period_hrs=168",    // Keep 7 days
-    "retention_check_mins=60",     // Check hourly
-)
-```
-
-### Retention Examples
-
-```go
-// Daily logs, keep 30 days
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "retention_period_hrs=720",    // 30 days
-    "retention_check_mins=60",     // Check hourly
-    "max_size_mb=1000",           // 1GB daily files
-)
-
-// High-frequency logs, keep 24 hours
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "retention_period_hrs=24",     // 1 day
-    "retention_check_mins=15",     // Check every 15 min
-    "max_size_mb=100",            // 100MB files
-)
-
-// Compliance: Keep 90 days
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "retention_period_hrs=2160",   // 90 days
-    "retention_check_mins=360",    // Check every 6 hours
-    "max_total_size_mb=100000",   // 100GB total
-)
-```
-
-### Retention Priority
-
-When multiple policies conflict, cleanup priority is:
-1. **Disk free space** (highest priority)
-2. **Total size limit**
-3. **Retention period** (lowest priority)
-
-## Adaptive Monitoring
-
-### Adaptive Disk Checks
-
-The logger adjusts disk check frequency based on logging volume:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "enable_adaptive_interval=true",
-    "disk_check_interval_ms=5000",    // Base: 5 seconds
-    "min_check_interval_ms=100",      // Minimum: 100ms
-    "max_check_interval_ms=60000",    // Maximum: 1 minute
-)
-```
-
-### How It Works
-
-1. **Low Activity**: Interval increases (up to max)
-2. **High Activity**: Interval decreases (down to min)
-3. **Reactive Checks**: Immediate check after 10MB written
-
-### Monitoring Disk Usage
-
-Check disk-related heartbeat messages:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=2",           // Enable disk stats
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",    // Every 5 minutes
-)
-```
-
-Output:
-```
-2024-01-15T10:30:00Z DISK type="disk" sequence=1 rotated_files=5 deleted_files=2 total_log_size_mb="487.32" log_file_count=8 current_file_size_mb="23.45" disk_status_ok=true disk_free_mb="5234.67"
-```
-
-## Recovery Behavior
-
-### Disk Full Handling
-
-When disk space is exhausted:
-
-1. **Detection**: Write failure or space check triggers recovery
-2. **Cleanup Attempt**: Delete oldest logs to free space
-3. **Status Update**: Set `disk_status_ok=false` if cleanup fails
-4. **Log Dropping**: New logs dropped until space available
-5. **Recovery**: Automatic retry on next disk check
-
-### Monitoring Recovery
-
-```go
-// Check for disk issues in logs
-grep "disk full" /var/log/myapp/*.log
-grep "cleanup failed" /var/log/myapp/*.log
-
-// Monitor disk status in heartbeats
-grep "disk_status_ok=false" /var/log/myapp/*.log
-```
-
-### Manual Intervention
-
-If automatic cleanup fails:
-
-```bash
-# Check disk usage
-df -h /var/log
-
-# Find large log files
-find /var/log/myapp -name "*.log" -size +100M
-
-# Manual cleanup (oldest first)
-ls -t /var/log/myapp/*.log | tail -n 20 | xargs rm
-
-# Verify space
-df -h /var/log
-```
-
-## Best Practices
-
-### 1. Plan for Growth
-
-Estimate log volume and set appropriate limits:
-
-```go
-// Calculate required space:
-// - Average log entry: 200 bytes
-// - Entries per second: 100
-// - Daily volume: 200 * 100 * 86400 = 1.7GB
-
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=2000",          // 2GB files (~ 1 day)
-    "max_total_size_mb=15000",   // 15GB (~ 1 week)
-    "retention_period_hrs=168",   // 7 days
-)
-```
-
-### 2. External Archival
-
-For long-term storage, implement external archival:
-
-```go
-// Configure for archival
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=1000",          // 1GB files for easy transfer
-    "max_total_size_mb=10000",   // 10GB local buffer
-    "retention_period_hrs=48",    // 2 days local
-)
-
-// Archive completed files
-func archiveCompletedLogs(archivePath string) error {
-    files, _ := filepath.Glob("/var/log/myapp/*.log")
-    for _, file := range files {
-        if !isCurrentLogFile(file) {
-            // Move to archive storage (S3, NFS, etc.)
-            if err := archiveFile(file, archivePath); err != nil {
-                return err
-            }
-            os.Remove(file)
-        }
-    }
-    return nil
-}
-```
-
-### 3. Monitor Disk Health
-
-Set up alerts for disk issues:
-
-```go
-// Parse heartbeat logs for monitoring
-type DiskStats struct {
-    TotalSizeMB    float64
-    FileCount      int
-    DiskFreeMB     float64
-    DiskStatusOK   bool
-}
-
-func monitorDiskHealth(logLine string) {
-    if strings.Contains(logLine, "type=\"disk\"") {
-        stats := parseDiskHeartbeat(logLine)
-        
-        if !stats.DiskStatusOK {
-            alert("Log disk unhealthy")
-        }
-        
-        if stats.DiskFreeMB < 1000 {
-            alert("Low disk space: %.0fMB free", stats.DiskFreeMB)
-        }
-        
-        if stats.FileCount > 100 {
-            alert("Too many log files: %d", stats.FileCount)
-        }
-    }
-}
-```
-
-### 4. Separate Log Volumes
-
-Use dedicated volumes for logs:
-
-```bash
-# Create dedicated log volume
-mkdir -p /mnt/logs
-mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/logs
-
-# Configure logger
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=/mnt/logs/myapp",
-    "max_total_size_mb=50000",   # Use most of volume
-    "min_disk_free_mb=1000",     # Leave 1GB free
-)
-```
-
-### 5. Test Cleanup Behavior
-
-Verify cleanup works before production:
-
-```go
-// Test configuration
-func TestDiskCleanup(t *testing.T) {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=./test_logs",
-        "max_size_mb=1",             // Small files
-        "max_total_size_mb=5",       // Low limit
-        "retention_period_hrs=0.01", // 36 seconds
-        "retention_check_mins=0.5",  // 30 seconds
-    )
-    
-    // Generate logs to trigger cleanup
-    for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
-        logger.Info(strings.Repeat("x", 1000))
-    }
-    
-    time.Sleep(45 * time.Second)
-    
-    // Verify cleanup occurred
-    files, _ := filepath.Glob("./test_logs/*.log")
-    if len(files) > 5 {
-        t.Errorf("Cleanup failed: %d files remain", len(files))
-    }
-}
-```
-
----
-
-[← Logging Guide](logging-guide.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Heartbeat Monitoring →](heartbeat-monitoring.md)

doc/examples.md

@@ -1,362 +0,0 @@
-# Examples
-
-[← Compatibility Adapters](compatibility-adapters.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Troubleshooting →](troubleshooting.md)
-
-Sample applications demonstrating various features and use cases of the lixenwraith/log package.
-
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Example Programs](#example-programs)
-- [Running Examples](#running-examples)
-- [Simple Example](#simple-example)
-- [Stress Test](#stress-test)
-- [Heartbeat Monitoring](#heartbeat-monitoring)
-- [Reconfiguration](#reconfiguration)
-- [Console Output](#console-output)
-- [Framework Integration](#framework-integration)
-
-## Example Programs
-
-The `examples/` directory contains several demonstration programs:
-
-| Example | Description | Key Features |
-|---------|-------------|--------------|
-| `simple` | Basic usage with config management | Configuration, basic logging |
-| `stress` | High-volume stress testing | Performance testing, cleanup |
-| `heartbeat` | Heartbeat monitoring demo | All heartbeat levels |
-| `reconfig` | Dynamic reconfiguration | Hot reload, state management |
-| `sink` | Console output configurations | stdout/stderr, dual output |
-| `gnet` | gnet framework integration | Event-driven server |
-| `fasthttp` | fasthttp framework integration | HTTP server logging |
-
-## Running Examples
-
-### Prerequisites
-
-```bash
-# Clone the repository
-git clone https://github.com/lixenwraith/log
-cd log
-
-# Get dependencies
-go mod download
-```
-
-### Running Individual Examples
-
-```bash
-# Simple example
-go run examples/simple/main.go
-
-# Stress test
-go run examples/stress/main.go
-
-# Heartbeat demo
-go run examples/heartbeat/main.go
-
-# View generated logs
-ls -la ./logs/
-```
-
-## Simple Example
-
-Demonstrates basic logger usage with configuration management.
-
-### Key Features
-- Configuration file creation
-- Logger initialization
-- Different log levels
-- Structured logging
-- Graceful shutdown
-
-### Code Highlights
-
-```go
-// Initialize with external config
-cfg := config.New()
-cfg.Load("simple_config.toml", nil)
-
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-err := logger.Init(cfg, "logging")
-
-// Log at different levels
-logger.Debug("Debug message", "user_id", 123)
-logger.Info("Application starting...")
-logger.Warn("Warning", "threshold", 0.95)
-logger.Error("Error occurred!", "code", 500)
-
-// Save configuration
-cfg.Save("simple_config.toml")
-```
-
-### What to Observe
-- TOML configuration file generation
-- Log file creation in `./logs`
-- Structured output format
-- Proper shutdown sequence
-
-## Stress Test
-
-Tests logger performance under high load.
-
-### Key Features
-- Concurrent logging from multiple workers
-- Large message generation
-- File rotation testing
-- Retention policy testing
-- Drop detection
-
-### Configuration
-
-```toml
-[logstress]
-  level = -4
-  buffer_size = 500           # Small buffer to test drops
-  max_size_mb = 1            # Force frequent rotation
-  max_total_size_mb = 20     # Test cleanup
-  retention_period_hrs = 0.0028  # ~10 seconds
-  retention_check_mins = 0.084   # ~5 seconds
-```
-
-### What to Observe
-- Log throughput (logs/second)
-- File rotation behavior
-- Automatic cleanup when limits exceeded
-- "Logs were dropped" messages under load
-- Memory and CPU usage
-
-### Metrics to Monitor
-
-```bash
-# Watch file rotation
-watch -n 1 'ls -lh ./logs/ | wc -l'
-
-# Monitor log growth
-watch -n 1 'du -sh ./logs/'
-
-# Check for dropped logs
-grep "dropped" ./logs/*.log
-```
-
-## Heartbeat Monitoring
-
-Demonstrates all heartbeat levels and transitions.
-
-### Test Sequence
-
-1. Heartbeats disabled
-2. PROC only (level 1)
-3. PROC + DISK (level 2)
-4. PROC + DISK + SYS (level 3)
-5. Scale down to level 2
-6. Scale down to level 1
-7. Disable heartbeats
-
-### What to Observe
-
-```
---- Testing heartbeat level 1: PROC heartbeats only ---
-2024-01-15T10:30:00Z PROC type="proc" sequence=1 uptime_hours="0.00" processed_logs=40 dropped_logs=0
-
---- Testing heartbeat level 2: PROC+DISK heartbeats ---
-2024-01-15T10:30:05Z PROC type="proc" sequence=2 uptime_hours="0.00" processed_logs=80 dropped_logs=0
-2024-01-15T10:30:05Z DISK type="disk" sequence=2 rotated_files=0 deleted_files=0 total_log_size_mb="0.12" log_file_count=1
-
---- Testing heartbeat level 3: PROC+DISK+SYS heartbeats ---
-2024-01-15T10:30:10Z SYS type="sys" sequence=3 alloc_mb="4.23" sys_mb="12.45" num_gc=5 num_goroutine=8
-```
-
-### Use Cases
-- Understanding heartbeat output
-- Testing monitoring integration
-- Verifying heartbeat configuration
-
-## Reconfiguration
-
-Tests dynamic logger reconfiguration without data loss.
-
-### Test Scenario
-
-```go
-// Rapid reconfiguration loop
-for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
-    bufSize := fmt.Sprintf("buffer_size=%d", 100*(i+1))
-    err := logger.InitWithDefaults(bufSize)
-    time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
-}
-```
-
-### What to Observe
-- No log loss during reconfiguration
-- Smooth transitions between configurations
-- File handle management
-- Channel recreation
-
-### Verification
-
-```bash
-# Check total logs attempted vs written
-# Should see minimal/no drops
-```
-
-## Console Output
-
-Demonstrates various output configurations.
-
-### Configurations Tested
-
-1. **File Only** (default)
-   ```go
-   "directory=./temp_logs",
-   "name=file_only_log"
-   ```
-
-2. **Console Only**
-   ```go
-   "enable_stdout=true",
-   "disable_file=true"
-   ```
-
-3. **Dual Output**
-   ```go
-   "enable_stdout=true",
-   "disable_file=false"
-   ```
-
-4. **Stderr Output**
-   ```go
-   "enable_stdout=true",
-   "stdout_target=stderr"
-   ```
-
-### What to Observe
-- Console output appearing immediately
-- File creation behavior
-- Transition between modes
-- Separation of stdout/stderr
-
-## Framework Integration
-
-### gnet Example
-
-High-performance TCP echo server:
-
-```go
-type echoServer struct {
-    gnet.BuiltinEventEngine
-}
-
-func main() {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=/var/log/gnet",
-        "format=json",
-    )
-    
-    adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
-    
-    gnet.Run(&echoServer{}, "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000",
-        gnet.WithLogger(adapter),
-    )
-}
-```
-
-**Test with:**
-```bash
-# Terminal 1: Run server
-go run examples/gnet/main.go
-
-# Terminal 2: Test connection
-echo "Hello gnet" | nc localhost 9000
-```
-
-### fasthttp Example
-
-HTTP server with custom level detection:
-
-```go
-func main() {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger,
-        compat.WithLevelDetector(customLevelDetector),
-    )
-    
-    server := &fasthttp.Server{
-        Handler: requestHandler,
-        Logger:  adapter,
-    }
-    
-    server.ListenAndServe(":8080")
-}
-```
-
-**Test with:**
-```bash
-# Terminal 1: Run server
-go run examples/fasthttp/main.go
-
-# Terminal 2: Send requests
-curl http://localhost:8080/
-curl http://localhost:8080/test
-```
-
-## Creating Your Own Examples
-
-### Template Structure
-
-```go
-package main
-
-import (
-    "fmt"
-    "time"
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-func main() {
-    // Create logger
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    
-    // Initialize with your configuration
-    err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=./my_logs",
-        "level=-4",
-        // Add your config...
-    )
-    if err != nil {
-        panic(err)
-    }
-    
-    // Always shut down properly
-    defer func() {
-        if err := logger.Shutdown(2 * time.Second); err != nil {
-            fmt.Printf("Shutdown error: %v\n", err)
-        }
-    }()
-    
-    // Your logging logic here
-    logger.Info("Example started")
-    
-    // Test your specific use case
-    testYourFeature(logger)
-}
-
-func testYourFeature(logger *log.Logger) {
-    // Implementation
-}
-```
-
-### Testing Checklist
-
-When creating examples, test:
-
-- [ ] Configuration loading
-- [ ] Log output (file and/or console)
-- [ ] Graceful shutdown
-- [ ] Error handling
-- [ ] Performance characteristics
-- [ ] Resource cleanup
-
----
-
-[← Compatibility Adapters](compatibility-adapters.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Troubleshooting →](troubleshooting.md)

doc/formatting.md

@@ -0,0 +1,234 @@
+# Formatting and Sanitization
+
+The logger package exports standalone `formatter` and `sanitizer` packages that can be used independently for text formatting and sanitization needs beyond logging.
+
+## Formatter Package
+
+The `formatter` package provides buffered writing and formatting of log entries with support for txt, json, and raw output formats.
+
+### Standalone Usage
+
+```go
+import (
+    "time"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/formatter"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+)
+
+// Create formatter with optional sanitizer
+s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyTxt)
+f := formatter.New(s)
+
+// Configure formatter
+f.Type("json").
+  TimestampFormat(time.RFC3339).
+  ShowLevel(true).
+  ShowTimestamp(true)
+
+// Format a log entry
+data := f.Format(
+    formatter.FlagDefault,
+    time.Now(),
+    0,  // Info level
+    "", // No trace
+    []any{"User logged in", "user_id", 42},
+)
+```
+
+### Formatter Methods
+
+#### Format Configuration
+- `Type(format string)` - Set output format: "txt", "json", or "raw"
+- `TimestampFormat(format string)` - Set timestamp format (Go time format)
+- `ShowLevel(show bool)` - Include level in output
+- `ShowTimestamp(show bool)` - Include timestamp in output
+
+#### Formatting Methods
+- `Format(flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte`
+- `FormatWithOptions(format string, flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte`
+- `FormatValue(v any) []byte` - Format a single value
+- `FormatArgs(args ...any) []byte` - Format multiple arguments
+
+### Format Flags
+
+```go
+const (
+    FlagRaw            int64 = 0b0001  // Bypass formatter and sanitizer
+    FlagShowTimestamp  int64 = 0b0010  // Include timestamp
+    FlagShowLevel      int64 = 0b0100  // Include level
+    FlagStructuredJSON int64 = 0b1000  // Use structured JSON with message/fields
+    FlagDefault              = FlagShowTimestamp | FlagShowLevel
+)
+```
+
+### Level Constants
+
+```go
+// Use formatter.LevelToString() to convert levels
+formatter.LevelToString(0)  // "INFO"
+formatter.LevelToString(4)  // "WARN"
+formatter.LevelToString(8)  // "ERROR"
+```
+
+## Sanitizer Package
+
+The `sanitizer` package provides fluent and composable string sanitization based on configurable rules using bitwise filter flags and transforms.
+
+### Standalone Usage
+
+```go
+import "github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+
+// Create sanitizer with predefined policy
+s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyJSON)
+clean := s.Sanitize("hello\nworld")  // "hello\\nworld"
+
+// Custom rules
+s = sanitizer.New().
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterControl, sanitizer.TransformHexEncode).
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterShellSpecial, sanitizer.TransformStrip)
+
+clean = s.Sanitize("cmd; echo test")  // "cmd echo test"
+```
+
+### Predefined Policies
+
+```go
+const (
+    PolicyRaw   PolicyPreset = "raw"   // No-op passthrough
+    PolicyJSON  PolicyPreset = "json"  // JSON-safe strings
+    PolicyTxt   PolicyPreset = "txt"   // Text file safe
+    PolicyShell PolicyPreset = "shell" // Shell command safe
+)
+```
+
+- **PolicyRaw**: Pass through all characters unchanged
+- **PolicyTxt**: Hex-encode non-printable characters as `<XX>`
+- **PolicyJSON**: Escape control characters with JSON-style backslashes
+- **PolicyShell**: Strip shell metacharacters and whitespace
+
+### Filter Flags
+
+```go
+const (
+    FilterNonPrintable uint64 = 1 << iota  // Non-printable runes
+    FilterControl                          // Control characters
+    FilterWhitespace                       // Whitespace characters
+    FilterShellSpecial                     // Shell metacharacters
+)
+```
+
+### Transform Flags
+
+```go
+const (
+    TransformStrip      uint64 = 1 << iota  // Remove character
+    TransformHexEncode                      // Encode as <XX>
+    TransformJSONEscape                     // JSON backslash escape
+)
+```
+
+### Custom Rules
+
+Combine filters and transforms for custom sanitization:
+
+```go
+// Remove control characters, hex-encode non-printable
+s := sanitizer.New().
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterControl, sanitizer.TransformStrip).
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterNonPrintable, sanitizer.TransformHexEncode)
+
+// Apply multiple policies
+s = sanitizer.New().
+    Policy(sanitizer.PolicyTxt).
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterWhitespace, sanitizer.TransformJSONEscape)
+```
+
+### Serializer
+
+The sanitizer includes a `Serializer` for type-aware sanitization:
+
+```go
+serializer := sanitizer.NewSerializer("json", s)
+
+var buf []byte
+serializer.WriteString(&buf, "hello\nworld")  // Adds quotes and escapes
+serializer.WriteNumber(&buf, "123.45")        // No quotes for numbers
+serializer.WriteBool(&buf, true)              // "true"
+serializer.WriteNil(&buf)                     // "null"
+```
+
+## Integration with Logger
+
+The logger uses these packages internally but configuration remains simple:
+
+```go
+logger := log.NewLogger()
+
+// Configure sanitization policy
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "format=json",
+    "sanitization=json",  // Uses PolicyJSON
+)
+
+// Or with custom formatter (advanced)
+s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyShell)
+customFormatter := formatter.New(s).Type("txt")
+// Note: Direct formatter injection requires using lower-level APIs
+```
+
+## Common Patterns
+
+### Security-Focused Sanitization
+
+```go
+// For user input that will be logged
+userInput := getUserInput()
+s := sanitizer.New().
+    Policy(sanitizer.PolicyShell).
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterControl, sanitizer.TransformStrip)
+
+safeLogs := s.Sanitize(userInput)
+logger.Info("User input", "data", safeLogs)
+```
+
+### Custom Log Formatting
+
+```go
+// Format logs for external system
+f := formatter.New()
+f.Type("json").ShowTimestamp(false).ShowLevel(false)
+
+// Create custom log entry
+entry := f.FormatArgs("action", "purchase", "amount", 99.99)
+sendToExternalSystem(entry)
+```
+
+### Multi-Target Output
+
+```go
+// Different sanitization for different outputs
+jsonSanitizer := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyJSON)
+shellSanitizer := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyShell)
+
+// For JSON API
+jsonFormatter := formatter.New(jsonSanitizer).Type("json")
+apiLog := jsonFormatter.Format(...)
+
+// For shell script generation
+txtFormatter := formatter.New(shellSanitizer).Type("txt")
+scriptLog := txtFormatter.Format(...)
+```
+
+## Performance Considerations
+
+- Both packages use pre-allocated buffers for efficiency
+- Sanitizer rules are applied in a single pass
+- Formatter reuses internal buffers via `Reset()`
+- No regex or reflection in hot paths
+
+## Thread Safety
+
+- `Formatter` instances are **NOT** thread-safe (use separate instances per goroutine)
+- `Sanitizer` instances **ARE** thread-safe (immutable after creation)
+- For concurrent formatting, create a formatter per goroutine or use sync.Pool

doc/getting-started.md

@@ -1,18 +1,7 @@
 # Getting Started
 
-[← Back to README](../README.md) | [Configuration →](configuration.md)
-
 This guide will help you get started with the lixenwraith/log package, from installation through basic usage.
 
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Installation](#installation)
-- [Basic Usage](#basic-usage)
-- [Initialization Methods](#initialization-methods)
-- [Your First Logger](#your-first-logger)
-- [Console Output](#console-output)
-- [Next Steps](#next-steps)
-
 ## Installation
 
 Install the logger package:
@@ -35,144 +24,40 @@ The logger follows an instance-based design. You create logger instances and cal
 package main
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+    
     "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
 )
 
 func main() {
-    // Create a new logger instance
+	// Create a new logger instance with default configuration
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
+	logger := log.NewLogger()
-    
+
-    // Initialize with defaults
+	// Apply configuration (enable file output since it's disabled by default)
-    err := logger.InitWithDefaults()
+	err := logger.ApplyConfigString("directory=/var/log/myapp", "enable_file=true")
-    if err != nil {
+	if err != nil {
-        panic(err)
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("failed to apply logger config: %w", err))
-    }
+	}
     defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Start the logger (required before logging)
+	if err = logger.Start(); err != nil {
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("failed to start logger: %w", err))
+	}
     
     // Start logging!
     logger.Info("Application started")
     logger.Debug("Debug mode enabled", "verbose", true)
+	logger.Warn("Warning message", "threshold", 0.95)
+	logger.Error("Error occurred", "code", 500)
 }
 ```
 
-## Initialization Methods
-
-The logger provides two initialization methods:
-
-### 1. Simple Initialization (Recommended for most cases)
-
-Use `InitWithDefaults` with optional string overrides:
-
-```go
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=/var/log/myapp",
-    "level=-4",  // Debug level
-    "format=json",
-)
-```
-
-### 2. Configuration-Based Initialization
-
-For complex applications with centralized configuration:
-
-```go
-import (
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/config"
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-// Load configuration
-cfg := config.New()
-cfg.Load("app.toml", os.Args[1:])
-
-// Initialize logger with config
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-err := logger.Init(cfg, "logging")  // Uses [logging] section in config
-```
-
-## Your First Logger
-
-Here's a complete example demonstrating basic logging features:
-
-```go
-package main
-
-import (
-    "fmt"
-    "time"
-	
-    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-func main() {
-    // Create logger
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    
-    // Initialize with custom settings
-    err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=./logs",     // Log directory
-        "name=myapp",          // Log file prefix
-        "level=0",             // Info level and above
-        "format=txt",          // Human-readable format
-        "max_size_mb=10",      // Rotate at 10MB
-    )
-    if err != nil {
-        fmt.Printf("Failed to initialize logger: %v\n", err)
-        return
-    }
-    
-    // Always shut down gracefully
-    defer func() {
-        if err := logger.Shutdown(2 * time.Second); err != nil {
-            fmt.Printf("Logger shutdown error: %v\n", err)
-        }
-    }()
-    
-    // Log at different levels
-    logger.Debug("This won't appear (below Info level)")
-    logger.Info("Application started", "pid", 12345)
-    logger.Warn("Resource usage high", "cpu", 85.5)
-    logger.Error("Failed to connect", "host", "db.example.com", "port", 5432)
-    
-    // Structured logging with key-value pairs
-    logger.Info("User action",
-        "user_id", 42,
-        "action", "login",
-        "ip", "192.168.1.100",
-        "timestamp", time.Now(),
-    )
-}
-```
-
-## Console Output
-
-For development or container environments, you might want console output:
-
-```go
-// Console-only logging (no files)
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "enable_stdout=true",
-    "disable_file=true",
-    "level=-4",  // Debug level
-)
-
-// Dual output (both file and console)
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=/var/log/app",
-    "enable_stdout=true",
-    "stdout_target=stderr",  // Keep stdout clean
-)
-```
-
 ## Next Steps
 
-Now that you have a working logger:
-
 1. **[Learn about configuration options](configuration.md)** - Customize behavior for your needs
 2. **[Explore the API](api-reference.md)** - See all available methods
-3. **[Understand logging best practices](logging-guide.md)** - Write better logs
+3. **[Logging patterns and examples](logging-guide.md)** - Write better logs
-4. **[Check out examples](examples.md)** - See real-world usage patterns
 
 ## Common Patterns
 
@@ -186,13 +71,15 @@ type Service struct {
 
 func NewService() (*Service, error) {
     logger := log.NewLogger()
-    if err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
+    if err := logger.ApplyConfigString(
         "directory=/var/log/service",
         "name=service",
         "format=json",
     ); err != nil {
         return nil, fmt.Errorf("logger init failed: %w", err)
     }
+	
+    logger.Start()
     
     return &Service{
         logger: logger,
@@ -227,8 +114,4 @@ func loggingMiddleware(logger *log.Logger) func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
         })
     }
 }
-```
+```
-
----
-
-[← Back to README](../README.md) | [Configuration →](configuration.md)

doc/heartbeat-monitoring.md

@@ -1,357 +0,0 @@
-# Heartbeat Monitoring
-
-[← Disk Management](disk-management.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Performance →](performance.md)
-
-Guide to using heartbeat messages for operational monitoring and system health tracking.
-
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Overview](#overview)
-- [Heartbeat Levels](#heartbeat-levels)
-- [Configuration](#configuration)
-- [Heartbeat Messages](#heartbeat-messages)
-- [Monitoring Integration](#monitoring-integration)
-- [Use Cases](#use-cases)
-
-## Overview
-
-Heartbeats are periodic log messages that provide operational statistics about the logger and system. They bypass normal log level filtering, ensuring visibility even when running at higher log levels.
-
-### Key Features
-
-- **Always Visible**: Heartbeats use special log levels that bypass filtering
-- **Multi-Level Detail**: Choose from process, disk, or system statistics
-- **Production Monitoring**: Track logger health without debug logs
-- **Metrics Source**: Parse heartbeats for monitoring dashboards
-
-## Heartbeat Levels
-
-### Level 0: Disabled (Default)
-
-No heartbeat messages are generated.
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=0",  // No heartbeats
-)
-```
-
-### Level 1: Process Statistics (PROC)
-
-Basic logger operation metrics:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=1",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",  // Every 5 minutes
-)
-```
-
-**Output:**
-```
-2024-01-15T10:30:00Z PROC type="proc" sequence=1 uptime_hours="24.50" processed_logs=1847293 dropped_logs=0
-```
-
-**Fields:**
-- `sequence`: Incrementing counter
-- `uptime_hours`: Logger uptime
-- `processed_logs`: Successfully written logs
-- `dropped_logs`: Logs lost due to buffer overflow
-
-### Level 2: Process + Disk Statistics (DISK)
-
-Includes file and disk usage information:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=2",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",
-)
-```
-
-**Additional Output:**
-```
-2024-01-15T10:30:00Z DISK type="disk" sequence=1 rotated_files=12 deleted_files=5 total_log_size_mb="487.32" log_file_count=8 current_file_size_mb="23.45" disk_status_ok=true disk_free_mb="5234.67"
-```
-
-**Additional Fields:**
-- `rotated_files`: Total file rotations
-- `deleted_files`: Files removed by cleanup
-- `total_log_size_mb`: Size of all log files
-- `log_file_count`: Number of log files
-- `current_file_size_mb`: Active file size
-- `disk_status_ok`: Disk health status
-- `disk_free_mb`: Available disk space
-
-### Level 3: Process + Disk + System Statistics (SYS)
-
-Includes runtime and memory metrics:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=3",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=60",  // Every minute for detailed monitoring
-)
-```
-
-**Additional Output:**
-```
-2024-01-15T10:30:00Z SYS type="sys" sequence=1 alloc_mb="45.23" sys_mb="128.45" num_gc=1523 num_goroutine=42
-```
-
-**Additional Fields:**
-- `alloc_mb`: Allocated memory
-- `sys_mb`: System memory reserved
-- `num_gc`: Garbage collection runs
-- `num_goroutine`: Active goroutines
-
-## Configuration
-
-### Basic Configuration
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=2",         // Process + Disk stats
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",  // Every 5 minutes
-)
-```
-
-### Interval Recommendations
-
-| Environment | Level | Interval | Rationale |
-|-------------|-------|----------|-----------|
-| Development | 3 | 30s | Detailed debugging info |
-| Staging | 2 | 300s | Balance detail vs noise |
-| Production | 1-2 | 300-600s | Minimize overhead |
-| High-Load | 1 | 600s | Reduce I/O impact |
-
-### Dynamic Adjustment
-
-```go
-// Start with basic monitoring
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=1",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=600",
-)
-
-// During incident, increase detail
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=3",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=60",
-)
-
-// After resolution, reduce back
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=1",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=600",
-)
-```
-
-## Heartbeat Messages
-
-### JSON Format Example
-
-With `format=json`, heartbeats are structured for easy parsing:
-
-```json
-{
-  "time": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.123456789Z",
-  "level": "PROC",
-  "fields": [
-    "type", "proc",
-    "sequence", 42,
-    "uptime_hours", "24.50",
-    "processed_logs", 1847293,
-    "dropped_logs", 0
-  ]
-}
-```
-
-### Text Format Example
-
-With `format=txt`, heartbeats are human-readable:
-
-```
-2024-01-15T10:30:00.123456789Z PROC type="proc" sequence=42 uptime_hours="24.50" processed_logs=1847293 dropped_logs=0
-```
-
-## Monitoring Integration
-
-### Prometheus Exporter
-
-```go
-type LoggerMetrics struct {
-    logger *log.Logger
-    
-    uptime          prometheus.Gauge
-    processedTotal  prometheus.Counter
-    droppedTotal    prometheus.Counter
-    diskUsageMB     prometheus.Gauge
-    diskFreeSpace   prometheus.Gauge
-    fileCount       prometheus.Gauge
-}
-
-func (m *LoggerMetrics) ParseHeartbeat(line string) {
-    if strings.Contains(line, "type=\"proc\"") {
-        // Extract and update process metrics
-        if match := regexp.MustCompile(`processed_logs=(\d+)`).FindStringSubmatch(line); match != nil {
-            if val, err := strconv.ParseFloat(match[1], 64); err == nil {
-                m.processedTotal.Set(val)
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    
-    if strings.Contains(line, "type=\"disk\"") {
-        // Extract and update disk metrics
-        if match := regexp.MustCompile(`total_log_size_mb="([0-9.]+)"`).FindStringSubmatch(line); match != nil {
-            if val, err := strconv.ParseFloat(match[1], 64); err == nil {
-                m.diskUsageMB.Set(val)
-            }
-        }
-    }
-}
-```
-
-### Grafana Dashboard
-
-Create alerts based on heartbeat metrics:
-
-```yaml
-# Dropped logs alert
-- alert: HighLogDropRate
-  expr: rate(logger_dropped_total[5m]) > 10
-  annotations:
-    summary: "High log drop rate detected"
-    description: "Logger dropping {{ $value }} logs/sec"
-
-# Disk space alert
-- alert: LogDiskSpaceLow
-  expr: logger_disk_free_mb < 1000
-  annotations:
-    summary: "Low log disk space"
-    description: "Only {{ $value }}MB free on log disk"
-
-# Logger health alert
-- alert: LoggerUnhealthy
-  expr: logger_disk_status_ok == 0
-  annotations:
-    summary: "Logger disk status unhealthy"
-```
-
-### ELK Stack Integration
-
-Logstash filter for parsing heartbeats:
-
-```ruby
-filter {
-  if [message] =~ /type="(proc|disk|sys)"/ {
-    grok {
-      match => {
-        "message" => [
-          '%{TIMESTAMP_ISO8601:timestamp} %{WORD:level} type="%{WORD:heartbeat_type}" sequence=%{NUMBER:sequence:int} uptime_hours="%{NUMBER:uptime_hours:float}" processed_logs=%{NUMBER:processed_logs:int} dropped_logs=%{NUMBER:dropped_logs:int}',
-          '%{TIMESTAMP_ISO8601:timestamp} %{WORD:level} type="%{WORD:heartbeat_type}" sequence=%{NUMBER:sequence:int} rotated_files=%{NUMBER:rotated_files:int} deleted_files=%{NUMBER:deleted_files:int} total_log_size_mb="%{NUMBER:total_log_size_mb:float}"'
-        ]
-      }
-    }
-    
-    mutate {
-      add_tag => [ "heartbeat", "metrics" ]
-    }
-  }
-}
-```
-
-## Use Cases
-
-### 1. Production Health Monitoring
-
-```go
-// Production configuration
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "level=4",                   // Warn and Error only
-    "heartbeat_level=2",         // But still get disk stats
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",  // Every 5 minutes
-)
-
-// Monitor for:
-// - Dropped logs (buffer overflow)
-// - Disk space issues
-// - File rotation frequency
-// - Logger uptime (crash detection)
-```
-
-### 2. Performance Tuning
-
-```go
-// Detailed monitoring during load test
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=3",        // All stats
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=10",  // Frequent updates
-)
-
-// Track:
-// - Memory usage trends
-// - Goroutine leaks
-// - GC frequency
-// - Log throughput
-```
-
-### 3. Capacity Planning
-
-```go
-// Long-term trending
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=2",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=3600",  // Hourly
-)
-
-// Analyze:
-// - Log growth rate
-// - Rotation frequency
-// - Disk usage trends
-// - Seasonal patterns
-```
-
-### 4. Debugging Logger Issues
-
-```go
-// When investigating logger problems
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "level=-4",                 // Debug everything
-    "heartbeat_level=3",        // All heartbeats
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=5",   // Very frequent
-    "enable_stdout=true",       // Console output
-)
-```
-
-### 5. Alerting Script
-
-```bash
-#!/bin/bash
-# Monitor heartbeats for issues
-
-tail -f /var/log/myapp/*.log | while read line; do
-    if [[ $line =~ type=\"proc\" ]]; then
-        if [[ $line =~ dropped_logs=([0-9]+) ]] && [[ ${BASH_REMATCH[1]} -gt 0 ]]; then
-            alert "Logs being dropped: ${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
-        fi
-    fi
-    
-    if [[ $line =~ type=\"disk\" ]]; then
-        if [[ $line =~ disk_status_ok=false ]]; then
-            alert "Logger disk unhealthy!"
-        fi
-        
-        if [[ $line =~ disk_free_mb=\"([0-9.]+)\" ]]; then
-            free_mb=${BASH_REMATCH[1]}
-            if (( $(echo "$free_mb < 500" | bc -l) )); then
-                alert "Low disk space: ${free_mb}MB"
-            fi
-        fi
-    fi
-done
-```
-
----
-
-[← Disk Management](disk-management.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Performance →](performance.md)

doc/heartbeat.md

@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+# Heartbeat Monitoring
+
+Guide to using heartbeat messages for operational monitoring and system health tracking.
+
+## Overview
+
+Heartbeats are periodic log messages that provide operational statistics about the logger and system. They bypass normal log level filtering, ensuring visibility even when running at higher log levels.
+
+### Key Features
+
+- **Always Visible**: Heartbeats use special log levels that bypass filtering
+- **Multi-Level Detail**: Choose from process, disk, or system statistics
+- **Production Monitoring**: Track logger health without debug logs
+- **Metrics Source**: Parse heartbeats for monitoring dashboards
+
+## Heartbeat Levels
+
+### Level 0: Disabled (Default)
+
+No heartbeat messages are generated.
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=0",  // No heartbeats
+)
+```
+
+### Level 1: Process Statistics (PROC)
+
+Basic logger operation metrics:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=1",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",  // Every 5 minutes
+)
+```
+
+**Output:**
+```
+2024-01-15T10:30:00Z PROC type="proc" sequence=1 uptime_hours="24.50" processed_logs=1847293 dropped_logs=0
+```
+
+**Fields:**
+- `sequence`: Incrementing counter
+- `uptime_hours`: Logger uptime
+- `processed_logs`: Successfully written logs
+- `dropped_logs`: Logs lost due to buffer overflow
+
+### Level 2: Process + Disk Statistics (DISK)
+
+Includes file and disk usage information:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=2",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",
+)
+```
+
+**Additional Output:**
+```
+2024-01-15T10:30:00Z DISK type="disk" sequence=1 rotated_files=12 deleted_files=5 total_log_size_mb="487.32" log_file_count=8 current_file_size_mb="23.45" disk_status_ok=true disk_free_mb="5234.67"
+```
+
+**Additional Fields:**
+- `rotated_files`: Total file rotations
+- `deleted_files`: Files removed by cleanup
+- `total_log_size_mb`: Size of all log files
+- `log_file_count`: Number of log files
+- `current_file_size_mb`: Active file size
+- `disk_status_ok`: Disk health status
+- `disk_free_mb`: Available disk space
+
+### Level 3: Process + Disk + System Statistics (SYS)
+
+Includes runtime and memory metrics:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=3",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=60",  // Every minute for detailed monitoring
+)
+```
+
+**Additional Output:**
+```
+2024-01-15T10:30:00Z SYS type="sys" sequence=1 alloc_mb="45.23" sys_mb="128.45" num_gc=1523 num_goroutine=42
+```
+
+**Additional Fields:**
+- `alloc_mb`: Allocated memory
+- `sys_mb`: System memory reserved
+- `num_gc`: Garbage collection runs
+- `num_goroutine`: Active goroutines
+
+## Configuration
+
+### Basic Configuration
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=2",         // Process + Disk stats
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",  // Every 5 minutes
+)
+```
+
+### Interval Recommendations
+
+| Environment | Level | Interval | Rationale |
+|-------------|-------|----------|-----------|
+| Development | 3 | 30s | Detailed debugging info |
+| Staging | 2 | 300s | Balance detail vs noise |
+| Production | 1-2 | 300-600s | Minimize overhead |
+| High-Load | 1 | 600s | Reduce I/O impact |
+
+### Dynamic Adjustment
+
+```go
+// Start with basic monitoring
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=1",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=600",
+)
+
+// During incident, increase detail
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=3",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=60",
+)
+
+// After resolution, reduce back
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=1",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=600",
+)
+```
+
+## Heartbeat Messages
+
+### JSON Format Example
+
+With `format=json`, heartbeats are structured for easy parsing:
+
+```json
+{
+  "time": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.123456789Z",
+  "level": "PROC",
+  "fields": [
+    "type", "proc",
+    "sequence", 42,
+    "uptime_hours", "24.50",
+    "processed_logs", 1847293,
+    "dropped_logs", 0
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### Text Format Example
+
+With `format=txt`, heartbeats are human-readable:
+
+```
+2024-01-15T10:30:00.123456789Z PROC type="proc" sequence=42 uptime_hours="24.50" processed_logs=1847293 dropped_logs=0
+```

doc/logging.md

@@ -1,19 +1,7 @@
 # Logging Guide
 
-[← API Reference](api-reference.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Disk Management →](disk-management.md)
-
 Best practices and patterns for effective logging with the lixenwraith/log package.
 
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Log Levels](#log-levels)
-- [Structured Logging](#structured-logging)
-- [Output Formats](#output-formats)
-- [Function Tracing](#function-tracing)
-- [Error Handling](#error-handling)
-- [Performance Considerations](#performance-considerations)
-- [Logging Patterns](#logging-patterns)
-
 ## Log Levels
 
 ### Understanding Log Levels
@@ -30,16 +18,12 @@ The logger uses numeric levels for efficient filtering:
 ### Level Selection Guidelines
 
 ```go
-// Debug: Detailed execution flow
 logger.Debug("Cache lookup", "key", cacheKey, "found", found)
 
-// Info: Important business events
 logger.Info("Order processed", "order_id", orderID, "amount", 99.99)
 
-// Warn: Recoverable issues
 logger.Warn("Retry attempt", "service", "payment", "attempt", 3)
 
-// Error: Failures requiring attention
 logger.Error("Database query failed", "query", query, "error", err)
 ```
 
@@ -47,23 +31,22 @@ logger.Error("Database query failed", "query", query, "error", err)
 
 ```go
 // Development: See everything
-logger.InitWithDefaults("level=-4")  // Debug and above
+logger.ApplyConfigString("level=-4")  // Debug and above
 
 // Production: Reduce noise
-logger.InitWithDefaults("level=0")   // Info and above
+logger.ApplyConfigString("level=0")   // Info and above
 
 // Critical systems: Errors only
-logger.InitWithDefaults("level=8")   // Error only
+logger.ApplyConfigString("level=8")   // Error only
 ```
 
 ## Structured Logging
 
 ### Key-Value Pairs
 
-Always use structured key-value pairs for machine-parseable logs:
+Use structured key-value pairs for machine-parseable logs:
 
 ```go
-// Good: Structured data
 logger.Info("User login",
     "user_id", user.ID,
     "email", user.Email,
@@ -71,10 +54,33 @@ logger.Info("User login",
     "timestamp", time.Now(),
 )
 
-// Avoid: Unstructured strings
+// Works, but not recommended:
 logger.Info(fmt.Sprintf("User %s logged in from %s", user.Email, request.RemoteAddr))
 ```
 
+### Structured JSON Fields
+
+For complex structured data with proper JSON marshaling:
+
+```go
+// Use LogStructured for nested objects
+logger.LogStructured(log.LevelInfo, "API request", map[string]any{
+    "endpoint": "/api/users",
+    "method": "POST",
+    "headers": req.Header,
+    "duration_ms": elapsed.Milliseconds(),
+     })
+```
+
+### Raw Output
+
+Outputs raw, unformatted data regardless of configured format:
+
+```go
+// Write raw metrics data
+logger.Write("METRIC", name, value, "ts", time.Now().Unix())
+```
+
 ### Consistent Field Names
 
 Use consistent field names across your application:
@@ -120,18 +126,22 @@ func logWithContext(ctx context.Context, logger *log.Logger, level string, msg s
 
 ## Output Formats
 
-### Text Format (Human-Readable)
+The logger supports three output formats, each with configurable sanitization. The default format is "raw".
+
+### Txt Format (Human-Readable)
 
 Default format for development and debugging:
 
 ```
-2024-01-15T10:30:45.123456789Z INFO User login user_id=42 email="user@example.com" ip="192.168.1.100"
+2024-01-15T10:30:45.123456789Z INFO User login user_id=42 email=user@example.com ip=192.168.1.100
 2024-01-15T10:30:45.234567890Z WARN Rate limit approaching user_id=42 requests=95 limit=100
 ```
 
+Note: The txt format applies the configured sanitization policy (default: raw). Non-printable characters can be hex-encoded using `sanitization=txt` configuration.
+
 Configuration:
 ```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
     "format=txt",
     "show_timestamp=true",
     "show_level=true",
@@ -149,13 +159,27 @@ Ideal for log aggregation and analysis:
 
 Configuration:
 ```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
     "format=json",
     "show_timestamp=true",
     "show_level=true",
 )
 ```
 
+### Raw Format (Unstructured)
+
+Outputs arguments as space-separated values without any metadata:
+
+```
+METRIC cpu_usage 85.5 timestamp 1234567890
+```
+
+Configuration:
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString("format=raw")
+// Or use logger.Write() method which forces raw output
+```
+
 ## Function Tracing
 
 ### Using Trace Methods
@@ -242,95 +266,11 @@ func (s *Service) ProcessOrder(orderID string) error {
 }
 ```
 
-## Performance Considerations
-
-### Minimize Allocations
-
-```go
-// Avoid: String concatenation
-logger.Info("User " + user.Name + " logged in")
-
-// Good: Structured fields
-logger.Info("User logged in", "username", user.Name)
-
-// Avoid: Sprintf in hot path
-logger.Debug(fmt.Sprintf("Processing item %d of %d", i, total))
-
-// Good: Direct fields
-logger.Debug("Processing item", "current", i, "total", total)
-```
-
-### Conditional Expensive Operations
-
-```go
-// Only compute expensive values if they'll be logged
-if logger.IsEnabled(log.LevelDebug) {
-    stats := computeExpensiveStats()
-    logger.Debug("Detailed statistics", "stats", stats)
-}
-```
-
-### Batch Related Logs
-
-```go
-// Instead of logging each item
-for _, item := range items {
-    logger.Debug("Processing", "item", item)  // Noisy
-}
-
-// Log summary information
-logger.Info("Batch processing",
-    "count", len(items),
-    "first_id", items[0].ID,
-    "last_id", items[len(items)-1].ID,
-)
-```
-
 ## Internal Error Handling
 
-The logger may encounter internal errors during operation (e.g., file rotation failures, disk space issues). By default, writing these errors to stderr is disabled, but can be enabled in configuration for diagnostic purposes.
+The logger may encounter internal errors during operation (e.g., file rotation failures, disk space issues). By default, writing these errors to stderr is disabled, but can be enabled ("internal_errors_to_stderr=true") in configuration for diagnostic purposes.
 
-### Controlling Internal Error Output
+## Sample Logging Patterns
-
-For applications requiring clean stderr output, keep internal error messages disabled:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "internal_errors_to_stderr=false",  // Suppress internal diagnostics
-)
-```
-
-### When to Keep Internal Errors Disabled
-
-Consider disabling internal error output for:
-
-- CLI tools producing structured output
-- Daemons with strict stderr requirements
-- Applications with custom error monitoring
-- Container environments with log aggregation
-
-### Monitoring Without stderr
-
-When internal errors are disabled, monitor logger health using:
-
-1. **Heartbeat monitoring**: Detect issues via heartbeat logs
-   ```go
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "internal_errors_to_stderr=false",
-       "heartbeat_level=2",  // Include disk stats
-       "heartbeat_interval_s=60",
-   )
-   ```
-
-2. **Check for dropped logs**: The logger tracks dropped messages
-   ```go
-   // Dropped logs appear in regular log output when possible
-   // Look for: "Logs were dropped" messages
-   ```
-
-3. **External monitoring**: Monitor disk space and file system health independently
-
-## Logging Patterns
 
 ### Request Lifecycle
 
@@ -389,25 +329,6 @@ func (w *Worker) processJob(job Job) {
 }
 ```
 
-### Audit Logging
-
-```go
-func (s *Service) auditAction(userID string, action string, resource string, result string) {
-    s.auditLogger.Info("Audit event",
-        "timestamp", time.Now().UTC(),
-        "user_id", userID,
-        "action", action,
-        "resource", resource,
-        "result", result,
-        "ip", getCurrentIP(),
-        "session_id", getSessionID(),
-    )
-}
-
-// Usage
-s.auditAction(user.ID, "DELETE", "post:123", "success")
-```
-
 ### Metrics Logging
 
 ```go
@@ -428,8 +349,4 @@ func (m *MetricsCollector) logMetrics() {
         )
     }
 }
-```
+```
-
----
-
-[← API Reference](api-reference.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Disk Management →](disk-management.md)

doc/performance.md

@@ -1,363 +0,0 @@
-# Performance Guide
-
-[← Heartbeat Monitoring](heartbeat-monitoring.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Compatibility Adapters →](compatibility-adapters.md)
-
-Architecture overview and performance optimization strategies for the lixenwraith/log package.
-
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Architecture Overview](#architecture-overview)
-- [Performance Characteristics](#performance-characteristics)
-- [Optimization Strategies](#optimization-strategies)
-- [Benchmarking](#benchmarking)
-- [Troubleshooting Performance](#troubleshooting-performance)
-
-## Architecture Overview
-
-### Lock-Free Design
-
-The logger uses a lock-free architecture for maximum performance:
-
-```
-┌─────────────┐     Atomic Checks      ┌──────────────┐
-│   Logger    │ ──────────────────────→│ State Check  │
-│  Methods    │                        │ (No Locks)   │
-└─────────────┘                        └──────────────┘
-      │                                        │
-      │ Non-blocking                          │ Pass
-      ↓ Channel Send                          ↓
-┌─────────────┐                        ┌──────────────┐
-│  Buffered   │←───────────────────────│ Format Data  │
-│  Channel    │                        │ (Stack Alloc)│
-└─────────────┘                        └──────────────┘
-      │
-      │ Single Consumer
-      ↓ Goroutine
-┌─────────────┐     Batch Write        ┌──────────────┐
-│  Processor  │ ──────────────────────→│ File System  │
-│  Goroutine  │                        │    (OS)      │
-└─────────────┘                        └──────────────┘
-```
-
-### Key Components
-
-1. **Atomic State Management**: No mutexes in hot path
-2. **Buffered Channel**: Decouples producers from I/O
-3. **Single Processor**: Eliminates write contention
-4. **Reusable Serializer**: Minimizes allocations
-
-## Performance Characteristics
-
-### Throughput
-
-Typical performance on modern hardware:
-
-| Scenario | Logs/Second | Latency (p99) |
-|----------|-------------|---------------|
-| File only | 500,000+ | < 1μs |
-| File + Console | 100,000+ | < 5μs |
-| JSON format | 400,000+ | < 2μs |
-| With rotation | 450,000+ | < 2μs |
-
-### Memory Usage
-
-- **Per Logger**: ~10KB base overhead
-- **Per Log Entry**: 0 allocations (reused buffer)
-- **Channel Buffer**: `buffer_size * 24 bytes`
-
-### CPU Impact
-
-- **Logging Thread**: < 0.1% CPU per 100k logs/sec
-- **Processor Thread**: 1-5% CPU depending on I/O
-
-## Optimization Strategies
-
-### 1. Buffer Size Tuning
-
-Choose buffer size based on burst patterns:
-
-```go
-// Low volume, consistent rate
-logger.InitWithDefaults("buffer_size=256")
-
-// Medium volume with bursts
-logger.InitWithDefaults("buffer_size=1024")  // Default
-
-// High volume or large bursts
-logger.InitWithDefaults("buffer_size=4096")
-
-// Extreme bursts (monitor for drops)
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "buffer_size=8192",
-    "heartbeat_level=1",  // Monitor dropped logs
-)
-```
-
-### 2. Flush Interval Optimization
-
-Balance latency vs throughput:
-
-```go
-// Low latency (more syscalls)
-logger.InitWithDefaults("flush_interval_ms=10")
-
-// Balanced (default)
-logger.InitWithDefaults("flush_interval_ms=100")
-
-// High throughput (batch writes)
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "flush_interval_ms=1000",
-    "enable_periodic_sync=false",
-)
-```
-
-### 3. Format Selection
-
-Choose format based on needs:
-
-```go
-// Maximum performance
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "format=txt",
-    "show_timestamp=false",  // Skip time formatting
-    "show_level=false",      // Skip level string
-)
-
-// Balanced features/performance
-logger.InitWithDefaults("format=txt")  // Default
-
-// Structured but slower
-logger.InitWithDefaults("format=json")
-```
-
-### 4. Disk I/O Optimization
-
-Reduce disk operations:
-
-```go
-// Minimize disk checks
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "disk_check_interval_ms=30000",      // 30 seconds
-    "enable_adaptive_interval=false",    // Fixed interval
-    "enable_periodic_sync=false",        // No periodic sync
-)
-
-// Large files to reduce rotations
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "max_size_mb=1000",                  // 1GB files
-)
-
-// Disable unnecessary features
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "retention_period_hrs=0",            // No retention checks
-    "heartbeat_level=0",                 // No heartbeats
-)
-```
-
-### 5. Console Output Optimization
-
-For development with console output:
-
-```go
-// Faster console output
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "enable_stdout=true",
-    "stdout_target=stdout",  // Slightly faster than stderr
-    "disable_file=true",     // Skip file I/O entirely
-)
-```
-
-## Benchmarking
-
-### Basic Benchmark
-
-```go
-func BenchmarkLogger(b *testing.B) {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults(
-        "directory=./bench_logs",
-        "buffer_size=4096",
-        "flush_interval_ms=1000",
-    )
-    defer logger.Shutdown()
-    
-    b.ResetTimer()
-    b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
-        for pb.Next() {
-            logger.Info("Benchmark log",
-                "iteration", 1,
-                "thread", runtime.GOID(),
-                "timestamp", time.Now(),
-            )
-        }
-    })
-}
-```
-
-### Throughput Test
-
-```go
-func TestThroughput(t *testing.T) {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults("buffer_size=4096")
-    defer logger.Shutdown()
-    
-    start := time.Now()
-    count := 1000000
-    
-    for i := 0; i < count; i++ {
-        logger.Info("msg", "seq", i)
-    }
-    
-    logger.Flush(5 * time.Second)
-    duration := time.Since(start)
-    
-    rate := float64(count) / duration.Seconds()
-    t.Logf("Throughput: %.0f logs/sec", rate)
-}
-```
-
-### Memory Profile
-
-```go
-func profileMemory() {
-    logger := log.NewLogger()
-    logger.InitWithDefaults()
-    defer logger.Shutdown()
-    
-    // Force GC for baseline
-    runtime.GC()
-    var m1 runtime.MemStats
-    runtime.ReadMemStats(&m1)
-    
-    // Log heavily
-    for i := 0; i < 100000; i++ {
-        logger.Info("Memory test", "index", i)
-    }
-    
-    // Measure again
-    runtime.GC()
-    var m2 runtime.MemStats
-    runtime.ReadMemStats(&m2)
-    
-    fmt.Printf("Alloc delta: %d bytes\n", m2.Alloc-m1.Alloc)
-    fmt.Printf("Total alloc: %d bytes\n", m2.TotalAlloc-m1.TotalAlloc)
-}
-```
-
-## Troubleshooting Performance
-
-### 1. Detecting Dropped Logs
-
-Monitor heartbeats for drops:
-
-```go
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=1",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=60",
-)
-
-// In logs: dropped_logs=1523
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-- Increase `buffer_size`
-- Reduce log volume
-- Optimize log formatting
-
-### 2. High CPU Usage
-
-Check processor goroutine:
-
-```go
-// Enable system stats
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "heartbeat_level=3",
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=10",
-)
-
-// Monitor: num_goroutine count
-// Monitor: CPU usage of process
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-- Increase `flush_interval_ms`
-- Disable `enable_periodic_sync`
-- Reduce `heartbeat_level`
-
-### 3. Memory Growth
-
-```go
-// Add memory monitoring
-go func() {
-    ticker := time.NewTicker(1 * time.Minute)
-    defer ticker.Stop()
-    
-    for range ticker.C {
-        var m runtime.MemStats
-        runtime.ReadMemStats(&m)
-        logger.Info("Memory stats",
-            "alloc_mb", m.Alloc/1024/1024,
-            "sys_mb", m.Sys/1024/1024,
-            "num_gc", m.NumGC,
-        )
-    }
-}()
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-- Check for logger reference leaks
-- Verify `buffer_size` is reasonable
-- Look for infinite log loops
-
-### 4. Slow Disk I/O
-
-Identify I/O bottlenecks:
-
-```bash
-# Monitor disk I/O
-iostat -x 1
-
-# Check write latency
-ioping -c 10 /var/log
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-- Use faster storage (SSD)
-- Increase `flush_interval_ms`
-- Enable write caching
-- Use separate log volume
-
-### 5. Lock Contention
-
-The logger is designed to avoid locks, but check for:
-
-```go
-// Profile mutex contention
-import _ "net/http/pprof"
-
-go func() {
-    runtime.SetMutexProfileFraction(1)
-    http.ListenAndServe("localhost:6060", nil)
-}()
-
-// Check: go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/mutex
-```
-
-### Performance Checklist
-
-Before deploying:
-
-- [ ] Appropriate `buffer_size` for load
-- [ ] Reasonable `flush_interval_ms`
-- [ ] Correct `format` for use case
-- [ ] Heartbeat monitoring enabled
-- [ ] Disk space properly configured
-- [ ] Retention policies set
-- [ ] Load tested with expected volume
-- [ ] Drop monitoring in place
-- [ ] CPU/memory baseline established
-
----
-
-[← Heartbeat Monitoring](heartbeat-monitoring.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md) | [Compatibility Adapters →](compatibility-adapters.md)

doc/quick-guide_lixenwraith_log.md

@@ -0,0 +1,518 @@
+I'll search the project knowledge to understand the current state of the log package and update the quick-guide documentation accordingly.# FILE: doc/quick-guide_lixenwraith_log.md
+
+# lixenwraith/log Quick Reference Guide
+
+High-performance buffered rotating file logger with disk management, operational monitoring, and exported formatter/sanitizer packages.
+
+## Quick Start: Recommended Usage
+
+Builder pattern with type-safe configuration (compile-time safety, no runtime errors):
+
+```go
+package main
+
+import (
+    "fmt"
+    "os"
+    "time"
+    
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+)
+
+func main() {
+    // Build logger with configuration
+    logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+        Directory("/var/log/myapp").      // Log directory path
+        LevelString("info").               // Minimum log level
+        Format("json").                    // Output format
+        Sanitization("json").              // Sanitization policy
+        EnableFile(true).                  // Enable file output (disabled by default)
+		BufferSize(2048).                  // Channel buffer size
+        MaxSizeMB(10).                     // Max file size before rotation
+        HeartbeatLevel(1).                 // Enable operational monitoring
+        HeartbeatIntervalS(300).          // Every 5 minutes
+        Build()                            // Build the logger instance
+    if err != nil {
+        panic(fmt.Errorf("logger build failed: %w", err))
+    }
+    defer logger.Shutdown(5 * time.Second)
+
+    // Start the logger (required before logging)
+    if err := logger.Start(); err != nil {
+        panic(fmt.Errorf("logger start failed: %w", err))
+    }
+
+    // Begin logging with structured key-value pairs
+    logger.Info("Application started", "version", "1.0.0", "pid", os.Getpid())
+    logger.Debug("Debug information", "user_id", 12345)
+    logger.Warn("High memory usage", "used_mb", 1800, "limit_mb", 2048)
+    logger.Error("Connection failed", "host", "db.example.com", "error", err)
+}
+```
+
+## Alternative Initialization Methods
+
+### Using ApplyConfigString (Quick Configuration)
+
+```go
+logger := log.NewLogger()
+err := logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "directory=/var/log/app",
+    "format=json",
+    "sanitization=json",
+    "level=debug",
+    "max_size_kb=5000",
+)
+if err != nil {
+    return fmt.Errorf("config failed: %w", err)
+}
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+logger.Start()
+```
+
+### Using ApplyConfig (Full Control)
+
+```go
+logger := log.NewLogger()
+cfg := log.DefaultConfig()
+cfg.Directory = "/var/log/app"
+cfg.Format = "json"
+cfg.Sanitization = log.PolicyJSON
+cfg.Level = log.LevelDebug
+cfg.MaxSizeKB = 5000
+cfg.HeartbeatLevel = 2  // Process + disk stats
+err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+if err != nil {
+    return fmt.Errorf("config failed: %w", err)
+}
+defer logger.Shutdown()
+logger.Start()
+```
+
+## Builder Pattern
+
+```go
+func NewBuilder() *Builder
+func (b *Builder) Build() (*Logger, error)
+```
+
+### Builder Methods
+
+All builder methods return `*Builder` for chaining.
+
+**Basic Configuration:**
+- `Level(level int64)`: Set numeric log level (-4 to 8)
+- `LevelString(level string)`: Set level by name ("debug", "info", "warn", "error")
+- `Directory(dir string)`: Set log directory path
+- `Name(name string)`: Set base filename (default: "log")
+- `Format(format string)`: Set format ("txt", "json", "raw")
+- `Sanitization(policy string)`: Set sanitization policy ("txt", "json", "raw", "shell")
+- `Extension(ext string)`: Set file extension (default: ".log")
+
+**Buffer and Performance:**
+- `BufferSize(size int64)`: Channel buffer size (default: 1024)
+- `FlushIntervalMs(ms int64)`: Buffer flush interval (default: 100ms)
+- `TraceDepth(depth int64)`: Default function trace depth 0-10 (default: 0)
+
+**File Management:**
+- `MaxSizeKB(size int64)` / `MaxSizeMB(size int64)`: Max file size before rotation
+- `MaxTotalSizeKB(size int64)` / `MaxTotalSizeMB(size int64)`: Max total directory size
+- `MinDiskFreeKB(size int64)` / `MinDiskFreeMB(size int64)`: Required free disk space
+- `RetentionPeriodHrs(hours float64)`: Hours to keep logs (0=disabled)
+- `RetentionCheckMins(mins float64)`: Retention check interval
+
+**Output Control:**
+- `EnableConsole(enable bool)`: Enable stdout/stderr output
+- `EnableFile(enable bool)`: Enable file output
+- `ConsoleTarget(target string)`: "stdout", "stderr", or "split"
+
+**Formatting:**
+- `ShowTimestamp(show bool)`: Add timestamps
+- `ShowLevel(show bool)`: Add level labels
+- `TimestampFormat(format string)`: Go time format string
+
+**Monitoring:**
+- `HeartbeatLevel(level int64)`: 0=off, 1=proc, 2=+disk, 3=+sys
+- `HeartbeatIntervalS(seconds int64)`: Heartbeat interval
+
+**Disk Monitoring:**
+- `DiskCheckIntervalMs(ms int64)`: Base disk check interval
+- `EnableAdaptiveInterval(enable bool)`: Adjust interval based on load
+- `MinCheckIntervalMs(ms int64)`: Minimum adaptive interval
+- `MaxCheckIntervalMs(ms int64)`: Maximum adaptive interval
+- `EnablePeriodicSync(enable bool)`: Periodic disk sync
+
+**Error Handling:**
+- `InternalErrorsToStderr(enable bool)`: Send internal errors to stderr
+
+## API Reference
+
+### Logger Creation
+
+```go
+func NewLogger() *Logger
+```
+Creates a new uninitialized logger with default configuration.
+
+### Configuration Methods
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) ApplyConfig(cfg *Config) error
+func (l *Logger) ApplyConfigString(overrides ...string) error
+func (l *Logger) GetConfig() *Config
+```
+
+### Lifecycle Methods
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) Start() error                            // Start log processing
+func (l *Logger) Stop(timeout ...time.Duration) error     // Stop (can restart)
+func (l *Logger) Shutdown(timeout ...time.Duration) error // Terminal shutdown
+func (l *Logger) Flush(timeout time.Duration) error       // Force buffer flush
+```
+
+### Standard Logging Methods
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) Debug(args ...any)  // Level -4
+func (l *Logger) Info(args ...any)   // Level 0
+func (l *Logger) Warn(args ...any)   // Level 4
+func (l *Logger) Error(args ...any)  // Level 8
+```
+
+### Trace Logging Methods
+
+Include function call traces (depth 0-10):
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) DebugTrace(depth int, args ...any)
+func (l *Logger) InfoTrace(depth int, args ...any)
+func (l *Logger) WarnTrace(depth int, args ...any)
+func (l *Logger) ErrorTrace(depth int, args ...any)
+```
+
+### Special Logging Methods
+
+```go
+func (l *Logger) LogStructured(level int64, message string, fields map[string]any)
+func (l *Logger) Write(args ...any)      // Raw output, no formatting
+func (l *Logger) Log(args ...any)        // Timestamp only, no level
+func (l *Logger) Message(args ...any)    // No timestamp or level
+func (l *Logger) LogTrace(depth int, args ...any) // Timestamp + trace, no level
+```
+
+## Constants and Levels
+
+### Standard Log Levels
+
+```go
+const (
+    LevelDebug int64 = -4  // Verbose debugging
+    LevelInfo  int64 = 0   // Informational messages
+    LevelWarn  int64 = 4   // Warning conditions
+    LevelError int64 = 8   // Error conditions
+)
+```
+
+### Heartbeat Monitoring Levels
+
+Special levels that bypass filtering:
+
+```go
+const (
+    LevelProc int64 = 12  // Process statistics
+    LevelDisk int64 = 16  // Disk usage statistics
+    LevelSys  int64 = 20  // System statistics
+)
+```
+
+### Sanitization Policies
+
+```go
+const (
+    PolicyRaw   = "raw"   // No-op passthrough
+    PolicyJSON  = "json"  // JSON-safe output
+    PolicyTxt   = "txt"   // Text file safe
+    PolicyShell = "shell" // Shell-safe output
+)
+```
+
+### Level Helper
+
+```go
+func Level(levelStr string) (int64, error)
+```
+Converts level string to numeric constant: "debug", "info", "warn", "error", "proc", "disk", "sys".
+
+## Output Formats
+
+### JSON Format
+
+```json
+{"timestamp":"2024-01-01T12:00:00Z","level":"INFO","fields":["Application started","version","1.0.0"]}
+```
+
+### TXT Format
+
+```
+2024-01-01T12:00:00Z INFO Application started version="1.0.0" pid=1234
+```
+
+### RAW Format
+
+Minimal format without timestamps or levels:
+```
+Application started version="1.0.0" pid=1234
+Connection failed host="db.example.com" error="timeout"
+```
+
+## Standalone Formatter/Sanitizer Packages
+
+### Formatter Package
+
+```go
+import (
+    "time"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/formatter"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+)
+
+// Create formatter with sanitizer
+s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyJSON)
+f := formatter.New(s)
+
+// Configure and format
+f.Type("json").ShowTimestamp(true)
+data := f.Format(
+    formatter.FlagDefault,
+    time.Now(),
+    0,  // Info level
+    "", // No trace
+    []any{"User action", "user_id", 42},
+)
+```
+
+### Sanitizer Package
+
+```go
+import "github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+
+// Predefined policy
+s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyJSON)
+clean := s.Sanitize("hello\nworld")  // "hello\\nworld"
+
+// Custom rules
+s = sanitizer.New().
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterControl, sanitizer.TransformStrip).
+    Rule(sanitizer.FilterNonPrintable, sanitizer.TransformHexEncode)
+```
+
+## Framework Adapters (compat package)
+
+### gnet v2 Adapter
+
+```go
+import (
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+    "github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2"
+)
+
+// Create adapter
+adapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
+
+// Use with gnet
+gnet.Run(handler, "tcp://127.0.0.1:9000", gnet.WithLogger(adapter))
+```
+
+### fasthttp Adapter
+
+```go
+import (
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log"
+    "github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
+    "github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
+)
+
+// Create adapter
+adapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(logger)
+
+// Use with fasthttp
+server := &fasthttp.Server{
+    Handler: requestHandler,
+    Logger:  adapter,
+}
+```
+
+### Adapter Builder Pattern
+
+```go
+// Share logger across adapters
+builder := compat.NewBuilder().WithLogger(logger)
+
+gnetAdapter, err := builder.BuildGnet()
+fasthttpAdapter, err := builder.BuildFastHTTP()
+
+// Or create structured adapters
+structuredGnet, err := builder.BuildStructuredGnet()
+```
+
+## Common Patterns
+
+### Service with Shared Logger
+
+```go
+type Service struct {
+    logger *log.Logger
+}
+
+func NewService() (*Service, error) {
+    logger, err := log.NewBuilder().
+        Directory("/var/log/service").
+        Format("json").
+        BufferSize(2048).
+        HeartbeatLevel(2).
+        Build()
+    if err != nil {
+        return nil, err
+    }
+    
+    if err := logger.Start(); err != nil {
+        return nil, err
+    }
+    
+    return &Service{logger: logger}, nil
+}
+
+func (s *Service) Close() error {
+    return s.logger.Shutdown(5 * time.Second)
+}
+
+func (s *Service) ProcessRequest(id string) {
+    s.logger.Info("Processing", "request_id", id)
+    // ... process ...
+    s.logger.Info("Completed", "request_id", id)
+}
+```
+
+### HTTP Middleware
+
+```go
+func loggingMiddleware(logger *log.Logger) func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
+    return func(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
+        return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+            start := time.Now()
+            wrapped := &responseWriter{ResponseWriter: w, status: 200}
+            
+            next.ServeHTTP(wrapped, r)
+            
+            logger.Info("HTTP request",
+                "method", r.Method,
+                "path", r.URL.Path,
+                "status", wrapped.status,
+                "duration_ms", time.Since(start).Milliseconds(),
+                "remote_addr", r.RemoteAddr,
+            )
+        })
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Hot Reconfiguration
+
+```go
+// Initial configuration
+logger.ApplyConfigString("level=info")
+
+// Debugging reconfiguration
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "level=debug",
+    "heartbeat_level=3",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=60",
+)
+
+// Revert to normal
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "level=info",
+    "heartbeat_level=1",
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",
+)
+```
+
+### Security-Focused Sanitization
+
+```go
+// User input logging with shell-safe sanitization
+userInput := getUserInput()
+s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyShell)
+logger.Info("User command", "input", s.Sanitize(userInput))
+
+// Or configure logger-wide
+logger.ApplyConfigString("sanitization=shell")
+```
+
+### Graceful Shutdown
+
+```go
+// Setup signal handling
+sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGTERM, syscall.SIGINT)
+
+// Shutdown sequence
+<-sigChan
+logger.Info("Shutdown initiated")
+
+// Flush pending logs with timeout
+if err := logger.Shutdown(5 * time.Second); err != nil {
+    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Logger shutdown error: %v\n", err)
+}
+```
+
+## Thread Safety
+
+All public methods are thread-safe. The logger uses:
+- Atomic operations for state management
+- Channels for log record passing
+- No locks in the critical logging path
+
+## Performance Characteristics
+
+- **Zero-allocation logging path**: Pre-allocated buffers
+- **Lock-free async design**: Non-blocking sends to buffered channel
+- **Adaptive disk checks**: Adjusts I/O based on load
+- **Batch writes**: Flushes buffer periodically, not per-record
+- **Drop tracking**: Counts dropped logs when buffer full
+
+## Migration Guide
+
+### From standard log package
+
+```go
+// Before: standard log
+log.Printf("User login: id=%d name=%s", id, name)
+
+// After: lixenwraith/log
+logger.Info("User login", "id", id, "name", name)
+```
+
+### From other structured loggers
+
+```go
+// Before: zap
+zap.Info("User login",
+    zap.Int("id", id),
+    zap.String("name", name))
+
+// After: lixenwraith/log
+logger.Info("User login", "id", id, "name", name)
+```
+
+## Best Practices
+
+1. **Use Builder pattern** for configuration - compile-time safety
+2. **Use structured logging** - consistent key-value pairs
+3. **Use appropriate levels** - filter noise in logs
+4. **Configure sanitization** - prevent log injection attacks
+5. **Monitor heartbeats** - track logger health in production
+6. **Handle shutdown** - always call Shutdown() to flush logs
+7. **Use standalone packages** - reuse formatter/sanitizer for other needs

doc/storage.md

@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+# Disk Management
+
+Comprehensive guide to log file rotation, retention policies, and disk space management.
+
+## File Rotation
+
+### Automatic Rotation
+
+Log files are automatically rotated when they reach the configured size limit:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "max_size_kb=100",  // Rotate at 100MB
+)
+```
+
+### Rotation Behavior
+
+1. **Size Check**: Before each write, the logger checks if the file would exceed `max_size_kb`
+2. **New File Creation**: Creates a new file with timestamp: `appname_240115_103045_123456789.log`
+3. **Seamless Transition**: No logs are lost during rotation
+4. **Old File Closure**: Previous file is properly closed and synced
+
+### File Naming Convention
+
+```
+{name}_{YYMMDD}_{HHMMSS}_{nanoseconds}.{extension}
+
+Example: myapp_240115_143022_987654321.log
+```
+
+Components:
+- `name`: Configured log name
+- `YYMMDD`: Date (year, month, day)
+- `HHMMSS`: Time (hour, minute, second)
+- `nanoseconds`: For uniqueness
+- `extension`: Configured extension
+
+## Disk Space Management
+
+### Space Limits
+
+The logger enforces two types of space limits:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "max_total_size_kb=1000",   // Total log directory size
+    "min_disk_free_kb=5000",    // Minimum free disk space
+)
+```
+
+### Automatic Cleanup
+
+When limits are exceeded, the logger:
+1. Identifies oldest log files
+2. Deletes them until space requirements are met
+3. Preserves the current active log file
+4. Logs cleanup actions for audit
+
+### Example Configuration
+
+```go
+// Conservative: Strict limits
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "max_size_kb=500",          // 500KB files
+    "max_total_size_kb=5000",   // 5MB total
+    "min_disk_free_kb=1000000",   // 1GB free required
+)
+
+// Generous: Large files, external archival
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "max_size_kb=100000",        // 100MB files
+    "max_total_size_kb=0",     // No total limit
+    "min_disk_free_kb=10000",    // 10MB free required
+)
+
+// Balanced: Production defaults
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "max_size_kb=100000",         // 100MB files
+    "max_total_size_kb=5000000",  // 5GB total
+    "min_disk_free_kb=500000",    // 500MB free required
+)
+```
+
+## Retention Policies
+
+### Time-Based Retention
+
+Automatically delete logs older than a specified duration:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "retention_period_hrs=168",    // Keep 7 days
+    "retention_check_mins=60",     // Check hourly
+)
+```
+
+### Retention Examples
+
+```go
+// Daily logs, keep 30 days
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "retention_period_hrs=720",    // 30 days
+    "retention_check_mins=60",     // Check hourly
+    "max_size_kb=1000000",           // 1GB daily files
+)
+
+// High-frequency logs, keep 24 hours
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "retention_period_hrs=24",     // 1 day
+    "retention_check_mins=15",     // Check every 15 min
+    "max_size_kb=100000",            // 100MB files
+)
+
+// Compliance: Keep 90 days
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "retention_period_hrs=2160",   // 90 days
+    "retention_check_mins=360",    // Check every 6 hours
+    "max_total_size_kb=100000000",   // 100GB total
+)
+```
+
+### Retention Priority
+
+When multiple policies conflict, cleanup priority is:
+1. **Disk free space** (highest priority)
+2. **Total size limit**
+3. **Retention period** (lowest priority)
+
+## Adaptive Monitoring
+
+### Adaptive Disk Checks
+
+The logger adjusts disk check frequency based on logging volume:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "enable_adaptive_interval=true",
+    "disk_check_interval_ms=5000",    // Base: 5 seconds
+    "min_check_interval_ms=100",      // Minimum: 100ms
+    "max_check_interval_ms=60000",    // Maximum: 1 minute
+)
+```
+
+### How It Works
+
+1. **Low Activity**: Interval increases (up to max)
+2. **High Activity**: Interval decreases (down to min)
+3. **Reactive Checks**: Immediate check after 10MB written
+
+### Monitoring Disk Usage
+
+Check disk-related heartbeat messages:
+
+```go
+logger.ApplyConfigString(
+    "heartbeat_level=2",           // Enable disk stats
+    "heartbeat_interval_s=300",    // Every 5 minutes
+)
+```
+
+Output:
+```
+2024-01-15T10:30:00Z DISK type="disk" sequence=1 rotated_files=5 deleted_files=2 total_log_size_kb="487.32" log_file_count=8 current_file_size_kb="23.45" disk_status_ok=true disk_free_kb="5234.67"
+```
+
+## Manual Recovery
+
+If automatic cleanup fails:
+
+```bash
+# Check disk usage
+df -h /var/log
+
+# Find large log files
+find /var/log/myapp -name "*.log" -size +100M
+
+# Manual cleanup (oldest first)
+ls -t /var/log/myapp/*.log | tail -n 20 | xargs rm
+
+# Verify space
+df -h /var/log
+```

doc/troubleshooting.md

@@ -1,461 +0,0 @@
-# Troubleshooting
-
-[← Examples](examples.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md)
-
-Common issues and solutions when using the lixenwraith/log package.
-
-## Table of Contents
-
-- [Common Issues](#common-issues)
-- [Diagnostic Tools](#diagnostic-tools)
-- [Error Messages](#error-messages)
-- [Performance Issues](#performance-issues)
-- [Platform-Specific Issues](#platform-specific-issues)
-- [FAQ](#faq)
-
-## Common Issues
-
-### Logger Not Writing to File
-
-**Symptoms:**
-- No log files created
-- Empty log directory
-- No error messages
-
-**Solutions:**
-
-1. **Check initialization**
-   ```go
-   logger := log.NewLogger()
-   err := logger.InitWithDefaults()
-   if err != nil {
-       fmt.Printf("Init failed: %v\n", err)
-   }
-   ```
-
-2. **Verify directory permissions**
-   ```bash
-   # Check directory exists and is writable
-   ls -la /var/log/myapp
-   touch /var/log/myapp/test.log
-   ```
-
-3. **Check if file output is disabled**
-   ```go
-   // Ensure file output is enabled
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "disable_file=false",  // Default, but be explicit
-       "directory=/var/log/myapp",
-   )
-   ```
-
-4. **Enable console output for debugging**
-   ```go
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "enable_stdout=true",
-       "level=-4",  // Debug level
-   )
-   ```
-
-### Logs Being Dropped
-
-**Symptoms:**
-- "Logs were dropped" messages
-- Missing log entries
-- `dropped_logs` count in heartbeats
-
-**Solutions:**
-
-1. **Increase buffer size**
-   ```go
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "buffer_size=4096",  // Increase from default 1024
-   )
-   ```
-
-2. **Monitor with heartbeats**
-   ```go
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "heartbeat_level=1",
-       "heartbeat_interval_s=60",
-   )
-   // Watch for: dropped_logs=N
-   ```
-
-3. **Reduce log volume**
-   ```go
-   // Increase log level
-   logger.InitWithDefaults("level=0")  // Info and above only
-   
-   // Or batch operations
-   logger.Info("Batch processed", "count", 1000)  // Not 1000 individual logs
-   ```
-
-4. **Optimize flush interval**
-   ```go
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "flush_interval_ms=500",  // Less frequent flushes
-   )
-   ```
-
-### Disk Full Errors
-
-**Symptoms:**
-- "Log directory full or disk space low" messages
-- `disk_status_ok=false` in heartbeats
-- No new logs being written
-
-**Solutions:**
-
-1. **Configure automatic cleanup**
-   ```go
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "max_total_size_mb=1000",    // 1GB total limit
-       "min_disk_free_mb=500",      // 500MB free required
-       "retention_period_hrs=24",    // Keep only 24 hours
-   )
-   ```
-
-2. **Manual cleanup**
-   ```bash
-   # Find and remove old logs
-   find /var/log/myapp -name "*.log" -mtime +7 -delete
-   
-   # Or keep only recent files
-   ls -t /var/log/myapp/*.log | tail -n +11 | xargs rm
-   ```
-
-3. **Monitor disk usage**
-   ```bash
-   # Set up monitoring
-   df -h /var/log
-   du -sh /var/log/myapp
-   ```
-
-### Logger Initialization Failures
-
-**Symptoms:**
-- Init returns error
-- "logger previously failed to initialize" errors
-- Application won't start
-
-**Common Errors and Solutions:**
-
-1. **Invalid configuration**
-   ```go
-   // Error: "invalid format: 'xml' (use txt or json)"
-   logger.InitWithDefaults("format=json")  // Use valid format
-   
-   // Error: "buffer_size must be positive"
-   logger.InitWithDefaults("buffer_size=1024")  // Use positive value
-   ```
-
-2. **Directory creation failure**
-   ```go
-   // Error: "failed to create log directory: permission denied"
-   // Solution: Check permissions or use accessible directory
-   logger.InitWithDefaults("directory=/tmp/logs")
-   ```
-
-3. **Configuration conflicts**
-   ```go
-   // Error: "min_check_interval > max_check_interval"
-   logger.InitWithDefaults(
-       "min_check_interval_ms=100",
-       "max_check_interval_ms=60000",  // Max must be >= min
-   )
-   ```
-
-## Diagnostic Tools
-
-### Enable Debug Logging
-
-```go
-// Temporary debug configuration
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "level=-4",              // Debug everything
-    "enable_stdout=true",    // See logs immediately
-    "trace_depth=3",         // Include call stacks
-    "heartbeat_level=3",     // All statistics
-    "heartbeat_interval_s=10", // Frequent updates
-)
-```
-
-### Check Logger State
-
-```go
-// Add diagnostic helper
-func diagnoseLogger(logger *log.Logger) {
-    // Try logging at all levels
-    logger.Debug("Debug test")
-    logger.Info("Info test")
-    logger.Warn("Warn test")
-    logger.Error("Error test")
-    
-    // Force flush
-    if err := logger.Flush(1 * time.Second); err != nil {
-        fmt.Printf("Flush failed: %v\n", err)
-    }
-    
-    // Check for output
-    time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
-}
-```
-
-### Monitor Resource Usage
-
-```go
-// Add resource monitoring
-func monitorResources(logger *log.Logger) {
-    ticker := time.NewTicker(10 * time.Second)
-    defer ticker.Stop()
-    
-    for range ticker.C {
-        var m runtime.MemStats
-        runtime.ReadMemStats(&m)
-        
-        logger.Info("Resource usage",
-            "goroutines", runtime.NumGoroutine(),
-            "memory_mb", m.Alloc/1024/1024,
-            "gc_runs", m.NumGC,
-        )
-    }
-}
-```
-
-## Error Messages
-
-### Configuration Errors
-
-| Error | Cause | Solution |
-|-------|-------|----------|
-| `log name cannot be empty` | Empty name parameter | Provide valid name or use default |
-| `invalid format: 'X' (use txt or json)` | Invalid format value | Use "txt" or "json" |
-| `extension should not start with dot` | Extension has leading dot | Use "log" not ".log" |
-| `buffer_size must be positive` | Zero or negative buffer | Use positive value (default: 1024) |
-| `trace_depth must be between 0 and 10` | Invalid trace depth | Use 0-10 range |
-
-### Runtime Errors
-
-| Error | Cause | Solution |
-|-------|-------|----------|
-| `logger not initialized or already shut down` | Using closed logger | Check initialization order |
-| `timeout waiting for flush confirmation` | Flush timeout | Increase timeout or check I/O |
-| `failed to create log file: permission denied` | Directory permissions | Check directory access rights |
-| `failed to write to log file: no space left` | Disk full | Free space or configure cleanup |
-
-### Recovery Errors
-
-| Error | Cause | Solution |
-|-------|-------|----------|
-| `no old logs available to delete` | Can't free space | Manual intervention needed |
-| `could not free enough space` | Cleanup insufficient | Reduce limits or add storage |
-| `disk check failed` | Can't check disk space | Check filesystem health |
-
-## Performance Issues
-
-### High CPU Usage
-
-**Diagnosis:**
-```bash
-# Check process CPU
-top -p $(pgrep yourapp)
-
-# Profile application
-go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/profile
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-1. Increase flush interval
-2. Disable periodic sync
-3. Reduce heartbeat level
-4. Use text format instead of JSON
-
-### Memory Growth
-
-**Diagnosis:**
-```go
-// Add to application
-import _ "net/http/pprof"
-go http.ListenAndServe("localhost:6060", nil)
-
-// Check heap
-go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/heap
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-1. Check for logger reference leaks
-2. Verify reasonable buffer size
-3. Look for logging loops
-
-### Slow Disk I/O
-
-**Diagnosis:**
-```bash
-# Check disk latency
-iostat -x 1
-ioping -c 10 /var/log
-```
-
-**Solutions:**
-1. Use SSD storage
-2. Increase flush interval
-3. Disable periodic sync
-4. Use separate log volume
-
-## Platform-Specific Issues
-
-### Linux
-
-**File Handle Limits:**
-```bash
-# Check limits
-ulimit -n
-
-# Increase if needed
-ulimit -n 65536
-```
-
-**SELinux Issues:**
-```bash
-# Check SELinux denials
-ausearch -m avc -ts recent
-
-# Set context for log directory
-semanage fcontext -a -t var_log_t "/var/log/myapp(/.*)?"
-restorecon -R /var/log/myapp
-```
-
-### FreeBSD
-
-**Directory Permissions:**
-```bash
-# Ensure log directory ownership
-chown appuser:appgroup /var/log/myapp
-chmod 755 /var/log/myapp
-```
-
-**Jails Configuration:**
-```bash
-# Allow log directory access in jail
-jail -m jid=1 allow.mount.devfs=1 path=/var/log/myapp
-```
-
-### Windows
-
-**Path Format:**
-```go
-// Use proper Windows paths
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "directory=C:\\Logs\\MyApp",  // Escaped backslashes
-    // or
-    "directory=C:/Logs/MyApp",    // Forward slashes work too
-)
-```
-
-**Permissions:**
-- Run as Administrator for system directories
-- Use user-writable locations like `%APPDATA%`
-
-## FAQ
-
-### Q: Can I use the logger before initialization?
-
-No, always initialize first:
-```go
-logger := log.NewLogger()
-logger.InitWithDefaults()  // Must call before logging
-logger.Info("Now safe to log")
-```
-
-### Q: How do I rotate logs manually?
-
-The logger handles rotation automatically. To force rotation:
-```go
-// Set small size limit temporarily
-logger.InitWithDefaults("max_size_mb=0.001")
-logger.Info("This will trigger rotation")
-```
-
-### Q: Can I change log directory at runtime?
-
-Yes, through reconfiguration:
-```go
-// Change directory
-logger.InitWithDefaults("directory=/new/path")
-```
-
-### Q: How do I completely disable logging?
-
-Several options:
-```go
-// Option 1: Disable file output, no console
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "disable_file=true",
-    "enable_stdout=false",
-)
-
-// Option 2: Set very high log level
-logger.InitWithDefaults("level=100")  // Nothing will log
-
-// Option 3: Don't initialize (logs are dropped)
-logger := log.NewLogger()  // Don't call Init
-```
-
-### Q: Why are my logs not appearing immediately?
-
-Logs are buffered for performance:
-```go
-// For immediate output
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    "flush_interval_ms=10",   // Quick flushes
-    "enable_stdout=true",     // Also to console
-)
-
-// Or force flush
-logger.Flush(1 * time.Second)
-```
-
-### Q: Can multiple processes write to the same log file?
-
-No, each process should use its own log file:
-```go
-// Include process ID in name
-logger.InitWithDefaults(
-    fmt.Sprintf("name=myapp_%d", os.Getpid()),
-)
-```
-
-### Q: How do I parse JSON logs?
-
-Use any JSON parser:
-```go
-type LogEntry struct {
-    Time   string        `json:"time"`
-    Level  string        `json:"level"`
-    Fields []interface{} `json:"fields"`
-}
-
-// Parse line
-var entry LogEntry
-json.Unmarshal([]byte(logLine), &entry)
-```
-
-### Getting Help
-
-If you encounter issues not covered here:
-
-1. Check the [examples](examples.md) for working code
-2. Enable debug logging and heartbeats
-3. Review error messages carefully
-4. Check system logs for permission/disk issues
-5. File an issue with:
-    - Go version
-    - OS/Platform
-    - Minimal reproduction code
-    - Error messages
-    - Heartbeat output if available
-
----
-
-[← Examples](examples.md) | [← Back to README](../README.md)

example/fasthttp/main.go

@@ -1,75 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: examples/fasthttp/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"strings"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
-	"github.com/valyala/fasthttp"
-)
-
-func main() {
-	// Create and configure logger
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
-		"directory=/var/log/fasthttp",
-		"level=0",
-		"format=txt",
-		"buffer_size=2048",
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-	defer logger.Shutdown()
-
-	// Create fasthttp adapter with custom level detection
-	fasthttpAdapter := compat.NewFastHTTPAdapter(
-		logger,
-		compat.WithDefaultLevel(log.LevelInfo),
-		compat.WithLevelDetector(customLevelDetector),
-	)
-
-	// Configure fasthttp server
-	server := &fasthttp.Server{
-		Handler: requestHandler,
-		Logger:  fasthttpAdapter,
-
-		// Other server settings
-		Name:              "MyServer",
-		Concurrency:       fasthttp.DefaultConcurrency,
-		ReadTimeout:       5 * time.Second,
-		WriteTimeout:      10 * time.Second,
-		IdleTimeout:       120 * time.Second,
-		TCPKeepalive:      true,
-		ReduceMemoryUsage: true,
-	}
-
-	// Start server
-	fmt.Println("Starting server on :8080")
-	if err := server.ListenAndServe(":8080"); err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-}
-
-func requestHandler(ctx *fasthttp.RequestCtx) {
-	ctx.SetContentType("text/plain")
-	fmt.Fprintf(ctx, "Hello, world! Path: %s\n", ctx.Path())
-}
-
-func customLevelDetector(msg string) int64 {
-	// Custom logic to detect log levels
-	// Can inspect specific fasthttp message patterns
-
-	if strings.Contains(msg, "connection cannot be served") {
-		return log.LevelWarn
-	}
-	if strings.Contains(msg, "error when serving connection") {
-		return log.LevelError
-	}
-
-	// Use default detection
-	return compat.DetectLogLevel(msg)
-}

example/gnet/main.go

@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: example/gnet/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/compat"
-	"github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2"
-)
-
-// Example gnet event handler
-type echoServer struct {
-	gnet.BuiltinEventEngine
-}
-
-func (es *echoServer) OnTraffic(c gnet.Conn) gnet.Action {
-	buf, _ := c.Next(-1)
-	c.Write(buf)
-	return gnet.None
-}
-
-func main() {
-	// Method 1: Simple adapter
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	err := logger.InitWithDefaults(
-		"directory=/var/log/gnet",
-		"level=-4", // Debug level
-		"format=json",
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-	defer logger.Shutdown()
-
-	gnetAdapter := compat.NewGnetAdapter(logger)
-
-	// Configure gnet server with the logger
-	err = gnet.Run(
-		&echoServer{},
-		"tcp://127.0.0.1:9000",
-		gnet.WithMulticore(true),
-		gnet.WithLogger(gnetAdapter),
-		gnet.WithReusePort(true),
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-}

example/heartbeat/main.go

@@ -1,81 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: example/heartbeat/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-func main() {
-	// Create test log directory if it doesn't exist
-	if err := os.MkdirAll("./logs", 0755); err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to create test logs directory: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-
-	// Test cycle: disable -> PROC -> PROC+DISK -> PROC+DISK+SYS -> PROC+DISK -> PROC -> disable
-	levels := []struct {
-		level       int64
-		description string
-	}{
-		{0, "Heartbeats disabled"},
-		{1, "PROC heartbeats only"},
-		{2, "PROC+DISK heartbeats"},
-		{3, "PROC+DISK+SYS heartbeats"},
-		{2, "PROC+DISK heartbeats (reducing from 3)"},
-		{1, "PROC heartbeats only (reducing from 2)"},
-		{0, "Heartbeats disabled (final)"},
-	}
-
-	// Create a single logger instance that we'll reconfigure
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-
-	for _, levelConfig := range levels {
-		// Set up configuration overrides
-		overrides := []string{
-			"directory=./logs",
-			"level=-4",               // Debug level to see everything
-			"format=txt",             // Use text format for easier reading
-			"heartbeat_interval_s=5", // Short interval for testing
-			fmt.Sprintf("heartbeat_level=%d", levelConfig.level),
-		}
-
-		// Initialize logger with the new configuration
-		// Note: InitWithDefaults handles reconfiguration of an existing logger
-		if err := logger.InitWithDefaults(overrides...); err != nil {
-			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to initialize logger: %v\n", err)
-			os.Exit(1)
-		}
-
-		// Log the current test state
-		fmt.Printf("\n--- Testing heartbeat level %d: %s ---\n", levelConfig.level, levelConfig.description)
-		logger.Info("Heartbeat test started", "level", levelConfig.level, "description", levelConfig.description)
-
-		// Generate some logs to trigger heartbeat counters
-		for j := 0; j < 10; j++ {
-			logger.Debug("Debug test log", "iteration", j, "level_test", levelConfig.level)
-			logger.Info("Info test log", "iteration", j, "level_test", levelConfig.level)
-			logger.Warn("Warning test log", "iteration", j, "level_test", levelConfig.level)
-			logger.Error("Error test log", "iteration", j, "level_test", levelConfig.level)
-			time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
-		}
-
-		// Wait for heartbeats to generate (slightly longer than the interval)
-		waitTime := 6 * time.Second
-		fmt.Printf("Waiting %v for heartbeats to generate...\n", waitTime)
-		time.Sleep(waitTime)
-
-		logger.Info("Heartbeat test completed for level", "level", levelConfig.level)
-	}
-
-	// Final shutdown
-	if err := logger.Shutdown(2 * time.Second); err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: Failed to shut down logger: %v\n", err)
-	}
-
-	fmt.Println("\nHeartbeat test program completed successfully")
-	fmt.Println("Check logs directory for generated log files")
-}

example/raw/main.go

@@ -1,72 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: example/raw/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-// TestPayload defines a struct for testing complex type serialization.
-type TestPayload struct {
-	RequestID uint64
-	User      string
-	Metrics   map[string]float64
-}
-
-func main() {
-	fmt.Println("--- Logger Raw Format Test ---")
-
-	// --- 1. Define the records to be tested ---
-	// Record 1: A byte slice with special characters (newline, tab, null).
-	byteRecord := []byte("binary\ndata\twith\x00null")
-
-	// Record 2: A struct containing a uint64, a string, and a map.
-	structRecord := TestPayload{
-		RequestID: 9223372036854775807, // A large uint64
-		User:      "test_user",
-		Metrics: map[string]float64{
-			"latency_ms": 15.7,
-			"cpu_percent": 88.2,
-		},
-	}
-
-	// --- 2. Test on-demand raw logging using Logger.Write() ---
-	// This method produces raw output regardless of the global format setting.
-	fmt.Println("\n[1] Testing on-demand raw output via Logger.Write()")
-	logger1 := log.NewLogger()
-	// Use default config, but enable stdout and disable file output for this test.
-	err := logger1.InitWithDefaults("enable_stdout=true", "disable_file=false")
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Failed to initialize logger: %v\n", err)
-		return
-	}
-
-	logger1.Write("Byte Record ->", byteRecord)
-	logger1.Write("Struct Record ->", structRecord)
-	// Wait briefly for the async processor to handle the logs.
-	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
-	logger1.Shutdown()
-
-	// --- 3. Test instance-wide raw logging using format="raw" ---
-	// Here, standard methods like Info() will produce raw output.
-	fmt.Println("\n[2] Testing instance-wide raw output via format=\"raw\"")
-	logger2 := log.NewLogger()
-	err = logger2.InitWithDefaults(
-		"enable_stdout=true",
-		"disable_file=false",
-		"format=raw",
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Failed to initialize logger: %v\n", err)
-		return
-	}
-
-	logger2.Info("Byte Record ->", byteRecord)
-	logger2.Info("Struct Record ->", structRecord)
-	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
-	logger2.Shutdown()
-
-	fmt.Println("\n--- Test Complete ---")
-}

example/reconfig/main.go

@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: example/reconfig/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"sync/atomic"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-// Simulate rapid reconfiguration
-func main() {
-	var count atomic.Int64
-
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-
-	// Initialize the logger with defaults first
-	err := logger.InitWithDefaults()
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Initial Init error: %v\n", err)
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Log something constantly
-	go func() {
-		for i := 0; ; i++ {
-			logger.Info("Test log", i)
-			count.Add(1)
-			time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// Trigger multiple reconfigurations rapidly
-	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
-		// Use different buffer sizes to trigger channel recreation
-		bufSize := fmt.Sprintf("buffer_size=%d", 100*(i+1))
-		err := logger.InitWithDefaults(bufSize)
-		if err != nil {
-			fmt.Printf("Init error: %v\n", err)
-		}
-		// Minimal delay between reconfigurations
-		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
-	}
-
-	// Check if we see any inconsistency
-	time.Sleep(500 * time.Millisecond)
-	fmt.Printf("Total logger. attempted: %d\n", count.Load())
-
-	// Gracefully shut down the logger.er
-	err = logger.Shutdown(time.Second)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Shutdown error: %v\n", err)
-	}
-
-	// Check for any error messages in the logger.files
-	// or dropped logger.count
-}

example/simple/main.go

@@ -1,118 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: example/simple/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-	"sync"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/config"
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-const configFile = "simple_config.toml"
-const configBasePath = "logging" // Base path for log settings in config
-
-// Example TOML content
-var tomlContent = `
-# Example simple_config.toml
-[logging]
-  level = -4 # Debug
-  directory = "./logs"
-  format = "txt"
-  extension = "log"
-  show_timestamp = true
-  show_level = true
-  buffer_size = 1024
-  flush_interval_ms = 100
-  trace_depth = 0
-  retention_period_hrs = 0.0
-  retention_check_mins = 60.0
-  # Other settings use defaults registered by log.Init
-`
-
-func main() {
-	fmt.Println("--- Simple Logger Example ---")
-
-	// --- Setup Config ---
-	// Create dummy config file
-	err := os.WriteFile(configFile, []byte(tomlContent), 0644)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to write dummy config: %v\n", err)
-		// Continue with defaults potentially
-	} else {
-		fmt.Printf("Created dummy config file: %s\n", configFile)
-		// defer os.Remove(configFile) // Remove to keep the saved config file
-		// defer os.RemoveAll(logsDir) // Remove to keep the log directory
-	}
-
-	// Initialize the external config manager
-	cfg := config.New()
-
-	// Load config from file (and potentially CLI args - none provided here)
-	// The log package will register its keys during Init
-	err = cfg.Load(configFile, nil) // os.Args[1:] could be used here
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to load config: %v. Using defaults.\n", err)
-		// Proceeding, log.Init will use registered defaults
-	}
-
-	// --- Initialize Logger ---
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	// Pass the config instance and the base path for logger settings
-	err = logger.Init(cfg, configBasePath)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to initialize logger.er: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-	fmt.Println("Logger initialized.")
-
-	// --- SAVE CONFIGURATION ---
-	// Save the config state *after* logger.Init has registered its keys/defaults
-	// This will write the merged configuration (defaults + file overrides) back.
-	err = cfg.Save(configFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to save configuration to '%s': %v\n", configFile, err)
-	} else {
-		fmt.Printf("Configuration saved to: %s\n", configFile)
-	}
-	// --- End Save Configuration ---
-
-	// --- Logging ---
-	logger.Debug("This is a debug message.", "user_id", 123)
-	logger.Info("Application starting...")
-	logger.Warn("Potential issue detected.", "threshold", 0.95)
-	logger.Error("An error occurred!", "code", 500)
-
-	// Logging from goroutines
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
-		wg.Add(1)
-		go func(id int) {
-			defer wg.Done()
-			logger.Info("Goroutine started", "id", id)
-			time.Sleep(time.Duration(50+id*50) * time.Millisecond)
-			logger.InfoTrace(1, "Goroutine finished", "id", id) // Log with trace
-		}(i)
-	}
-
-	// Wait for goroutines to finish before shutting down logger.er
-	wg.Wait()
-	fmt.Println("Goroutines finished.")
-
-	// --- Shutdown Logger ---
-	fmt.Println("Shutting down logger.er...")
-	// Provide a reasonable timeout for logger. to flush
-	shutdownTimeout := 2 * time.Second
-	err = logger.Shutdown(shutdownTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Logger shutdown error: %v\n", err)
-	} else {
-		fmt.Println("Logger shutdown complete.")
-	}
-
-	// NO time.Sleep needed here - log.Shutdown waits.
-	fmt.Println("--- Example Finished ---")
-	fmt.Printf("Check log files in './logs' and the saved config '%s'.\n", configFile)
-}

example/sink/main.go

@@ -1,155 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-const (
-	logDirectory = "./logs"
-	logInterval  = 200 * time.Millisecond // Shorter interval for quicker tests
-)
-
-// main orchestrates the different test scenarios.
-func main() {
-	// Ensure a clean state by removing the previous log directory.
-	if err := os.RemoveAll(logDirectory); err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Warning: could not remove old log directory: %v\n", err)
-	}
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(logDirectory, 0755); err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("Fatal: could not create log directory: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-
-	fmt.Println("--- Running Logger Test Suite ---")
-	fmt.Printf("! All file-based logs will be in the '%s' directory.\n\n", logDirectory)
-
-	// --- Scenario 1: Test different configurations on fresh logger instances ---
-	fmt.Println("--- SCENARIO 1: Testing configurations in isolation (new logger per test) ---")
-	testFileOnly()
-	testStdoutOnly()
-	testStderrOnly()
-	testNoOutput()
-
-	// --- Scenario 2: Test reconfiguration on a single logger instance ---
-	fmt.Println("\n--- SCENARIO 2: Testing reconfiguration on a single logger instance ---")
-	testReconfigurationTransitions()
-
-	fmt.Println("\n--- Logger Test Suite Complete ---")
-	fmt.Printf("Check the '%s' directory for log files.\n", logDirectory)
-}
-
-// testFileOnly tests the default behavior: writing only to a file.
-func testFileOnly() {
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	runTestPhase(logger, "1.1: File-Only",
-		"directory="+logDirectory,
-		"name=file_only_log", // Give it a unique name
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-	shutdownLogger(logger, "1.1: File-Only")
-}
-
-// testStdoutOnly tests writing only to the standard output.
-func testStdoutOnly() {
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	runTestPhase(logger, "1.2: Stdout-Only",
-		"enable_stdout=true",
-		"disable_file=true", // Explicitly disable file
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-	shutdownLogger(logger, "1.2: Stdout-Only")
-}
-
-// testStderrOnly tests writing only to the standard error stream.
-func testStderrOnly() {
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "\n---") // Separator for stderr output
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	runTestPhase(logger, "1.3: Stderr-Only",
-		"enable_stdout=true",
-		"stdout_target=stderr",
-		"disable_file=true",
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "---") // Separator for stderr output
-	shutdownLogger(logger, "1.3: Stderr-Only")
-}
-
-// testNoOutput tests a configuration where all logging is disabled.
-func testNoOutput() {
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-	runTestPhase(logger, "1.4: No-Output (logs should be dropped)",
-		"enable_stdout=false", // Ensure stdout is off
-		"disable_file=true",   // Ensure file is off
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-	shutdownLogger(logger, "1.4: No-Output")
-}
-
-// testReconfigurationTransitions tests the logger's ability to handle state changes.
-func testReconfigurationTransitions() {
-	logger := log.NewLogger()
-
-	// Phase A: Start with dual output
-	runTestPhase(logger, "2.1: Reconfig - Initial (Dual File+Stdout)",
-		"directory="+logDirectory,
-		"name=reconfig_log",
-		"enable_stdout=true",
-		"disable_file=false",
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-
-	// Phase B: Transition to file-disabled
-	runTestPhase(logger, "2.2: Reconfig - Transition to Stdout-Only",
-		"enable_stdout=true",
-		"disable_file=true", // The key change
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-
-	// Phase C: Transition back to dual-output. This is the critical test.
-	runTestPhase(logger, "2.3: Reconfig - Transition back to Dual (File+Stdout)",
-		"directory="+logDirectory, // Re-specify directory
-		"name=reconfig_log",
-		"enable_stdout=true",
-		"disable_file=false", // Re-enable file
-		"level=-4",
-	)
-
-	// Phase D: Test different levels on the final reconfigured state
-	fmt.Println("\n[Phase 2.4: Reconfig - Testing log levels on final state]")
-	logger.Debug("final-state", "This is a debug message.")
-	logger.Info("final-state", "This is an info message.")
-	logger.Warn("final-state", "This is a warning message.")
-	logger.Error("final-state", "This is an error message.")
-	time.Sleep(logInterval)
-
-	shutdownLogger(logger, "2: Reconfiguration")
-}
-
-// runTestPhase is a helper to initialize and run a standard logging test.
-func runTestPhase(logger *log.Logger, phaseName string, overrides ...string) {
-	fmt.Printf("\n[Phase %s]\n", phaseName)
-	fmt.Println("  Config:", overrides)
-
-	err := logger.InitWithDefaults(overrides...)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("  ERROR: Failed to initialize/reconfigure logger: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-
-	logger.Info("event", "start_phase", "name", phaseName)
-	time.Sleep(logInterval)
-	logger.Info("event", "end_phase", "name", phaseName)
-	time.Sleep(logInterval) // Give time for flush
-}
-
-// shutdownLogger is a helper to gracefully shut down the logger instance.
-func shutdownLogger(l *log.Logger, phaseName string) {
-	if err := l.Shutdown(500 * time.Millisecond); err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("  WARNING: Shutdown error in phase '%s': %v\n", phaseName, err)
-	}
-}

example/stress/main.go

@@ -1,211 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: example/stress/main.go
-package main
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"math/rand"
-	"os"
-	"os/signal"
-	"strings"
-	"sync"
-	"sync/atomic"
-	"syscall"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/config"
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/log"
-)
-
-const (
-	totalBursts    = 100
-	logsPerBurst   = 500
-	maxMessageSize = 10000
-	numWorkers     = 500
-)
-
-const configFile = "stress_config.toml"
-const configBasePath = "logstress" // Base path for log settings in config
-
-// Example TOML content for stress test
-var tomlContent = `
-# Example stress_config.toml
-[logstress]
-  level = -4 # Debug
-  name = "stress_test"
-  directory = "./logs" # Log package will create this
-  format = "txt"
-  extension = "log"
-  show_timestamp = true
-  show_level = true
-  buffer_size = 500
-  max_size_mb = 1 # Force frequent rotation (1MB)
-  max_total_size_mb = 20 # Limit total size to force cleanup (20MB)
-  min_disk_free_mb = 50
-  flush_interval_ms = 50 # ms
-  trace_depth = 0
-  retention_period_hrs = 0.0028 # ~10 seconds
-  retention_check_mins = 0.084 # ~5 seconds
-`
-
-var levels = []int64{
-	log.LevelDebug,
-	log.LevelInfo,
-	log.LevelWarn,
-	log.LevelError,
-}
-
-var logger *log.Logger
-
-func generateRandomMessage(size int) string {
-	const chars = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789 "
-	var sb strings.Builder
-	sb.Grow(size)
-	for i := 0; i < size; i++ {
-		sb.WriteByte(chars[rand.Intn(len(chars))])
-	}
-	return sb.String()
-}
-
-// logBurst simulates a burst of logging activity
-func logBurst(burstID int) {
-	for i := 0; i < logsPerBurst; i++ {
-		level := levels[rand.Intn(len(levels))]
-		msgSize := rand.Intn(maxMessageSize) + 10
-		msg := generateRandomMessage(msgSize)
-		args := []any{
-			msg,
-			"wkr", burstID % numWorkers,
-			"bst", burstID,
-			"seq", i,
-			"rnd", rand.Int63(),
-		}
-		switch level {
-		case log.LevelDebug:
-			logger.Debug(args...)
-		case log.LevelInfo:
-			logger.Info(args...)
-		case log.LevelWarn:
-			logger.Warn(args...)
-		case log.LevelError:
-			logger.Error(args...)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// worker goroutine function
-func worker(burstChan chan int, wg *sync.WaitGroup, completedBursts *atomic.Int64) {
-	defer wg.Done()
-	for burstID := range burstChan {
-		logBurst(burstID)
-		completed := completedBursts.Add(1)
-		if completed%10 == 0 || completed == totalBursts {
-			fmt.Printf("\rProgress: %d/%d bursts completed", completed, totalBursts)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-func main() {
-	rand.Seed(time.Now().UnixNano()) // Replace rand.New with rand.Seed for compatibility
-
-	fmt.Println("--- Logger Stress Test ---")
-
-	// --- Setup Config ---
-	err := os.WriteFile(configFile, []byte(tomlContent), 0644)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to write dummy config: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-	fmt.Printf("Created dummy config file: %s\n", configFile)
-	logsDir := "./logs"       // Match config
-	_ = os.RemoveAll(logsDir) // Clean previous run's LOGS directory before starting
-	// defer os.Remove(configFile) // Remove to keep the saved config file
-	// defer os.RemoveAll(logsDir) // Remove to keep the log directory
-
-	cfg := config.New()
-	err = cfg.Load(configFile, nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to load config: %v.\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-
-	// --- Initialize Logger ---
-	logger = log.NewLogger()
-	err = logger.Init(cfg, configBasePath)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to initialize logger: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-	fmt.Printf("Logger initialized. Logs will be written to: %s\n", logsDir)
-
-	// --- SAVE CONFIGURATION ---
-	err = cfg.Save(configFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to save configuration to '%s': %v\n", configFile, err)
-	} else {
-		fmt.Printf("Configuration saved to: %s\n", configFile)
-	}
-	// --- End Save Configuration ---
-
-	fmt.Printf("Starting stress test: %d workers, %d bursts, %d logs/burst.\n",
-		numWorkers, totalBursts, logsPerBurst)
-	fmt.Println("Watch for 'Logs were dropped' or 'disk full' messages.")
-	fmt.Println("Check log directory size and file rotation.")
-	fmt.Println("Press Ctrl+C to stop early.")
-
-	// --- Setup Workers and Signal Handling ---
-	burstChan := make(chan int, numWorkers)
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-	completedBursts := atomic.Int64{}
-	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
-	signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
-	stopChan := make(chan struct{})
-
-	go func() {
-		<-sigChan
-		fmt.Println("\n[Signal Received] Stopping burst generation...")
-		close(stopChan)
-	}()
-
-	for i := 0; i < numWorkers; i++ {
-		wg.Add(1)
-		go worker(burstChan, &wg, &completedBursts)
-	}
-
-	// --- Run Test ---
-	startTime := time.Now()
-	for i := 1; i <= totalBursts; i++ {
-		select {
-		case burstChan <- i:
-		case <-stopChan:
-			fmt.Println("[Signal Received] Halting burst submission.")
-			goto endLoop
-		}
-	}
-endLoop:
-	close(burstChan)
-
-	fmt.Println("\nWaiting for workers to finish...")
-	wg.Wait()
-	duration := time.Since(startTime)
-	finalCompleted := completedBursts.Load()
-
-	fmt.Printf("\n--- Test Finished ---")
-	fmt.Printf("\nCompleted %d/%d bursts in %v\n", finalCompleted, totalBursts, duration.Round(time.Millisecond))
-	if finalCompleted > 0 && duration.Seconds() > 0 {
-		logsPerSec := float64(finalCompleted*logsPerBurst) / duration.Seconds()
-		fmt.Printf("Approximate Logs/sec: %.2f\n", logsPerSec)
-	}
-
-	// --- Shutdown Logger ---
-	fmt.Println("Shutting down logger (allowing up to 10s)...")
-	shutdownTimeout := 10 * time.Second
-	err = logger.Shutdown(shutdownTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Logger shutdown error: %v\n", err)
-	} else {
-		fmt.Println("Logger shutdown complete.")
-	}
-
-	fmt.Printf("Check log files in '%s' and the saved config '%s'.\n", logsDir, configFile)
-	fmt.Println("Check stderr output above for potential errors during cleanup.")
-}

format.go

@@ -1,456 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: format.go
-package log
-
-import (
-	"bytes"
-	"encoding/hex"
-	"fmt"
-	"reflect"
-	"strconv"
-	"strings"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
-)
-
-// serializer manages the buffered writing of log entries.
-type serializer struct {
-	buf             []byte
-	timestampFormat string
-}
-
-// newSerializer creates a serializer instance.
-func newSerializer() *serializer {
-	return &serializer{
-		buf:             make([]byte, 0, 4096), // Initial reasonable capacity
-		timestampFormat: time.RFC3339Nano,      // Default until configured
-	}
-}
-
-// reset clears the serializer buffer for reuse.
-func (s *serializer) reset() {
-	s.buf = s.buf[:0]
-}
-
-// serialize converts log entries to the configured format, JSON, raw, or (default) text.
-func (s *serializer) serialize(format string, flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte {
-	s.reset()
-
-	// 1. Prioritize the on-demand flag from Write()
-	if flags&FlagRaw != 0 {
-		return s.serializeRaw(args)
-	}
-
-	// 2. Handle the instance-wide configuration setting
-	if format == "raw" {
-		return s.serializeRaw(args)
-	}
-
-	if format == "json" {
-		return s.serializeJSON(flags, timestamp, level, trace, args)
-	}
-	return s.serializeText(flags, timestamp, level, trace, args)
-}
-
-// serializeRaw formats args as space-separated strings without metadata or newline.
-// This is used for both format="raw" configuration and Logger.Write() calls.
-func (s *serializer) serializeRaw(args []any) []byte {
-	needsSpace := false
-
-	for _, arg := range args {
-		if needsSpace {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-		}
-		s.writeRawValue(arg)
-		needsSpace = true
-	}
-
-	// No newline appended for raw format
-	return s.buf
-}
-
-// writeRawValue converts any value to its raw string representation.
-// fallback to go-spew/spew with data structure information for types that are not explicitly supported.
-func (s *serializer) writeRawValue(v any) {
-	switch val := v.(type) {
-	case string:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, val...)
-	case int:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, int64(val), 10)
-	case int64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, val, 10)
-	case uint:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, uint64(val), 10)
-	case uint64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, val, 10)
-	case float32:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, float64(val), 'f', -1, 32)
-	case float64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, val, 'f', -1, 64)
-	case bool:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendBool(s.buf, val)
-	case nil:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, "nil"...)
-	case time.Time:
-		s.buf = val.AppendFormat(s.buf, s.timestampFormat)
-	case error:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, val.Error()...)
-	case fmt.Stringer:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, val.String()...)
-	case []byte:
-		s.buf = hex.AppendEncode(s.buf, val) // prevent special character corruption
-	default:
-		// For all other types (structs, maps, pointers, arrays, etc.), delegate to spew.
-		// It is not the intended use of raw logging.
-		// The output of such cases are structured and have type and size information set by spew.
-		// Converting to string similar to non-raw logs is not used to avoid binary log corruption.
-		var b bytes.Buffer
-
-		// Use a custom dumper for log-friendly, compact output.
-		dumper := &spew.ConfigState{
-			Indent:                  " ",
-			MaxDepth:                10,
-			DisablePointerAddresses: true, // Cleaner for logs
-			DisableCapacities:       true, // Less noise
-			SortKeys:                true, // Consistent map output
-		}
-
-		dumper.Fdump(&b, val)
-
-		// Trim trailing new line added by spew
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, bytes.TrimSpace(b.Bytes())...)
-	}
-}
-
-// This is the safe, dependency-free replacement for fmt.Sprintf.
-func (s *serializer) reflectValue(v reflect.Value) {
-	// Safely handle invalid, nil pointer, or nil interface values.
-	if !v.IsValid() {
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, "nil"...)
-		return
-	}
-	// Dereference pointers and interfaces to get the concrete value.
-	// Recurse to handle multiple levels of pointers.
-	kind := v.Kind()
-	if kind == reflect.Ptr || kind == reflect.Interface {
-		if v.IsNil() {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, "nil"...)
-			return
-		}
-		s.reflectValue(v.Elem())
-		return
-	}
-
-	switch kind {
-	case reflect.String:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, v.String()...)
-	case reflect.Int, reflect.Int8, reflect.Int16, reflect.Int32, reflect.Int64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, v.Int(), 10)
-	case reflect.Uint, reflect.Uint8, reflect.Uint16, reflect.Uint32, reflect.Uint64, reflect.Uintptr:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, v.Uint(), 10)
-	case reflect.Float32, reflect.Float64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, v.Float(), 'f', -1, 64)
-	case reflect.Bool:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendBool(s.buf, v.Bool())
-
-	case reflect.Slice, reflect.Array:
-		// Check if it's a byte slice ([]uint8) and hex-encode it for safety.
-		if v.Type().Elem().Kind() == reflect.Uint8 {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, "0x"...)
-			s.buf = hex.AppendEncode(s.buf, v.Bytes())
-			return
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '[')
-		for i := 0; i < v.Len(); i++ {
-			if i > 0 {
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-			}
-			s.reflectValue(v.Index(i))
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, ']')
-
-	case reflect.Struct:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '{')
-		for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
-			if !v.Type().Field(i).IsExported() {
-				continue // Skip unexported fields
-			}
-			if i > 0 {
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-			}
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, v.Type().Field(i).Name...)
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ':')
-			s.reflectValue(v.Field(i))
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '}')
-
-	case reflect.Map:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '{')
-		for i, key := range v.MapKeys() {
-			if i > 0 {
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-			}
-			s.reflectValue(key)
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ':')
-			s.reflectValue(v.MapIndex(key))
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '}')
-
-	default:
-		// As a final fallback, use fmt, but this should rarely be hit.
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, fmt.Sprint(v.Interface())...)
-	}
-}
-
-// serializeJSON formats log entries as JSON (time, level, trace, fields).
-func (s *serializer) serializeJSON(flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte {
-	s.buf = append(s.buf, '{')
-	needsComma := false
-
-	if flags&FlagShowTimestamp != 0 {
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, `"time":"`...)
-		s.buf = timestamp.AppendFormat(s.buf, s.timestampFormat)
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		needsComma = true
-	}
-
-	if flags&FlagShowLevel != 0 {
-		if needsComma {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ',')
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, `"level":"`...)
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, levelToString(level)...)
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		needsComma = true
-	}
-
-	if trace != "" {
-		if needsComma {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ',')
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, `"trace":"`...)
-		s.writeString(trace) // Ensure trace string is escaped
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		needsComma = true
-	}
-
-	if len(args) > 0 {
-		if needsComma {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ',')
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, `"fields":[`...)
-		for i, arg := range args {
-			if i > 0 {
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, ',')
-			}
-			s.writeJSONValue(arg)
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, ']')
-	}
-
-	s.buf = append(s.buf, '}', '\n')
-	return s.buf
-}
-
-// serializeText formats log entries as plain text (time, level, trace, fields).
-func (s *serializer) serializeText(flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte {
-	needsSpace := false
-
-	if flags&FlagShowTimestamp != 0 {
-		s.buf = timestamp.AppendFormat(s.buf, s.timestampFormat)
-		needsSpace = true
-	}
-
-	if flags&FlagShowLevel != 0 {
-		if needsSpace {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, levelToString(level)...)
-		needsSpace = true
-	}
-
-	if trace != "" {
-		if needsSpace {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-		}
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, trace...)
-		needsSpace = true
-	}
-
-	for _, arg := range args {
-		if needsSpace {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, ' ')
-		}
-		s.writeTextValue(arg)
-		needsSpace = true
-	}
-
-	s.buf = append(s.buf, '\n')
-	return s.buf
-}
-
-// writeTextValue converts any value to its text representation.
-func (s *serializer) writeTextValue(v any) {
-	switch val := v.(type) {
-	case string:
-		if len(val) == 0 || strings.ContainsRune(val, ' ') {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-			s.writeString(val)
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		} else {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, val...)
-		}
-	case int:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, int64(val), 10)
-	case int64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, val, 10)
-	case uint:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, uint64(val), 10)
-	case uint64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, val, 10)
-	case float32:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, float64(val), 'f', -1, 32)
-	case float64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, val, 'f', -1, 64)
-	case bool:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendBool(s.buf, val)
-	case nil:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, "null"...)
-	case time.Time:
-		s.buf = val.AppendFormat(s.buf, s.timestampFormat)
-	case error:
-		str := val.Error()
-		if len(str) == 0 || strings.ContainsRune(str, ' ') {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-			s.writeString(str)
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		} else {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, str...)
-		}
-	case fmt.Stringer:
-		str := val.String()
-		if len(str) == 0 || strings.ContainsRune(str, ' ') {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-			s.writeString(str)
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		} else {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, str...)
-		}
-	default:
-		str := fmt.Sprintf("%+v", val)
-		if len(str) == 0 || strings.ContainsRune(str, ' ') {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-			s.writeString(str)
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		} else {
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, str...)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// writeJSONValue converts any value to its JSON representation.
-func (s *serializer) writeJSONValue(v any) {
-	switch val := v.(type) {
-	case string:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		s.writeString(val)
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-	case int:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, int64(val), 10)
-	case int64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendInt(s.buf, val, 10)
-	case uint:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, uint64(val), 10)
-	case uint64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendUint(s.buf, val, 10)
-	case float32:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, float64(val), 'f', -1, 32)
-	case float64:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendFloat(s.buf, val, 'f', -1, 64)
-	case bool:
-		s.buf = strconv.AppendBool(s.buf, val)
-	case nil:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, "null"...)
-	case time.Time:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		s.buf = val.AppendFormat(s.buf, s.timestampFormat)
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-	case error:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		s.writeString(val.Error())
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-	case fmt.Stringer:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		s.writeString(val.String())
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-	default:
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-		s.writeString(fmt.Sprintf("%+v", val))
-		s.buf = append(s.buf, '"')
-	}
-}
-
-// Update the levelToString function to include the new heartbeat levels
-func levelToString(level int64) string {
-	switch level {
-	case LevelDebug:
-		return "DEBUG"
-	case LevelInfo:
-		return "INFO"
-	case LevelWarn:
-		return "WARN"
-	case LevelError:
-		return "ERROR"
-	case LevelProc:
-		return "PROC"
-	case LevelDisk:
-		return "DISK"
-	case LevelSys:
-		return "SYS"
-	default:
-		return fmt.Sprintf("LEVEL(%d)", level)
-	}
-}
-
-// writeString appends a string to the buffer, escaping JSON special characters.
-func (s *serializer) writeString(str string) {
-	lenStr := len(str)
-	for i := 0; i < lenStr; {
-		if c := str[i]; c < ' ' || c == '"' || c == '\\' {
-			switch c {
-			case '\\', '"':
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, '\\', c)
-			case '\n':
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, '\\', 'n')
-			case '\r':
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, '\\', 'r')
-			case '\t':
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, '\\', 't')
-			case '\b':
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, '\\', 'b')
-			case '\f':
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, '\\', 'f')
-			default:
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, `\u00`...)
-				s.buf = append(s.buf, hexChars[c>>4], hexChars[c&0xF])
-			}
-			i++
-		} else {
-			start := i
-			for i < lenStr && str[i] >= ' ' && str[i] != '"' && str[i] != '\\' {
-				i++
-			}
-			s.buf = append(s.buf, str[start:i]...)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// Update cached format
-func (s *serializer) setTimestampFormat(format string) {
-	if format == "" {
-		format = time.RFC3339Nano
-	}
-	s.timestampFormat = format
-}
-
-const hexChars = "0123456789abcdef"

format_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/format_test.go
+// This file tests the integration between log package and formatter package
+package log
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestLoggerFormatterIntegration verifies logger correctly uses the new formatter package
+func TestLoggerFormatterIntegration(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		format string
+		check  func(t *testing.T, content string)
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "txt format",
+			format: "txt",
+			check: func(t *testing.T, content string) {
+				assert.Contains(t, content, `INFO "test message"`)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "json format",
+			format: "json",
+			check: func(t *testing.T, content string) {
+				assert.Contains(t, content, `"level":"INFO"`)
+				assert.Contains(t, content, `"fields":["test message"]`)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "raw format",
+			format: "raw",
+			check: func(t *testing.T, content string) {
+				assert.Contains(t, content, "test message")
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+			logger := NewLogger()
+
+			cfg := DefaultConfig()
+			cfg.Directory = tmpDir
+			cfg.Format = tt.format
+			cfg.ShowTimestamp = false
+			cfg.ShowLevel = true
+			cfg.EnableFile = true
+			cfg.FlushIntervalMs = 10
+
+			err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			err = logger.Start()
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+			logger.Info("test message")
+
+			err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+
+			content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			tt.check(t, string(content))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestControlCharacterWriteWithFormatter verifies control character handling through formatter
+func TestControlCharacterWriteWithFormatter(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.Format = "raw"
+	cfg.ShowTimestamp = false
+	cfg.ShowLevel = false
+	cfg.Sanitization = PolicyTxt
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name     string
+		input    string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{"null bytes", "test\x00data", "test<00>data"},
+		{"bell", "alert\x07message", "alert<07>message"},
+		{"backspace", "back\x08space", "back<08>space"},
+		{"form feed", "page\x0Cbreak", "page<0c>break"},
+		{"vertical tab", "vertical\x0Btab", "vertical<0b>tab"},
+		{"escape", "escape\x1B[31mcolor", "escape<1b>[31mcolor"},
+		{"mixed", "\x00\x01\x02test\x1F\x7Fdata", "<00><01><02>test<1f><7f>data"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		logger.Message(tc.input)
+	}
+
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond) // Small delay for file write
+
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		assert.Contains(t, string(content), tc.expected,
+			"Test case '%s' should produce hex-encoded control chars", tc.name)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRawSanitizedOutputWithFormatter verifies raw output sanitization through formatter
+func TestRawSanitizedOutputWithFormatter(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.ShowTimestamp = false
+	cfg.ShowLevel = false
+	cfg.Format = "raw"
+	cfg.Sanitization = PolicyTxt
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	utf8String := "Hello │ 世界"
+	stringWithControl := "start-\x07-end"
+	expectedStringOutput := "start-<07>-end"
+	bytesWithControl := []byte("data\x00with\x08bytes")
+	expectedBytesOutput := "data<00>with<08>bytes"
+	multiByteControl := "line1\u0085line2"
+	expectedMultiByteOutput := "line1<c285>line2"
+
+	logger.Message(utf8String, stringWithControl, bytesWithControl, multiByteControl)
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	logOutput := string(content)
+
+	expectedOutput := strings.Join([]string{
+		utf8String,
+		expectedStringOutput,
+		expectedBytesOutput,
+		expectedMultiByteOutput,
+	}, " ")
+
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedOutput, logOutput)
+}

formatter/formatter.go

@@ -0,0 +1,370 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/formatter/formatter.go
+package formatter
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"time"
+	"unicode/utf8"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+)
+
+// Format flags for controlling output structure
+const (
+	FlagRaw            int64 = 0b0001
+	FlagShowTimestamp  int64 = 0b0010
+	FlagShowLevel      int64 = 0b0100
+	FlagStructuredJSON int64 = 0b1000
+	FlagDefault              = FlagShowTimestamp | FlagShowLevel
+)
+
+// Formatter manages the buffered writing and formatting of log entries
+type Formatter struct {
+	sanitizer       *sanitizer.Sanitizer
+	format          string
+	timestampFormat string
+	showTimestamp   bool
+	showLevel       bool
+	buf             []byte
+}
+
+// New creates a formatter with the provided sanitizer
+func New(s ...*sanitizer.Sanitizer) *Formatter {
+	var san *sanitizer.Sanitizer
+	if len(s) > 0 && s[0] != nil {
+		san = s[0]
+	} else {
+		san = sanitizer.New() // Default passthrough sanitizer
+	}
+	return &Formatter{
+		sanitizer:       san,
+		format:          "txt",
+		timestampFormat: time.RFC3339Nano,
+		showTimestamp:   true,
+		showLevel:       true,
+		buf:             make([]byte, 0, 1024),
+	}
+}
+
+// Type sets the output format ("txt", "json", or "raw")
+func (f *Formatter) Type(format string) *Formatter {
+	f.format = format
+	return f
+}
+
+// TimestampFormat sets the timestamp format string
+func (f *Formatter) TimestampFormat(format string) *Formatter {
+	if format != "" {
+		f.timestampFormat = format
+	}
+	return f
+}
+
+// ShowLevel sets whether to include level in output
+func (f *Formatter) ShowLevel(show bool) *Formatter {
+	f.showLevel = show
+	return f
+}
+
+// ShowTimestamp sets whether to include timestamp in output
+func (f *Formatter) ShowTimestamp(show bool) *Formatter {
+	f.showTimestamp = show
+	return f
+}
+
+// Format formats a log entry using configured options and explicit flags
+func (f *Formatter) Format(flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte {
+	// Override configured values with explicit flags
+	effectiveShowTimestamp := (flags&FlagShowTimestamp) != 0 || (flags == 0 && f.showTimestamp)
+	effectiveShowLevel := (flags&FlagShowLevel) != 0 || (flags == 0 && f.showLevel)
+
+	// Build effective flags
+	effectiveFlags := flags
+	if effectiveShowTimestamp {
+		effectiveFlags |= FlagShowTimestamp
+	}
+	if effectiveShowLevel {
+		effectiveFlags |= FlagShowLevel
+	}
+
+	return f.FormatWithOptions(f.format, effectiveFlags, timestamp, level, trace, args)
+}
+
+// FormatWithOptions formats with explicit format and flags, ignoring configured values
+func (f *Formatter) FormatWithOptions(format string, flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any) []byte {
+	f.Reset()
+
+	// FlagRaw completely bypasses formatting and sanitization
+	if flags&FlagRaw != 0 {
+		for i, arg := range args {
+			if i > 0 {
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, ' ')
+			}
+			// Direct conversion without sanitization
+			switch v := arg.(type) {
+			case string:
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, v...)
+			case []byte:
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, v...)
+			case fmt.Stringer:
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, v.String()...)
+			case error:
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, v.Error()...)
+			default:
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, fmt.Sprint(v)...)
+			}
+		}
+		return f.buf
+	}
+
+	// Create the serializer based on the effective format
+	serializer := sanitizer.NewSerializer(format, f.sanitizer)
+
+	switch format {
+	case "raw":
+		// Raw formatting serializes the arguments and adds NO metadata or newlines
+		for i, arg := range args {
+			f.convertValue(&f.buf, arg, serializer, i > 0)
+		}
+		return f.buf
+
+	case "json":
+		return f.formatJSON(flags, timestamp, level, trace, args, serializer)
+
+	case "txt":
+		return f.formatTxt(flags, timestamp, level, trace, args, serializer)
+	}
+
+	return nil // forcing panic on unrecognized format
+}
+
+// FormatValue formats a single value according to the formatter's configuration
+func (f *Formatter) FormatValue(v any) []byte {
+	f.Reset()
+	serializer := sanitizer.NewSerializer(f.format, f.sanitizer)
+	f.convertValue(&f.buf, v, serializer, false)
+	return f.buf
+}
+
+// FormatArgs formats multiple arguments as space-separated values
+func (f *Formatter) FormatArgs(args ...any) []byte {
+	f.Reset()
+	serializer := sanitizer.NewSerializer(f.format, f.sanitizer)
+	for i, arg := range args {
+		f.convertValue(&f.buf, arg, serializer, i > 0)
+	}
+	return f.buf
+}
+
+// Reset clears the formatter buffer for reuse
+func (f *Formatter) Reset() {
+	f.buf = f.buf[:0]
+}
+
+// LevelToString converts integer level values to string
+func LevelToString(level int64) string {
+	switch level {
+	case -4:
+		return "DEBUG"
+	case 0:
+		return "INFO"
+	case 4:
+		return "WARN"
+	case 8:
+		return "ERROR"
+	case 12:
+		return "PROC"
+	case 16:
+		return "DISK"
+	case 20:
+		return "SYS"
+	default:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("LEVEL(%d)", level)
+	}
+}
+
+// convertValue provides unified type conversion
+func (f *Formatter) convertValue(buf *[]byte, v any, serializer *sanitizer.Serializer, needsSpace bool) {
+	if needsSpace && len(*buf) > 0 {
+		*buf = append(*buf, ' ')
+	}
+
+	switch val := v.(type) {
+	case string:
+		serializer.WriteString(buf, val)
+
+	case []byte:
+		serializer.WriteString(buf, string(val))
+
+	case rune:
+		var runeStr [utf8.UTFMax]byte
+		n := utf8.EncodeRune(runeStr[:], val)
+		serializer.WriteString(buf, string(runeStr[:n]))
+
+	case int:
+		num := strconv.AppendInt(nil, int64(val), 10)
+		serializer.WriteNumber(buf, string(num))
+
+	case int64:
+		num := strconv.AppendInt(nil, val, 10)
+		serializer.WriteNumber(buf, string(num))
+
+	case uint:
+		num := strconv.AppendUint(nil, uint64(val), 10)
+		serializer.WriteNumber(buf, string(num))
+
+	case uint64:
+		num := strconv.AppendUint(nil, val, 10)
+		serializer.WriteNumber(buf, string(num))
+
+	case float32:
+		num := strconv.AppendFloat(nil, float64(val), 'f', -1, 32)
+		serializer.WriteNumber(buf, string(num))
+
+	case float64:
+		num := strconv.AppendFloat(nil, val, 'f', -1, 64)
+		serializer.WriteNumber(buf, string(num))
+
+	case bool:
+		serializer.WriteBool(buf, val)
+
+	case nil:
+		serializer.WriteNil(buf)
+
+	case time.Time:
+		timeStr := val.Format(f.timestampFormat)
+		serializer.WriteString(buf, timeStr)
+
+	case error:
+		serializer.WriteString(buf, val.Error())
+
+	case fmt.Stringer:
+		serializer.WriteString(buf, val.String())
+
+	default:
+		serializer.WriteComplex(buf, val)
+	}
+}
+
+// formatJSON unifies JSON output
+func (f *Formatter) formatJSON(flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any, serializer *sanitizer.Serializer) []byte {
+	f.buf = append(f.buf, '{')
+	needsComma := false
+
+	if flags&FlagShowTimestamp != 0 {
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, `"time":"`...)
+		f.buf = timestamp.AppendFormat(f.buf, f.timestampFormat)
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, '"')
+		needsComma = true
+	}
+
+	if flags&FlagShowLevel != 0 {
+		if needsComma {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, ',')
+		}
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, `"level":"`...)
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, LevelToString(level)...)
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, '"')
+		needsComma = true
+	}
+
+	if trace != "" {
+		if needsComma {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, ',')
+		}
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, `"trace":`...)
+		serializer.WriteString(&f.buf, trace)
+		needsComma = true
+	}
+
+	// Handle structured JSON if flag is set and args match pattern
+	if flags&FlagStructuredJSON != 0 && len(args) >= 2 {
+		if message, ok := args[0].(string); ok {
+			if fields, ok := args[1].(map[string]any); ok {
+				if needsComma {
+					f.buf = append(f.buf, ',')
+				}
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, `"message":`...)
+				serializer.WriteString(&f.buf, message)
+
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, ',')
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, `"fields":`...)
+
+				marshaledFields, err := json.Marshal(fields)
+				if err != nil {
+					f.buf = append(f.buf, `{"_marshal_error":"`...)
+					serializer.WriteString(&f.buf, err.Error())
+					f.buf = append(f.buf, `"}`...)
+				} else {
+					f.buf = append(f.buf, marshaledFields...)
+				}
+
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, '}', '\n')
+				return f.buf
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Regular JSON with fields array
+	if len(args) > 0 {
+		if needsComma {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, ',')
+		}
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, `"fields":[`...)
+		for i, arg := range args {
+			if i > 0 {
+				f.buf = append(f.buf, ',')
+			}
+			f.convertValue(&f.buf, arg, serializer, false)
+		}
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, ']')
+	}
+
+	f.buf = append(f.buf, '}', '\n')
+	return f.buf
+}
+
+// formatTxt handles txt format output
+func (f *Formatter) formatTxt(flags int64, timestamp time.Time, level int64, trace string, args []any, serializer *sanitizer.Serializer) []byte {
+	needsSpace := false
+
+	if flags&FlagShowTimestamp != 0 {
+		f.buf = timestamp.AppendFormat(f.buf, f.timestampFormat)
+		needsSpace = true
+	}
+
+	if flags&FlagShowLevel != 0 {
+		if needsSpace {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, ' ')
+		}
+		f.buf = append(f.buf, LevelToString(level)...)
+		needsSpace = true
+	}
+
+	if trace != "" {
+		if needsSpace {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, ' ')
+		}
+		// Sanitize trace to prevent terminal control sequence injection
+		traceHandler := sanitizer.NewSerializer("txt", f.sanitizer)
+		tempBuf := make([]byte, 0, len(trace)*2)
+		traceHandler.WriteString(&tempBuf, trace)
+		// Extract content without quotes if added by txt serializer
+		if len(tempBuf) > 2 && tempBuf[0] == '"' && tempBuf[len(tempBuf)-1] == '"' {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, tempBuf[1:len(tempBuf)-1]...)
+		} else {
+			f.buf = append(f.buf, tempBuf...)
+		}
+		needsSpace = true
+	}
+
+	for _, arg := range args {
+		f.convertValue(&f.buf, arg, serializer, needsSpace)
+		needsSpace = true
+	}
+
+	f.buf = append(f.buf, '\n')
+	return f.buf
+}

formatter/formatter_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/formatter/formatter_test.go
+package formatter
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestFormatter(t *testing.T) {
+	timestamp := time.Date(2024, 1, 1, 12, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	t.Run("fluent API", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyRaw)
+		f := New(s).
+			Type("json").
+			TimestampFormat(time.RFC3339).
+			ShowLevel(true).
+			ShowTimestamp(true)
+
+		data := f.Format(0, timestamp, 0, "", []any{"test"})
+		assert.Contains(t, string(data), `"level":"INFO"`)
+		assert.Contains(t, string(data), `"time":"2024-01-01T12:00:00Z"`)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("txt format", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyRaw)
+		f := New(s).Type("txt")
+
+		data := f.Format(FlagDefault, timestamp, 0, "", []any{"test message", 123})
+		str := string(data)
+
+		assert.Contains(t, str, "2024-01-01")
+		assert.Contains(t, str, "INFO")
+		assert.Contains(t, str, "test message")
+		assert.Contains(t, str, "123")
+		assert.True(t, strings.HasSuffix(str, "\n"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("json format", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyRaw)
+		f := New(s).Type("json")
+
+		data := f.Format(FlagDefault, timestamp, 4, "trace1", []any{"warning", true})
+
+		var result map[string]any
+		err := json.Unmarshal(data[:len(data)-1], &result) // Remove trailing newline
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, "WARN", result["level"])
+		assert.Equal(t, "trace1", result["trace"])
+		fields := result["fields"].([]any)
+		assert.Equal(t, "warning", fields[0])
+		assert.Equal(t, true, fields[1])
+	})
+
+	t.Run("raw format", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyRaw)
+		f := New(s).Type("raw")
+
+		data := f.FormatWithOptions("raw", 0, timestamp, 0, "", []any{"raw", "data", 42})
+		str := string(data)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, "raw data 42", str)
+		assert.False(t, strings.HasSuffix(str, "\n"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("flag override raw", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyRaw)
+		f := New(s).Type("json") // Configure as JSON
+
+		data := f.Format(FlagRaw, timestamp, 0, "", []any{"forced", "raw"})
+		str := string(data)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, "forced raw", str)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("structured json", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyJSON)
+		f := New(s).Type("json")
+
+		fields := map[string]any{"key1": "value1", "key2": 42}
+		data := f.Format(FlagStructuredJSON|FlagDefault, timestamp, 0, "",
+			[]any{"structured message", fields})
+
+		var result map[string]any
+		err := json.Unmarshal(data[:len(data)-1], &result)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		assert.Equal(t, "structured message", result["message"])
+		assert.Equal(t, map[string]any{"key1": "value1", "key2": float64(42)}, result["fields"])
+	})
+
+	t.Run("special characters escaping", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyJSON)
+		f := New(s).Type("json")
+
+		data := f.Format(FlagDefault, timestamp, 0, "",
+			[]any{"test\n\r\t\"\\message"})
+
+		str := string(data)
+		assert.Contains(t, str, `test\n\r\t\"\\message`)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("error type handling", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := sanitizer.New().Policy(sanitizer.PolicyRaw)
+		f := New(s).Type("txt")
+
+		err := errors.New("test error")
+		data := f.Format(FlagDefault, timestamp, 8, "", []any{err})
+
+		str := string(data)
+		assert.Contains(t, str, "test error")
+	})
+}
+
+func TestLevelToString(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		level    int64
+		expected string
+	}{
+		{-4, "DEBUG"},
+		{0, "INFO"},
+		{4, "WARN"},
+		{8, "ERROR"},
+		{12, "PROC"},
+		{16, "DISK"},
+		{20, "SYS"},
+		{999, "LEVEL(999)"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.expected, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, LevelToString(tt.level))
+		})
+	}
+}

go.mod

@@ -1,24 +1,13 @@
 module github.com/lixenwraith/log
 
-go 1.24.5
+go 1.25.4
 
 require (
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1
-	github.com/lixenwraith/config v0.0.0-20250712170030-7d38402e0497
+	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.11.1
-	github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2 v2.9.1
-	github.com/valyala/fasthttp v1.63.0
 )
 
 require (
-	github.com/BurntSushi/toml v1.5.0 // indirect
+	github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 // indirect
-	github.com/andybalholm/brotli v1.2.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
-	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.0 // indirect
-	github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure v1.5.0 // indirect
-	github.com/panjf2000/ants/v2 v2.11.3 // indirect
-	github.com/valyala/bytebufferpool v1.0.0 // indirect
-	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 // indirect
-	go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sync v0.16.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.34.0 // indirect
-	gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2 v2.2.1 // indirect
 )

go.sum

@@ -1,40 +1,10 @@
-github.com/BurntSushi/toml v1.5.0 h1:W5quZX/G/csjUnuI8SUYlsHs9M38FC7znL0lIO+DvMg=
-github.com/BurntSushi/toml v1.5.0/go.mod h1:ukJfTF/6rtPPRCnwkur4qwRxa8vTRFBF0uk2lLoLwho=
-github.com/andybalholm/brotli v1.2.0 h1:ukwgCxwYrmACq68yiUqwIWnGY0cTPox/M94sVwToPjQ=
-github.com/andybalholm/brotli v1.2.0/go.mod h1:rzTDkvFWvIrjDXZHkuS16NPggd91W3kUSvPlQ1pLaKY=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 h1:vj9j/u1bqnvCEfJOwUhtlOARqs3+rkHYY13jYWTU97c=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.0 h1:c/Cqfb0r+Yi+JtIEq73FWXVkRonBlf0CRNYc8Zttxdo=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.18.0/go.mod h1:2Pp+KzxcywXVXMr50+X0Q/Lsb43OQHYWRCY2AiWywWQ=
-github.com/lixenwraith/config v0.0.0-20250712170030-7d38402e0497 h1:ixTIdJSd945n/IhMRwGwQVmQnQ1nUr5z1wn31jXq9FU=
-github.com/lixenwraith/config v0.0.0-20250712170030-7d38402e0497/go.mod h1:y7kgDrWIFROWJJ6ASM/SPTRRAj27FjRGWh2SDLcdQ68=
-github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure v1.5.0 h1:jeMsZIYE/09sWLaz43PL7Gy6RuMjD2eJVyuac5Z2hdY=
-github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure v1.5.0/go.mod h1:bFUtVrKA4DC2yAKiSyO/QUcy7e+RRV2QTWOzhPopBRo=
-github.com/panjf2000/ants/v2 v2.11.3 h1:AfI0ngBoXJmYOpDh9m516vjqoUu2sLrIVgppI9TZVpg=
-github.com/panjf2000/ants/v2 v2.11.3/go.mod h1:8u92CYMUc6gyvTIw8Ru7Mt7+/ESnJahz5EVtqfrilek=
-github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2 v2.9.1 h1:bKewICy/0xnQ9PMzNaswpe/Ah14w1TrRk91LHTcbIlA=
-github.com/panjf2000/gnet/v2 v2.9.1/go.mod h1:WQTxDWYuQ/hz3eccH0FN32IVuvZ19HewEWx0l62fx7E=
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 h1:4DBwDE0NGyQoBHbLQYPwSUPoCMWR5BEzIk/f1lZbAQM=
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0/go.mod h1:iKH77koFhYxTK1pcRnkKkqfTogsbg7gZNVY4sRDYZ/4=
-github.com/stretchr/testify v1.10.0 h1:Xv5erBjTwe/5IxqUQTdXv5kgmIvbHo3QQyRwhJsOfJA=
+github.com/stretchr/testify v1.11.1 h1:7s2iGBzp5EwR7/aIZr8ao5+dra3wiQyKjjFuvgVKu7U=
-github.com/stretchr/testify v1.10.0/go.mod h1:r2ic/lqez/lEtzL7wO/rwa5dbSLXVDPFyf8C91i36aY=
+github.com/stretchr/testify v1.11.1/go.mod h1:wZwfW3scLgRK+23gO65QZefKpKQRnfz6sD981Nm4B6U=
-github.com/valyala/bytebufferpool v1.0.0 h1:GqA5TC/0021Y/b9FG4Oi9Mr3q7XYx6KllzawFIhcdPw=
+gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405 h1:yhCVgyC4o1eVCa2tZl7eS0r+SDo693bJlVdllGtEeKM=
-github.com/valyala/bytebufferpool v1.0.0/go.mod h1:6bBcMArwyJ5K/AmCkWv1jt77kVWyCJ6HpOuEn7z0Csc=
+gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
-github.com/valyala/fasthttp v1.63.0 h1:DisIL8OjB7ul2d7cBaMRcKTQDYnrGy56R4FCiuDP0Ns=
-github.com/valyala/fasthttp v1.63.0/go.mod h1:REc4IeW+cAEyLrRPa5A81MIjvz0QE1laoTX2EaPHKJM=
-github.com/xyproto/randomstring v1.0.5 h1:YtlWPoRdgMu3NZtP45drfy1GKoojuR7hmRcnhZqKjWU=
-github.com/xyproto/randomstring v1.0.5/go.mod h1:rgmS5DeNXLivK7YprL0pY+lTuhNQW3iGxZ18UQApw/E=
-go.uber.org/goleak v1.3.0 h1:2K3zAYmnTNqV73imy9J1T3WC+gmCePx2hEGkimedGto=
-go.uber.org/goleak v1.3.0/go.mod h1:CoHD4mav9JJNrW/WLlf7HGZPjdw8EucARQHekz1X6bE=
-go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0 h1:blXXJkSxSSfBVBlC76pxqeO+LN3aDfLQo+309xJstO0=
-go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0/go.mod h1:20+QtiLqy0Nd6FdQB9TLXag12DsQkrbs3htMFfDN80Y=
-go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0 h1:aJMhYGrd5QSmlpLMr2MftRKl7t8J8PTZPA732ud/XR8=
-go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0/go.mod h1:GB2qFLM7cTU87MWRP2mPIjqfIDnGu+VIO4V/SdhGo2E=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.16.0 h1:ycBJEhp9p4vXvUZNszeOq0kGTPghopOL8q0fq3vstxw=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.16.0/go.mod h1:1dzgHSNfp02xaA81J2MS99Qcpr2w7fw1gpm99rleRqA=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.34.0 h1:H5Y5sJ2L2JRdyv7ROF1he/lPdvFsd0mJHFw2ThKHxLA=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.34.0/go.mod h1:BJP2sWEmIv4KK5OTEluFJCKSidICx8ciO85XgH3Ak8k=
-gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2 v2.2.1 h1:bBRl1b0OH9s/DuPhuXpNl+VtCaJXFZ5/uEFST95x9zc=
-gopkg.in/natefinch/lumberjack.v2 v2.2.1/go.mod h1:YD8tP3GAjkrDg1eZH7EGmyESg/lsYskCTPBJVb9jqSc=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 h1:fxVm/GzAzEWqLHuvctI91KS9hhNmmWOoWu0XTYJS7CA=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=

heartbeat.go

@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/heartbeat.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// handleHeartbeat processes a heartbeat timer tick
+func (l *Logger) handleHeartbeat() {
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	heartbeatLevel := c.HeartbeatLevel
+
+	if heartbeatLevel >= 1 {
+		l.logProcHeartbeat()
+	}
+
+	if heartbeatLevel >= 2 {
+		l.logDiskHeartbeat()
+	}
+
+	if heartbeatLevel >= 3 {
+		l.logSysHeartbeat()
+	}
+}
+
+// logProcHeartbeat logs process/logger statistics heartbeat
+func (l *Logger) logProcHeartbeat() {
+	processed := l.state.TotalLogsProcessed.Load()
+	sequence := l.state.HeartbeatSequence.Add(1)
+
+	startTimeVal := l.state.LoggerStartTime.Load()
+	var uptimeHours float64 = 0
+	if startTime, ok := startTimeVal.(time.Time); ok && !startTime.IsZero() {
+		uptime := time.Since(startTime)
+		uptimeHours = uptime.Hours()
+	}
+
+	// Get total drops (persistent through logger instance lifecycle)
+	totalDropped := l.state.TotalDroppedLogs.Load()
+
+	// Atomically get and reset interval drops
+	// If PROC heartbeat fails, interval drops are lost and total count tracks such fails
+	// Design choice is not to parse the heartbeat log record and restore the count
+	droppedInInterval := l.state.DroppedLogs.Swap(0)
+
+	procArgs := []any{
+		"type", "proc",
+		"sequence", sequence,
+		"uptime_hours", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", uptimeHours),
+		"processed_logs", processed,
+		"total_dropped_logs", totalDropped,
+	}
+
+	// Add interval (since last proc heartbeat) drops if > 0
+	if droppedInInterval > 0 {
+		procArgs = append(procArgs, "dropped_since_last", droppedInInterval)
+	}
+
+	l.writeHeartbeatRecord(LevelProc, procArgs)
+}
+
+// logDiskHeartbeat logs disk/file statistics heartbeat
+func (l *Logger) logDiskHeartbeat() {
+	sequence := l.state.HeartbeatSequence.Load()
+	rotations := l.state.TotalRotations.Load()
+	deletions := l.state.TotalDeletions.Load()
+
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	dir := c.Directory
+	ext := c.Extension
+	currentSizeMB := float64(l.state.CurrentSize.Load()) / (1024 * 1024) // Current file size
+	totalSizeMB := float64(-1.0)                                         // Default error value
+	fileCount := -1                                                      // Default error value
+
+	dirSize, err := l.getLogDirSize(dir, ext)
+	if err == nil {
+		totalSizeMB = float64(dirSize) / (1024 * 1024)
+	} else {
+		l.internalLog("warning - heartbeat failed to get dir size: %v\n", err)
+	}
+
+	count, err := l.getLogFileCount(dir, ext)
+	if err == nil {
+		fileCount = count
+	} else {
+		l.internalLog("warning - heartbeat failed to get file count: %v\n", err)
+	}
+
+	diskArgs := []any{
+		"type", "disk",
+		"sequence", sequence,
+		"rotated_files", rotations,
+		"deleted_files", deletions,
+		"total_log_size_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", totalSizeMB),
+		"log_file_count", fileCount,
+		"current_file_size_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", currentSizeMB),
+		"disk_status_ok", l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load(),
+	}
+
+	// Add disk free space if we can get it
+	freeSpace, err := l.getDiskFreeSpace(dir)
+	if err == nil {
+		freeSpaceMB := float64(freeSpace) / (1024 * 1024)
+		diskArgs = append(diskArgs, "disk_free_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", freeSpaceMB))
+	}
+
+	l.writeHeartbeatRecord(LevelDisk, diskArgs)
+}
+
+// logSysHeartbeat logs system/runtime statistics heartbeat
+func (l *Logger) logSysHeartbeat() {
+	sequence := l.state.HeartbeatSequence.Load()
+
+	var memStats runtime.MemStats
+	runtime.ReadMemStats(&memStats)
+
+	sysArgs := []any{
+		"type", "sys",
+		"sequence", sequence,
+		"alloc_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", float64(memStats.Alloc)/(1000*1000)),
+		"sys_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", float64(memStats.Sys)/(1000*1000)),
+		"num_gc", memStats.NumGC,
+		"num_goroutine", runtime.NumGoroutine(),
+	}
+
+	// Write the heartbeat record
+	l.writeHeartbeatRecord(LevelSys, sysArgs)
+}
+
+// writeHeartbeatRecord creates and sends a heartbeat log record through the main processing channel
+func (l *Logger) writeHeartbeatRecord(level int64, args []any) {
+	if l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() || l.state.ShutdownCalled.Load() {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Create heartbeat record with appropriate flags
+	record := logRecord{
+		Flags:     FlagDefault | FlagShowLevel,
+		TimeStamp: time.Now(),
+		Level:     level,
+		Trace:     "",
+		Args:      args,
+	}
+
+	l.sendLogRecord(record)
+}

integration_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/integration_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestFullLifecycle performs an end-to-end test of creating, configuring, and using the logger
+func TestFullLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// Create logger with builder using the new streamlined interface
+	logger, err := NewBuilder().
+		Directory(tmpDir).
+		LevelString("debug").
+		Format("json").
+		MaxSizeKB(1).
+		BufferSize(1000).
+		EnableConsole(false).
+		EnableFile(true).
+		HeartbeatLevel(1).
+		HeartbeatIntervalS(2).
+		Build()
+
+	require.NoError(t, err, "Logger creation with builder should succeed")
+	require.NotNil(t, logger)
+
+	// Start the logger before use
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Defer shutdown right after successful creation
+	defer func() {
+		err := logger.Shutdown(2 * time.Second)
+		assert.NoError(t, err, "Logger shutdown should be clean")
+	}()
+
+	// Log at various levels
+	logger.Debug("debug message")
+	logger.Info("info message")
+	logger.Warn("warning message")
+	logger.Error("error message")
+
+	// Structured logging
+	logger.LogStructured(LevelInfo, "structured log", map[string]any{
+		"user_id": 123,
+		"action":  "login",
+		"success": true,
+	})
+
+	// Raw write
+	logger.Write("raw data write")
+
+	// Trace logging
+	logger.InfoTrace(2, "trace info")
+
+	// Apply runtime override
+	err = logger.ApplyConfigString("enable_console=true", "console_target=stderr")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// More logging after reconfiguration
+	logger.Info("after reconfiguration")
+
+	// Wait for heartbeat
+	time.Sleep(2500 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Flush and check
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Verify log content
+	files, err := os.ReadDir(tmpDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(files), 1, "At least one log file should be created")
+}
+
+// TestConcurrentOperations tests the logger's stability under concurrent logging and reconfigurations
+func TestConcurrentOperations(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+
+	// Concurrent logging
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(id int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			for j := 0; j < 20; j++ {
+				logger.Info("worker", id, "log", j)
+			}
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	// Concurrent configuration changes
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+			err := logger.ApplyConfigString(fmt.Sprintf("trace_depth=%d", i))
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	// Concurrent flushes
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+			err := logger.Flush(100 * time.Millisecond)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			time.Sleep(30 * time.Millisecond)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
+// TestErrorRecovery tests the logger's behavior in failure scenarios
+func TestErrorRecovery(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("invalid directory", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Use the builder to attempt creation with an invalid directory
+		logger, err := NewBuilder().
+			Directory("/root/cannot_write_here_without_sudo").
+			EnableFile(true).
+			Build()
+
+		assert.Error(t, err, "Should get an error for an invalid directory")
+		assert.Nil(t, logger, "Logger should be nil on creation failure")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("disk full simulation", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+		defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+		cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+		cfg.MinDiskFreeKB = 9999999999 // A very large number to simulate a full disk
+		err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Small delay to ensure the processor has time to react if needed
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		// Should detect disk space issue during the check
+		isOK := logger.performDiskCheck(true)
+		assert.False(t, isOK, "Disk check should fail when min free space is not met")
+		assert.False(t, logger.state.DiskStatusOK.Load(), "DiskStatusOK state should be false")
+
+		// Small delay to ensure the processor has time to react if needed
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		preDropped := logger.state.DroppedLogs.Load()
+		logger.Info("this log entry should be dropped")
+
+		var postDropped uint64
+		var success bool
+		// Poll for up to 500ms for the async processor to update the state
+		for i := 0; i < 50; i++ {
+			postDropped = logger.state.DroppedLogs.Load()
+			if postDropped > preDropped {
+				success = true
+				break
+			}
+			time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+		}
+
+		require.True(t, success, "Dropped log count should have increased after logging with disk full")
+	})
+}

interface.go

@@ -1,115 +0,0 @@
-// FILE: interface.go
-package log
-
-import (
-	"time"
-)
-
-// Log level constants
-const (
-	LevelDebug int64 = -4
-	LevelInfo  int64 = 0
-	LevelWarn  int64 = 4
-	LevelError int64 = 8
-)
-
-// Heartbeat log levels
-const (
-	LevelProc int64 = 12
-	LevelDisk int64 = 16
-	LevelSys  int64 = 20
-)
-
-// Record flags for controlling output structure
-const (
-	FlagShowTimestamp int64 = 0b001
-	FlagShowLevel     int64 = 0b010
-	FlagRaw           int64 = 0b100
-	FlagDefault             = FlagShowTimestamp | FlagShowLevel
-)
-
-// logRecord represents a single log entry.
-type logRecord struct {
-	Flags           int64
-	TimeStamp       time.Time
-	Level           int64
-	Trace           string
-	Args            []any
-	unreportedDrops uint64 // Dropped log tracker
-}
-
-// Logger instance methods for configuration and logging at different levels.
-
-// Debug logs a message at debug level.
-func (l *Logger) Debug(args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	traceDepth, _ := l.config.Int64("log.trace_depth")
-	l.log(flags, LevelDebug, traceDepth, args...)
-}
-
-// Info logs a message at info level.
-func (l *Logger) Info(args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	traceDepth, _ := l.config.Int64("log.trace_depth")
-	l.log(flags, LevelInfo, traceDepth, args...)
-}
-
-// Warn logs a message at warning level.
-func (l *Logger) Warn(args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	traceDepth, _ := l.config.Int64("log.trace_depth")
-	l.log(flags, LevelWarn, traceDepth, args...)
-}
-
-// Error logs a message at error level.
-func (l *Logger) Error(args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	traceDepth, _ := l.config.Int64("log.trace_depth")
-	l.log(flags, LevelError, traceDepth, args...)
-}
-
-// DebugTrace logs a debug message with function call trace.
-func (l *Logger) DebugTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	l.log(flags, LevelDebug, int64(depth), args...)
-}
-
-// InfoTrace logs an info message with function call trace.
-func (l *Logger) InfoTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	l.log(flags, LevelInfo, int64(depth), args...)
-}
-
-// WarnTrace logs a warning message with function call trace.
-func (l *Logger) WarnTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	l.log(flags, LevelWarn, int64(depth), args...)
-}
-
-// ErrorTrace logs an error message with function call trace.
-func (l *Logger) ErrorTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
-	flags := l.getFlags()
-	l.log(flags, LevelError, int64(depth), args...)
-}
-
-// Log writes a timestamp-only record without level information.
-func (l *Logger) Log(args ...any) {
-	l.log(FlagShowTimestamp, LevelInfo, 0, args...)
-}
-
-// Message writes a plain record without timestamp or level info.
-func (l *Logger) Message(args ...any) {
-	l.log(0, LevelInfo, 0, args...)
-}
-
-// LogTrace writes a timestamp record with call trace but no level info.
-func (l *Logger) LogTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
-	l.log(FlagShowTimestamp, LevelInfo, int64(depth), args...)
-}
-
-// Write outputs raw, unformatted data regardless of configured format.
-// This method bypasses all formatting (timestamps, levels, JSON structure)
-// and writes args as space-separated strings without a trailing newline.
-func (l *Logger) Write(args ...any) {
-	l.log(FlagRaw, LevelInfo, 0, args...)
-}

lifecycle_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/lifecycle_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestStartStopLifecycle verifies the logger can be started, stopped, and restarted
+func TestStartStopLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t) // Starts the logger by default
+
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.Started.Load(), "Logger should be in a started state")
+
+	// Stop the logger
+	err := logger.Stop()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.Started.Load(), "Logger should be in a stopped state after Stop()")
+
+	// Start it again
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.Started.Load(), "Logger should be in a started state after restart")
+
+	logger.Shutdown()
+}
+
+// TestStartAlreadyStarted verifies that starting an already started logger is a safe no-op
+func TestStartAlreadyStarted(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.Started.Load())
+
+	// Calling Start() on an already started logger should be a no-op and return no error
+	err := logger.Start()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.Started.Load())
+}
+
+// TestStopAlreadyStopped verifies that stopping an already stopped logger is a safe no-op
+func TestStopAlreadyStopped(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+
+	// Stop it once
+	err := logger.Stop()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.Started.Load())
+
+	// Calling Stop() on an already stopped logger should be a no-op and return no error
+	err = logger.Stop()
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.Started.Load())
+
+	logger.Shutdown()
+}
+
+// TestStopReconfigureRestart tests reconfiguring a logger while it is stopped
+func TestStopReconfigureRestart(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	// Initial config: txt format
+	cfg1 := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg1.Directory = tmpDir
+	cfg1.EnableFile = true
+	cfg1.Format = "txt"
+	cfg1.ShowTimestamp = false
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg1)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Start and log
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	logger.Info("first message")
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// Stop the logger
+	err = logger.Stop()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Reconfigure: json format
+	cfg2 := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg2.Format = "json"
+	err = logger.ApplyConfig(cfg2)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Restart and log
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	logger.Info("second message")
+	logger.Shutdown(time.Second)
+
+	// Verify content
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	strContent := string(content)
+
+	// assert.Contains(t, strContent, "INFO first message", "Should contain the log from the first configuration")
+	assert.Contains(t, strContent, `INFO "first message"`, "Should contain the log from the first configuration")
+	assert.Contains(t, strContent, `"fields":["second message"]`, "Should contain the log from the second (JSON) configuration")
+}
+
+// TestLoggingOnStoppedLogger ensures that log entries are dropped when the logger is stopped
+func TestLoggingOnStoppedLogger(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+
+	// Log something while running
+	logger.Info("this should be logged")
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// Stop the logger
+	err := logger.Stop()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Attempt to log while stopped
+	logger.Warn("this should NOT be logged")
+
+	// Shutdown (which flushes)
+	logger.Shutdown(time.Second)
+
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "this should be logged")
+	assert.NotContains(t, string(content), "this should NOT be logged")
+}
+
+// TestFlushOnStoppedLogger verifies that Flush returns an error on a stopped logger
+func TestFlushOnStoppedLogger(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+
+	// Stop the logger
+	err := logger.Stop()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Flush should return an error
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "logger not started")
+
+	logger.Shutdown()
+}
+
+// TestShutdownLifecycle checks the terminal state of the logger after shutdown
+func TestShutdownLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.Started.Load())
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.IsInitialized.Load())
+
+	// Shutdown is a terminal state
+	err := logger.Shutdown()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.ShutdownCalled.Load())
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.IsInitialized.Load(), "Shutdown should de-initialize the logger")
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.Started.Load(), "Shutdown should stop the logger")
+
+	// Attempting to start again should fail because it's no longer initialized
+	err = logger.Start()
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "logger not initialized")
+
+	// Logging should be a silent no-op
+	logger.Info("this will not be logged")
+
+	// Flush should fail
+	err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "not initialized")
+}

logger.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// FILE: logger.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/logger.go
 package log
 
 import (
@@ -6,30 +6,37 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/config"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/formatter"
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/sanitizer"
 )
 
 // Logger is the core struct that encapsulates all logger functionality
 type Logger struct {
-	config     *config.Config
+	currentConfig atomic.Value // stores *Config
-	state      State
+	state         State
-	initMu     sync.Mutex
+	initMu        sync.Mutex
-	serializer *serializer
+	formatter     atomic.Value // stores *formatter.Formatter
 }
 
 // NewLogger creates a new Logger instance with default settings
 func NewLogger() *Logger {
-	l := &Logger{
+	l := &Logger{}
-		config:     config.New(),
-		serializer: newSerializer(),
-	}
 
-	// Register all configuration parameters with their defaults
+	// Set default configuration
-	l.registerConfigValues()
+	defaultCfg := DefaultConfig()
+	l.currentConfig.Store(defaultCfg)
+
+	// Initialize default formatter to prevent nil access
+	defaultFormatter := formatter.New(sanitizer.New()).
+		Type(defaultCfg.Format).
+		TimestampFormat(defaultCfg.TimestampFormat).
+		ShowLevel(defaultCfg.ShowLevel).
+		ShowTimestamp(defaultCfg.ShowTimestamp)
+	l.formatter.Store(defaultFormatter)
 
 	// Initialize the state
 	l.state.IsInitialized.Store(false)
@@ -58,130 +65,327 @@ func NewLogger() *Logger {
 	return l
 }
 
-// LoadConfig loads logger configuration from a file with optional CLI overrides
+// ApplyConfig applies a validated configuration to the logger
-func (l *Logger) LoadConfig(path string, args []string) error {
+// This is the primary way applications should configure the logger
-	err := l.config.Load(path, args)
+func (l *Logger) ApplyConfig(cfg *Config) error {
-
+	if cfg == nil {
-	// Check if the error indicates that the file was not found
+		return fmt.Errorf("log: configuration cannot be nil")
-	configExists := !errors.Is(err, config.ErrConfigNotFound)
-
-	// If there's an error other than "file not found", return it
-	if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, config.ErrConfigNotFound) {
-		return err
 	}
 
-	// If no config file exists and no CLI args were provided, there's nothing to apply
+	if err := cfg.Validate(); err != nil {
-	if !configExists && len(args) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("log: invalid configuration: %w", err)
-		return nil
 	}
 
 	l.initMu.Lock()
 	defer l.initMu.Unlock()
-	return l.applyAndReconfigureLocked()
+
+	return l.applyConfig(cfg)
 }
 
-// SaveConfig saves the current logger configuration to a file
+// ApplyConfigString applies string key-value overrides to the logger's current configuration
-func (l *Logger) SaveConfig(path string) error {
+// Each override should be in the format "key=value"
-	return l.config.Save(path)
+func (l *Logger) ApplyConfigString(overrides ...string) error {
-}
+	cfg := l.getConfig().Clone()
 
-// registerConfigValues registers all configuration parameters with the config instance
+	var errors []error
-func (l *Logger) registerConfigValues() {
-	// Register the entire config struct at once
-	err := l.config.RegisterStruct("log.", defaultConfig)
-	if err != nil {
-		l.internalLog("warning - failed to register config values: %v\n", err)
-	}
-}
 
-// updateConfigFromExternal updates the logger config from an external config.Config instance
+	for _, override := range overrides {
-func (l *Logger) updateConfigFromExternal(extCfg *config.Config, basePath string) error {
+		key, value, err := parseKeyValue(override)
-	// Get our registered config paths (already registered during initialization)
-	registeredPaths := l.config.GetRegisteredPaths("log.")
-	if len(registeredPaths) == 0 {
-		// Register defaults first if not already done
-		l.registerConfigValues()
-		registeredPaths = l.config.GetRegisteredPaths("log.")
-	}
-
-	// For each registered path
-	for path := range registeredPaths {
-		// Extract local name and build external path
-		localName := strings.TrimPrefix(path, "log.")
-		fullPath := basePath + "." + localName
-		if basePath == "" {
-			fullPath = localName
-		}
-
-		// Get current value to use as default in external config
-		currentVal, found := l.config.Get(path)
-		if !found {
-			continue // Skip if not found (shouldn't happen)
-		}
-
-		// Register in external config with current value as default
-		err := extCfg.Register(fullPath, currentVal)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmtErrorf("failed to register config key '%s': %w", fullPath, err)
+			errors = append(errors, err)
+			continue
 		}
 
-		// Get value from external config
+		if err := applyConfigField(cfg, key, value); err != nil {
-		val, found := extCfg.Get(fullPath)
+			errors = append(errors, err)
-		if !found {
-			continue // Use existing value if not found in external config
-		}
-
-		// Validate and update
-		if err := validateConfigValue(localName, val); err != nil {
-			return fmtErrorf("invalid value for '%s': %w", localName, err)
-		}
-
-		if err := l.config.Set(path, val); err != nil {
-			return fmtErrorf("failed to update config value for '%s': %w", path, err)
 		}
 	}
+
+	if len(errors) > 0 {
+		return combineConfigErrors(errors)
+	}
+
+	return l.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+}
+
+// GetConfig returns a copy of current configuration
+func (l *Logger) GetConfig() *Config {
+	return l.getConfig().Clone()
+}
+
+// Start begins log processing. Safe to call multiple times
+// Returns error if logger is not initialized
+func (l *Logger) Start() error {
+	if !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() {
+		return fmtErrorf("logger not initialized, call ApplyConfig first")
+	}
+
+	// Check if processor didn't exit cleanly last time
+	if l.state.Started.Load() && !l.state.ProcessorExited.Load() {
+		// Force stop to clean up
+		l.internalLog("warning - processor still running from previous start, forcing stop\n")
+		if err := l.Stop(); err != nil {
+			return fmtErrorf("failed to stop hung processor: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Only start if not already started
+	if l.state.Started.CompareAndSwap(false, true) {
+		cfg := l.getConfig()
+
+		// Create log channel
+		logChannel := make(chan logRecord, cfg.BufferSize)
+		l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Store(logChannel)
+
+		// Start processor
+		l.state.ProcessorExited.Store(false)
+		go l.processLogs(logChannel)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
-// applyAndReconfigureLocked applies the configuration and reconfigures logger components
+// Stop halts log processing. Can be restarted with Start()
-// Assumes initMu is held
+// Returns nil if already stopped
-func (l *Logger) applyAndReconfigureLocked() error {
+func (l *Logger) Stop(timeout ...time.Duration) error {
-	// Check parameter relationship issues
+	if !l.state.Started.CompareAndSwap(true, false) {
-	minInterval, _ := l.config.Int64("log.min_check_interval_ms")
+		return nil // Already stopped
-	maxInterval, _ := l.config.Int64("log.max_check_interval_ms")
+	}
-	if minInterval > maxInterval {
-		l.internalLog("warning - min_check_interval_ms (%d) > max_check_interval_ms (%d), max will be used\n",
-			minInterval, maxInterval)
 
-		// Update min_check_interval_ms to equal max_check_interval_ms
+	// Calculate effective timeout
-		err := l.config.Set("log.min_check_interval_ms", maxInterval)
+	var effectiveTimeout time.Duration
-		if err != nil {
+	if len(timeout) > 0 {
-			l.internalLog("warning - failed to update min_check_interval_ms: %v\n", err)
+		effectiveTimeout = timeout[0]
+	} else {
+		cfg := l.getConfig()
+		effectiveTimeout = 2 * time.Duration(cfg.FlushIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
+	}
+
+	// Get current channel and close it
+	ch := l.getCurrentLogChannel()
+	if ch != nil {
+		// Create closed channel for immediate replacement
+		closedChan := make(chan logRecord)
+		close(closedChan)
+		l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Store(closedChan)
+
+		// Close the actual channel to signal processor
+		close(ch)
+	}
+
+	// Wait for processor to exit (with timeout)
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(effectiveTimeout)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		if l.state.ProcessorExited.Load() {
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+
+	if !l.state.ProcessorExited.Load() {
+		return fmtErrorf("processor did not exit within timeout (%v)", effectiveTimeout)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Shutdown gracefully closes the logger, attempting to flush pending records
+// If no timeout is provided, uses a default of 2x flush interval
+func (l *Logger) Shutdown(timeout ...time.Duration) error {
+	if !l.state.ShutdownCalled.CompareAndSwap(false, true) {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
+
+	if !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() {
+		l.state.ShutdownCalled.Store(false)
+		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(false)
+		l.state.ProcessorExited.Store(true)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	var stopErr error
+	if l.state.Started.Load() {
+		stopErr = l.Stop(timeout...)
+	}
+
+	l.state.IsInitialized.Store(false)
+
+	var finalErr error
+	cfPtr := l.state.CurrentFile.Load()
+	if cfPtr != nil {
+		if currentLogFile, ok := cfPtr.(*os.File); ok && currentLogFile != nil {
+			if err := currentLogFile.Sync(); err != nil {
+				syncErr := fmtErrorf("failed to sync log file '%s' during shutdown: %w", currentLogFile.Name(), err)
+				finalErr = errors.Join(finalErr, syncErr)
+			}
+			if err := currentLogFile.Close(); err != nil {
+				closeErr := fmtErrorf("failed to close log file '%s' during shutdown: %w", currentLogFile.Name(), err)
+				finalErr = errors.Join(finalErr, closeErr)
+			}
+			l.state.CurrentFile.Store((*os.File)(nil))
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Validate config (Basic)
+	if stopErr != nil {
-	currentCfg := l.loadCurrentConfig() // Helper to load struct from l.config
+		finalErr = errors.Join(finalErr, stopErr)
-	if err := currentCfg.validate(); err != nil {
-		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true) // Disable logger on validation failure
-		return fmtErrorf("invalid configuration detected: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Ensure log directory exists
+	return finalErr
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+}
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+
-		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
+// Flush explicitly triggers a sync of the current log file buffer to disk and waits for completion or timeout
-		return fmtErrorf("failed to create log directory '%s': %w", dir, err)
+func (l *Logger) Flush(timeout time.Duration) error {
+	l.state.flushMutex.Lock()
+	defer l.state.flushMutex.Unlock()
+
+	// State checks
+	if !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() || l.state.ShutdownCalled.Load() {
+		return fmtErrorf("logger not initialized or already shut down")
+	}
+	if !l.state.Started.Load() {
+		return fmtErrorf("logger not started")
 	}
 
-	// Update serializer format when config changes
+	// Create a channel to wait for confirmation from the processor
-	if tsFormat, err := l.config.String("log.timestamp_format"); err == nil && tsFormat != "" {
+	confirmChan := make(chan struct{})
-		l.serializer.setTimestampFormat(tsFormat)
+
+	// Send the request with the confirmation channel
+	select {
+	case l.state.flushRequestChan <- confirmChan:
+		// Request sent
+	case <-time.After(minWaitTime): // Short timeout to prevent blocking if processor is stuck
+		return fmtErrorf("failed to send flush request to processor (possible deadlock or high load)")
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case <-confirmChan:
+		return nil
+	case <-time.After(timeout):
+		return fmtErrorf("timeout waiting for flush confirmation (%v)", timeout)
+	}
+}
+
+// Debug logs a message at debug level
+func (l *Logger) Debug(args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+	l.log(flags, LevelDebug, cfg.TraceDepth, args...)
+}
+
+// Info logs a message at info level
+func (l *Logger) Info(args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+	l.log(flags, LevelInfo, cfg.TraceDepth, args...)
+}
+
+// Warn logs a message at warning level
+func (l *Logger) Warn(args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+	l.log(flags, LevelWarn, cfg.TraceDepth, args...)
+}
+
+// Error logs a message at error level
+func (l *Logger) Error(args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+	l.log(flags, LevelError, cfg.TraceDepth, args...)
+}
+
+// DebugTrace logs a debug message with function call trace
+func (l *Logger) DebugTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	l.log(flags, LevelDebug, int64(depth), args...)
+}
+
+// InfoTrace logs an info message with function call trace
+func (l *Logger) InfoTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	l.log(flags, LevelInfo, int64(depth), args...)
+}
+
+// WarnTrace logs a warning message with function call trace
+func (l *Logger) WarnTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	l.log(flags, LevelWarn, int64(depth), args...)
+}
+
+// ErrorTrace logs an error message with function call trace
+func (l *Logger) ErrorTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
+	flags := l.getFlags()
+	l.log(flags, LevelError, int64(depth), args...)
+}
+
+// Log writes a timestamp-only record without level information
+func (l *Logger) Log(args ...any) {
+	l.log(FlagShowTimestamp, LevelInfo, 0, args...)
+}
+
+// Message writes a plain record without timestamp or level info
+func (l *Logger) Message(args ...any) {
+	l.log(0, LevelInfo, 0, args...)
+}
+
+// LogTrace writes a timestamp record with call trace but no level info
+func (l *Logger) LogTrace(depth int, args ...any) {
+	l.log(FlagShowTimestamp, LevelInfo, int64(depth), args...)
+}
+
+// LogStructured logs a message with structured fields as proper JSON
+func (l *Logger) LogStructured(level int64, message string, fields map[string]any) {
+	l.log(l.getFlags()|FlagStructuredJSON, level, 0, []any{message, fields})
+}
+
+// Write outputs raw, unformatted data ignoring configured format and sanitization without trailing new line
+func (l *Logger) Write(args ...any) {
+	l.log(FlagRaw, LevelInfo, 0, args...)
+}
+
+// getConfig returns the current configuration (thread-safe)
+func (l *Logger) getConfig() *Config {
+	return l.currentConfig.Load().(*Config)
+}
+
+// applyConfig is the internal implementation for applying configuration, assuming initMu is held
+func (l *Logger) applyConfig(cfg *Config) error {
+	oldCfg := l.getConfig()
+	l.currentConfig.Store(cfg)
+
+	// Create formatter with sanitizer
+	s := sanitizer.New().Policy(cfg.Sanitization)
+	newFormatter := formatter.New(s).
+		Type(cfg.Format).
+		TimestampFormat(cfg.TimestampFormat).
+		ShowLevel(cfg.ShowLevel).
+		ShowTimestamp(cfg.ShowTimestamp)
+	l.formatter.Store(newFormatter)
+
+	// Ensure log directory exists if file output is enabled
+	if cfg.EnableFile {
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(cfg.Directory, 0755); err != nil {
+			l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
+			l.currentConfig.Store(oldCfg) // Rollback
+			return fmtErrorf("failed to create log directory '%s': %w", cfg.Directory, err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Get current state
 	wasInitialized := l.state.IsInitialized.Load()
-	disableFile, _ := l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
+	wasStarted := l.state.Started.Load()
+
+	// Determine if restart is needed
+	needsRestart := wasStarted && wasInitialized && configRequiresRestart(oldCfg, cfg)
+
+	// Stop processor if restart needed
+	if needsRestart {
+		if err := l.Stop(); err != nil {
+			l.currentConfig.Store(oldCfg) // Rollback
+			return fmtErrorf("failed to stop processor for restart: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
 
 	// Get current file handle
 	currentFilePtr := l.state.CurrentFile.Load()
@@ -191,11 +395,14 @@ func (l *Logger) applyAndReconfigureLocked() error {
 	}
 
 	// Determine if we need a new file
-	needsNewFile := !wasInitialized || currentFile == nil
+	needsNewFile := !wasInitialized || currentFile == nil ||
+		oldCfg.Directory != cfg.Directory ||
+		oldCfg.Name != cfg.Name ||
+		oldCfg.Extension != cfg.Extension
 
 	// Handle file state transitions
-	if disableFile {
+	if !cfg.EnableFile {
-		// When disabling file output, properly close the current file
+		// When disabling file output, close the current file
 		if currentFile != nil {
 			// Sync and close the file
 			_ = currentFile.Sync()
@@ -210,6 +417,7 @@ func (l *Logger) applyAndReconfigureLocked() error {
 		logFile, err := l.createNewLogFile()
 		if err != nil {
 			l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
+			l.currentConfig.Store(oldCfg) // Rollback
 			return fmtErrorf("failed to create log file: %w", err)
 		}
 
@@ -228,43 +436,17 @@ func (l *Logger) applyAndReconfigureLocked() error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Close the old channel if reconfiguring
+	// Setup console writer based on config
-	if wasInitialized {
+	if cfg.EnableConsole {
-		oldCh := l.getCurrentLogChannel()
+		var writer io.Writer
-		if oldCh != nil {
+		if cfg.ConsoleTarget == "stderr" {
-			// Create new channel then close old channel
+			writer = os.Stderr
-			bufferSize, _ := l.config.Int64("log.buffer_size")
+		} else {
-			newLogChannel := make(chan logRecord, bufferSize)
+			writer = os.Stdout
-			l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Store(newLogChannel)
-			close(oldCh)
-
-			// Start new processor with new channel
-			l.state.ProcessorExited.Store(false)
-			go l.processLogs(newLogChannel)
 		}
-	} else {
-		// Initial startup
-		bufferSize, _ := l.config.Int64("log.buffer_size")
-		newLogChannel := make(chan logRecord, bufferSize)
-		l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Store(newLogChannel)
-		l.state.ProcessorExited.Store(false)
-		go l.processLogs(newLogChannel)
-	}
-
-	// Setup stdout writer based on config
-	enableStdout, _ := l.config.Bool("log.enable_stdout")
-	if enableStdout {
-		target, _ := l.config.String("log.stdout_target")
-		if target == "stderr" {
-			var writer io.Writer = os.Stderr
-			l.state.StdoutWriter.Store(&sink{w: writer})
-		} else if target == "stdout" {
-			var writer io.Writer = os.Stdout
-			l.state.StdoutWriter.Store(&sink{w: writer})
-		}
-	} else {
-		var writer io.Writer = io.Discard
 		l.state.StdoutWriter.Store(&sink{w: writer})
+	} else {
+		l.state.StdoutWriter.Store(&sink{w: io.Discard})
 	}
 
 	// Mark as initialized
@@ -273,157 +455,10 @@ func (l *Logger) applyAndReconfigureLocked() error {
 	l.state.DiskFullLogged.Store(false)
 	l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(true)
 
+	// Restart processor if it was running and needs restart
+	if needsRestart {
+		return l.Start()
+	}
+
 	return nil
-}
-
-// loadCurrentConfig loads the current configuration for validation
-func (l *Logger) loadCurrentConfig() *Config {
-	cfg := &Config{}
-	cfg.Level, _ = l.config.Int64("log.level")
-	cfg.Name, _ = l.config.String("log.name")
-	cfg.Directory, _ = l.config.String("log.directory")
-	cfg.Format, _ = l.config.String("log.format")
-	cfg.Extension, _ = l.config.String("log.extension")
-	cfg.ShowTimestamp, _ = l.config.Bool("log.show_timestamp")
-	cfg.ShowLevel, _ = l.config.Bool("log.show_level")
-	cfg.TimestampFormat, _ = l.config.String("log.timestamp_format")
-	cfg.BufferSize, _ = l.config.Int64("log.buffer_size")
-	cfg.MaxSizeMB, _ = l.config.Int64("log.max_size_mb")
-	cfg.MaxTotalSizeMB, _ = l.config.Int64("log.max_total_size_mb")
-	cfg.MinDiskFreeMB, _ = l.config.Int64("log.min_disk_free_mb")
-	cfg.FlushIntervalMs, _ = l.config.Int64("log.flush_interval_ms")
-	cfg.TraceDepth, _ = l.config.Int64("log.trace_depth")
-	cfg.RetentionPeriodHrs, _ = l.config.Float64("log.retention_period_hrs")
-	cfg.RetentionCheckMins, _ = l.config.Float64("log.retention_check_mins")
-	cfg.DiskCheckIntervalMs, _ = l.config.Int64("log.disk_check_interval_ms")
-	cfg.EnableAdaptiveInterval, _ = l.config.Bool("log.enable_adaptive_interval")
-	cfg.MinCheckIntervalMs, _ = l.config.Int64("log.min_check_interval_ms")
-	cfg.MaxCheckIntervalMs, _ = l.config.Int64("log.max_check_interval_ms")
-	cfg.EnablePeriodicSync, _ = l.config.Bool("log.enable_periodic_sync")
-	cfg.HeartbeatLevel, _ = l.config.Int64("log.heartbeat_level")
-	cfg.HeartbeatIntervalS, _ = l.config.Int64("log.heartbeat_interval_s")
-	cfg.EnableStdout, _ = l.config.Bool("log.enable_stdout")
-	cfg.StdoutTarget, _ = l.config.String("log.stdout_target")
-	cfg.DisableFile, _ = l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
-	return cfg
-}
-
-// getCurrentLogChannel safely retrieves the current log channel
-func (l *Logger) getCurrentLogChannel() chan logRecord {
-	chVal := l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Load()
-	return chVal.(chan logRecord)
-}
-
-// getFlags from config
-func (l *Logger) getFlags() int64 {
-	var flags int64 = 0
-	showLevel, _ := l.config.Bool("log.show_level")
-	showTimestamp, _ := l.config.Bool("log.show_timestamp")
-
-	if showLevel {
-		flags |= FlagShowLevel
-	}
-	if showTimestamp {
-		flags |= FlagShowTimestamp
-	}
-	return flags
-}
-
-// log handles the core logging logic
-func (l *Logger) log(flags int64, level int64, depth int64, args ...any) {
-	if l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() || !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() {
-		return
-	}
-
-	configLevel, _ := l.config.Int64("log.level")
-	if level < configLevel {
-		return
-	}
-
-	var trace string
-	if depth > 0 {
-		const skipTrace = 3 // log.Info -> log -> getTrace (Adjust if call stack changes)
-		trace = getTrace(depth, skipTrace)
-	}
-
-	record := logRecord{
-		Flags:           flags,
-		TimeStamp:       time.Now(),
-		Level:           level,
-		Trace:           trace,
-		Args:            args,
-		unreportedDrops: 0, // 0 for regular logs
-	}
-	l.sendLogRecord(record)
-}
-
-// sendLogRecord handles safe sending to the active channel
-func (l *Logger) sendLogRecord(record logRecord) {
-	defer func() {
-		if r := recover(); r != nil { // Catch panic on send to closed channel
-			l.handleFailedSend(record)
-		}
-	}()
-
-	if l.state.ShutdownCalled.Load() || l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() {
-		// Process drops even if logger is disabled or shutting down
-		l.handleFailedSend(record)
-		return
-	}
-
-	ch := l.getCurrentLogChannel()
-
-	// Non-blocking send
-	select {
-	case ch <- record:
-		// Success: record sent, channel was not full, check if log drops need to be reported
-		if record.unreportedDrops == 0 {
-			// Get number of dropped logs and reset the counter to zero
-			droppedCount := l.state.DroppedLogs.Swap(0)
-
-			if droppedCount > 0 {
-				// Dropped logs report
-				dropRecord := logRecord{
-					Flags:           FlagDefault,
-					TimeStamp:       time.Now(),
-					Level:           LevelError,
-					Args:            []any{"Logs were dropped", "dropped_count", droppedCount},
-					unreportedDrops: droppedCount, // Carry the count for recovery
-				}
-				// No success check is required, count is restored if it fails
-				l.sendLogRecord(dropRecord)
-			}
-		}
-	default:
-		l.handleFailedSend(record)
-	}
-}
-
-// handleFailedSend restores or increments drop counter
-func (l *Logger) handleFailedSend(record logRecord) {
-	// If the record was a drop report, add its carried count back.
-	// Otherwise, it was a regular log, so add 1.
-	amountToAdd := uint64(1)
-	if record.unreportedDrops > 0 {
-		amountToAdd = record.unreportedDrops
-	}
-	l.state.DroppedLogs.Add(amountToAdd)
-}
-
-// internalLog handles writing internal logger diagnostics to stderr, if enabled.
-// This centralizes all internal error reporting and makes it configurable.
-func (l *Logger) internalLog(format string, args ...any) {
-	// Check if internal error reporting is enabled
-	enabled, _ := l.config.Bool("log.internal_errors_to_stderr")
-	if !enabled {
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Ensure consistent "log: " prefix
-	if !strings.HasPrefix(format, "log: ") {
-		format = "log: " + format
-	}
-
-	// Write to stderr
-	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, format, args...)
 }

logger_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,322 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/logger_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// createTestLogger creates logger in temp directory
+func createTestLogger(t *testing.T) (*Logger, string) {
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.EnableConsole = false
+	cfg.EnableFile = true
+	cfg.Directory = tmpDir
+	cfg.BufferSize = 1000
+	cfg.FlushIntervalMs = 10
+
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Start the logger
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	return logger, tmpDir
+}
+
+// TestNewLogger verifies that a new logger is created with the correct initial state
+func TestNewLogger(t *testing.T) {
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	assert.NotNil(t, logger)
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.IsInitialized.Load())
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.LoggerDisabled.Load())
+}
+
+// TestApplyConfig verifies that applying a valid configuration initializes the logger correctly
+func TestApplyConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Verify initialization
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.IsInitialized.Load())
+
+	// Verify log file creation
+	// The file now contains "Logger started"
+	logPath := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log")
+	_, err := os.Stat(logPath)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+// TestApplyConfigString tests applying configuration overrides from key-value strings
+func TestApplyConfigString(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name         string
+		configString []string
+		verify       func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config)
+		wantError    bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "basic config string",
+			configString: []string{
+				"level=-4",
+				"directory=/tmp/log",
+				"format=json",
+			},
+			verify: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				assert.Equal(t, LevelDebug, cfg.Level)
+				assert.Equal(t, "/tmp/log", cfg.Directory)
+				assert.Equal(t, "json", cfg.Format)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "level by name",
+			configString: []string{"level=debug"},
+			verify: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				assert.Equal(t, LevelDebug, cfg.Level)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "boolean values",
+			configString: []string{
+				"enable_console=true",
+				"enable_file=true",
+				"show_timestamp=false",
+			},
+			verify: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				assert.True(t, cfg.EnableConsole)
+				assert.True(t, cfg.EnableFile)
+				assert.False(t, cfg.ShowTimestamp)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "invalid format",
+			configString: []string{"invalid"},
+			wantError:    true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "unknown key",
+			configString: []string{"unknown_key=value"},
+			wantError:    true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "invalid value type",
+			configString: []string{"buffer_size=not_a_number"},
+			wantError:    true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := logger.ApplyConfigString(tt.configString...)
+
+			if tt.wantError {
+				assert.Error(t, err)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+				tt.verify(t, cfg)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLoggerLoggingLevels checks that messages are correctly filtered based on the configured log level
+func TestLoggerLoggingLevels(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Log at different levels
+	logger.Debug("debug message")
+	logger.Info("info message")
+	logger.Warn("warn message")
+	logger.Error("error message")
+
+	// Flush and verify
+	err := logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Read log file
+	var content []byte
+	var fileContent string
+	// Poll for a short period to wait for all async writes to complete.
+	// This makes the test robust against scheduling variations.
+	success := false
+	for i := 0; i < 20; i++ {
+		content, err = os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		fileContent = string(content)
+		if strings.Contains(fileContent, "info message") &&
+			strings.Contains(fileContent, "warn message") &&
+			strings.Contains(fileContent, "error message") {
+			success = true
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	require.True(t, success, "timed out waiting for all log messages to be written")
+
+	// Default level is INFO, so debug shouldn't appear
+	assert.NotContains(t, string(content), "debug message")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "info message")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "warn message")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "error message")
+}
+
+// TestLoggerWithTrace ensures that logging with a stack trace does not cause a panic
+func TestLoggerWithTrace(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.Level = LevelDebug
+	logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+
+	logger.DebugTrace(2, "trace test")
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// Just verify it doesn't panic - trace content varies by runtime
+}
+
+// TestLoggerFormats verifies that the logger produces the correct output for different formats
+func TestLoggerFormats(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		format string
+		check  func(t *testing.T, content string)
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "txt format",
+			format: "txt",
+			check: func(t *testing.T, content string) {
+				assert.Contains(t, content, `INFO "test message"`)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "json format",
+			format: "json",
+			check: func(t *testing.T, content string) {
+				assert.Contains(t, content, `"level":"INFO"`)
+				assert.Contains(t, content, `"fields":["test message"]`)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "raw format",
+			format: "raw",
+			check: func(t *testing.T, content string) {
+				assert.Contains(t, content, "test message")
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+			logger := NewLogger()
+
+			cfg := DefaultConfig()
+			cfg.Directory = tmpDir
+			cfg.Format = tt.format
+			cfg.EnableFile = true
+			cfg.ShowTimestamp = false // As in the original test
+			cfg.ShowLevel = true      // As in the original test
+			// Set a fast flush interval for test reliability
+			cfg.FlushIntervalMs = 10
+
+			err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			// Start the logger after configuring it
+			err = logger.Start()
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+			logger.Info("test message")
+
+			err = logger.Flush(time.Second)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			// Small delay for flush
+			time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+
+			content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			tt.check(t, string(content))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLoggerConcurrency ensures the logger is safe for concurrent use from multiple goroutines
+func TestLoggerConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(i int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			for j := 0; j < 100; j++ {
+				logger.Info("goroutine", i, "log", j)
+			}
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+	err := logger.Flush(time.Second)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+// TestLoggerStdoutMirroring confirms that console output can be enabled without causing panics
+func TestLoggerStdoutMirroring(t *testing.T) {
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.Directory = t.TempDir()
+	cfg.EnableConsole = true
+	cfg.EnableFile = false
+
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Just verify it doesn't panic - actual stdout capture is complex
+	logger.Info("stdout test")
+}
+
+// TestLoggerWrite verifies that the Write method outputs raw, unformatted data
+func TestLoggerWrite(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	logger.Write("raw", "output", 123)
+
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// Small delay for flush
+	time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "raw output 123")
+	assert.True(t, strings.HasSuffix(string(content), "raw output 123"))
+}

processor.go

@@ -1,19 +1,11 @@
-// FILE: processor.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/processor.go
 package log
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"runtime"
 	"time"
-)
 
-const (
+	"github.com/lixenwraith/log/formatter"
-	// Threshold for triggering reactive disk check
-	reactiveCheckThresholdBytes int64 = 10 * 1024 * 1024
-	// Factors to adjust check interval
-	adaptiveIntervalFactor float64 = 1.5 // Slow down
-	adaptiveSpeedUpFactor  float64 = 0.8 // Speed up
 )
 
 // processLogs is the main log processing loop running in a separate goroutine
@@ -23,16 +15,17 @@ func (l *Logger) processLogs(ch <-chan logRecord) {
 
 	// Set up timers and state variables
 	timers := l.setupProcessingTimers()
-	defer l.closeProcessingTimers(timers)
+	defer l.stopProcessingTimers(timers)
+
+	c := l.getConfig()
 
 	// Perform an initial disk check on startup (skip if file output is disabled)
-	disableFile, _ := l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
+	if c.EnableFile {
-	if !disableFile {
 		l.performDiskCheck(true)
 	}
 
 	// Send initial heartbeats immediately instead of waiting for first tick
-	heartbeatLevel, _ := l.config.Int64("log.heartbeat_level")
+	heartbeatLevel := c.HeartbeatLevel
 	if heartbeatLevel > 0 {
 		if heartbeatLevel >= 1 {
 			l.logProcHeartbeat()
@@ -47,7 +40,7 @@ func (l *Logger) processLogs(ch <-chan logRecord) {
 
 	// State variables for adaptive disk checks
 	var bytesSinceLastCheck int64 = 0
-	var lastCheckTime time.Time = time.Now()
+	var lastCheckTime = time.Now()
 	var logsSinceLastCheck int64 = 0
 
 	// --- Main Loop ---
@@ -100,152 +93,69 @@ func (l *Logger) processLogs(ch <-chan logRecord) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TimerSet holds all timers used in processLogs
+// processLogRecord handles individual log records and returns bytes written
-type TimerSet struct {
-	flushTicker     *time.Ticker
-	diskCheckTicker *time.Ticker
-	retentionTicker *time.Ticker
-	heartbeatTicker *time.Ticker
-	retentionChan   <-chan time.Time
-	heartbeatChan   <-chan time.Time
-}
-
-// setupProcessingTimers creates and configures all necessary timers for the processor
-func (l *Logger) setupProcessingTimers() *TimerSet {
-	timers := &TimerSet{}
-
-	// Set up flush timer
-	flushInterval, _ := l.config.Int64("log.flush_interval_ms")
-	if flushInterval <= 0 {
-		flushInterval = 100
-	}
-	timers.flushTicker = time.NewTicker(time.Duration(flushInterval) * time.Millisecond)
-
-	// Set up retention timer if enabled
-	timers.retentionChan = l.setupRetentionTimer(timers)
-
-	// Set up disk check timer
-	timers.diskCheckTicker = l.setupDiskCheckTimer()
-
-	// Set up heartbeat timer
-	timers.heartbeatChan = l.setupHeartbeatTimer(timers)
-
-	return timers
-}
-
-// closeProcessingTimers stops all active timers
-func (l *Logger) closeProcessingTimers(timers *TimerSet) {
-	timers.flushTicker.Stop()
-	if timers.diskCheckTicker != nil {
-		timers.diskCheckTicker.Stop()
-	}
-	if timers.retentionTicker != nil {
-		timers.retentionTicker.Stop()
-	}
-	if timers.heartbeatTicker != nil {
-		timers.heartbeatTicker.Stop()
-	}
-}
-
-// setupRetentionTimer configures the retention check timer if retention is enabled
-func (l *Logger) setupRetentionTimer(timers *TimerSet) <-chan time.Time {
-	retentionPeriodHrs, _ := l.config.Float64("log.retention_period_hrs")
-	retentionCheckMins, _ := l.config.Float64("log.retention_check_mins")
-	retentionDur := time.Duration(retentionPeriodHrs * float64(time.Hour))
-	retentionCheckInterval := time.Duration(retentionCheckMins * float64(time.Minute))
-
-	if retentionDur > 0 && retentionCheckInterval > 0 {
-		timers.retentionTicker = time.NewTicker(retentionCheckInterval)
-		l.updateEarliestFileTime() // Initial check
-		return timers.retentionTicker.C
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-// setupDiskCheckTimer configures the disk check timer
-func (l *Logger) setupDiskCheckTimer() *time.Ticker {
-	diskCheckIntervalMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.disk_check_interval_ms")
-	if diskCheckIntervalMs <= 0 {
-		diskCheckIntervalMs = 5000
-	}
-	currentDiskCheckInterval := time.Duration(diskCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
-
-	// Ensure initial interval respects bounds
-	minCheckIntervalMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.min_check_interval_ms")
-	maxCheckIntervalMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.max_check_interval_ms")
-	minCheckInterval := time.Duration(minCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
-	maxCheckInterval := time.Duration(maxCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
-
-	if currentDiskCheckInterval < minCheckInterval {
-		currentDiskCheckInterval = minCheckInterval
-	}
-	if currentDiskCheckInterval > maxCheckInterval {
-		currentDiskCheckInterval = maxCheckInterval
-	}
-
-	return time.NewTicker(currentDiskCheckInterval)
-}
-
-// setupHeartbeatTimer configures the heartbeat timer if heartbeats are enabled
-func (l *Logger) setupHeartbeatTimer(timers *TimerSet) <-chan time.Time {
-	heartbeatLevel, _ := l.config.Int64("log.heartbeat_level")
-	if heartbeatLevel > 0 {
-		intervalS, _ := l.config.Int64("log.heartbeat_interval_s")
-		// Make sure interval is positive
-		if intervalS <= 0 {
-			intervalS = 60 // Default to 60 seconds
-		}
-		timers.heartbeatTicker = time.NewTicker(time.Duration(intervalS) * time.Second)
-		return timers.heartbeatTicker.C
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-// processLogRecord handles individual log records, returning bytes written
 func (l *Logger) processLogRecord(record logRecord) int64 {
-	// Check if the record should process this record
+	c := l.getConfig()
-	disableFile, _ := l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
+	enableFile := c.EnableFile
-	if !disableFile && !l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
+	if enableFile && !l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
+		// Simple increment of both counters
 		l.state.DroppedLogs.Add(1)
+		l.state.TotalDroppedLogs.Add(1)
 		return 0
 	}
 
-	// Serialize the log entry once
+	// Atomically load formatter instance
-	format, _ := l.config.String("log.format")
+	formatterPtr := l.formatter.Load()
-	data := l.serializer.serialize(
+	if formatterPtr == nil {
-		format,
+		// Defensive: Should never happen after initialization
+		return 0
+	}
+	f := formatterPtr.(*formatter.Formatter)
+
+	// Format the log entry using atomically-loaded formatter
+	formattedData := f.Format(
 		record.Flags,
 		record.TimeStamp,
 		record.Level,
 		record.Trace,
 		record.Args,
 	)
-	dataLen := int64(len(data))
+	formattedDataLen := int64(len(formattedData))
 
-	// Mirror to stdout if enabled
+	// Write to console if enabled
-	enableStdout, _ := l.config.Bool("log.enable_stdout")
+	enableConsole := c.EnableConsole
-	if enableStdout {
+	if enableConsole {
 		if s := l.state.StdoutWriter.Load(); s != nil {
-			// Assert to concrete type: *sink
 			if sinkWrapper, ok := s.(*sink); ok && sinkWrapper != nil {
-				// Use the wrapped writer (sinkWrapper.w)
+				// Handle split mode
-				_, _ = sinkWrapper.w.Write(data)
+				if c.ConsoleTarget == "split" {
+					if record.Level >= LevelWarn {
+						// Write WARN and ERROR to stderr
+						_, _ = os.Stderr.Write(formattedData)
+					} else {
+						// Write INFO and DEBUG to stdout
+						_, _ = sinkWrapper.w.Write(formattedData)
+					}
+				} else {
+					// Write to the configured target (stdout or stderr)
+					_, _ = sinkWrapper.w.Write(formattedData)
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
 	// Skip file operations if file output is disabled
-	if disableFile {
+	if !enableFile {
 		l.state.TotalLogsProcessed.Add(1)
-		return dataLen // Return data length for adaptive interval calculations
+		return formattedDataLen // Return data length for adaptive interval calculations
 	}
 
 	// File rotation check
 	currentFileSize := l.state.CurrentSize.Load()
-	estimatedSize := currentFileSize + dataLen
+	estimatedSize := currentFileSize + formattedDataLen
 
-	maxSizeMB, _ := l.config.Int64("log.max_size_mb")
+	maxSizeKB := c.MaxSizeKB
-	if maxSizeMB > 0 && estimatedSize > maxSizeMB*1024*1024 {
+	if maxSizeKB > 0 && estimatedSize > maxSizeKB*sizeMultiplier {
 		if err := l.rotateLogFile(); err != nil {
 			l.internalLog("failed to rotate log file: %v\n", err)
 			// Account for the dropped log that triggered the failed rotation
@@ -257,7 +167,7 @@ func (l *Logger) processLogRecord(record logRecord) int64 {
 	// Write to file
 	cfPtr := l.state.CurrentFile.Load()
 	if currentLogFile, isFile := cfPtr.(*os.File); isFile && currentLogFile != nil {
-		n, err := currentLogFile.Write(data)
+		n, err := currentLogFile.Write(formattedData)
 		if err != nil {
 			l.internalLog("failed to write to log file: %v\n", err)
 			l.state.DroppedLogs.Add(1)
@@ -276,7 +186,8 @@ func (l *Logger) processLogRecord(record logRecord) int64 {
 
 // handleFlushTick handles the periodic flush timer tick
 func (l *Logger) handleFlushTick() {
-	enableSync, _ := l.config.Bool("log.enable_periodic_sync")
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	enableSync := c.EnablePeriodicSync
 	if enableSync {
 		l.performSync()
 	}
@@ -290,7 +201,8 @@ func (l *Logger) handleFlushRequest(confirmChan chan struct{}) {
 
 // handleRetentionCheck performs file retention check and cleanup
 func (l *Logger) handleRetentionCheck() {
-	retentionPeriodHrs, _ := l.config.Float64("log.retention_period_hrs")
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	retentionPeriodHrs := c.RetentionPeriodHrs
 	retentionDur := time.Duration(retentionPeriodHrs * float64(time.Hour))
 
 	if retentionDur > 0 {
@@ -311,20 +223,21 @@ func (l *Logger) handleRetentionCheck() {
 
 // adjustDiskCheckInterval modifies the disk check interval based on logging activity
 func (l *Logger) adjustDiskCheckInterval(timers *TimerSet, lastCheckTime time.Time, logsSinceLastCheck int64) {
-	enableAdaptive, _ := l.config.Bool("log.enable_adaptive_interval")
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	enableAdaptive := c.EnableAdaptiveInterval
 	if !enableAdaptive {
 		return
 	}
 
 	elapsed := time.Since(lastCheckTime)
-	if elapsed < 10*time.Millisecond { // Min arbitrary reasonable value
+	if elapsed < minWaitTime { // Min arbitrary reasonable value
-		elapsed = 10 * time.Millisecond
+		elapsed = minWaitTime
 	}
 
 	logsPerSecond := float64(logsSinceLastCheck) / elapsed.Seconds()
 	targetLogsPerSecond := float64(100) // Baseline
 
-	diskCheckIntervalMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.disk_check_interval_ms")
+	diskCheckIntervalMs := c.DiskCheckIntervalMs
 	currentDiskCheckInterval := time.Duration(diskCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
 
 	// Calculate the new interval
@@ -339,8 +252,8 @@ func (l *Logger) adjustDiskCheckInterval(timers *TimerSet, lastCheckTime time.Ti
 	}
 
 	// Clamp interval using current config
-	minCheckIntervalMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.min_check_interval_ms")
+	minCheckIntervalMs := c.MinCheckIntervalMs
-	maxCheckIntervalMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.max_check_interval_ms")
+	maxCheckIntervalMs := c.MaxCheckIntervalMs
 	minCheckInterval := time.Duration(minCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
 	maxCheckInterval := time.Duration(maxCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
 
@@ -352,169 +265,4 @@ func (l *Logger) adjustDiskCheckInterval(timers *TimerSet, lastCheckTime time.Ti
 	}
 
 	timers.diskCheckTicker.Reset(newInterval)
-}
-
-// handleHeartbeat processes a heartbeat timer tick
-func (l *Logger) handleHeartbeat() {
-	heartbeatLevel, _ := l.config.Int64("log.heartbeat_level")
-
-	if heartbeatLevel >= 1 {
-		l.logProcHeartbeat()
-	}
-
-	if heartbeatLevel >= 2 {
-		l.logDiskHeartbeat()
-	}
-
-	if heartbeatLevel >= 3 {
-		l.logSysHeartbeat()
-	}
-}
-
-// logProcHeartbeat logs process/logger statistics heartbeat
-func (l *Logger) logProcHeartbeat() {
-	processed := l.state.TotalLogsProcessed.Load()
-	dropped := l.state.DroppedLogs.Load()
-	sequence := l.state.HeartbeatSequence.Add(1)
-
-	startTimeVal := l.state.LoggerStartTime.Load()
-	var uptimeHours float64 = 0
-	if startTime, ok := startTimeVal.(time.Time); ok && !startTime.IsZero() {
-		uptime := time.Since(startTime)
-		uptimeHours = uptime.Hours()
-	}
-
-	procArgs := []any{
-		"type", "proc",
-		"sequence", sequence,
-		"uptime_hours", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", uptimeHours),
-		"processed_logs", processed,
-		"dropped_logs", dropped,
-	}
-
-	l.writeHeartbeatRecord(LevelProc, procArgs)
-}
-
-// logDiskHeartbeat logs disk/file statistics heartbeat
-func (l *Logger) logDiskHeartbeat() {
-	sequence := l.state.HeartbeatSequence.Load()
-	rotations := l.state.TotalRotations.Load()
-	deletions := l.state.TotalDeletions.Load()
-
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
-	ext, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
-	currentSizeMB := float64(l.state.CurrentSize.Load()) / (1024 * 1024) // Current file size
-	totalSizeMB := float64(-1.0)                                         // Default error value
-	fileCount := -1                                                      // Default error value
-
-	dirSize, err := l.getLogDirSize(dir, ext)
-	if err == nil {
-		totalSizeMB = float64(dirSize) / (1024 * 1024)
-	} else {
-		l.internalLog("warning - heartbeat failed to get dir size: %v\n", err)
-	}
-
-	count, err := l.getLogFileCount(dir, ext)
-	if err == nil {
-		fileCount = count
-	} else {
-		l.internalLog("warning - heartbeat failed to get file count: %v\n", err)
-	}
-
-	diskArgs := []any{
-		"type", "disk",
-		"sequence", sequence,
-		"rotated_files", rotations,
-		"deleted_files", deletions,
-		"total_log_size_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", totalSizeMB),
-		"log_file_count", fileCount,
-		"current_file_size_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", currentSizeMB),
-		"disk_status_ok", l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load(),
-	}
-
-	// Add disk free space if we can get it
-	freeSpace, err := l.getDiskFreeSpace(dir)
-	if err == nil {
-		freeSpaceMB := float64(freeSpace) / (1024 * 1024)
-		diskArgs = append(diskArgs, "disk_free_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", freeSpaceMB))
-	}
-
-	l.writeHeartbeatRecord(LevelDisk, diskArgs)
-}
-
-// logSysHeartbeat logs system/runtime statistics heartbeat
-func (l *Logger) logSysHeartbeat() {
-	sequence := l.state.HeartbeatSequence.Load()
-
-	var memStats runtime.MemStats
-	runtime.ReadMemStats(&memStats)
-
-	sysArgs := []any{
-		"type", "sys",
-		"sequence", sequence,
-		"alloc_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", float64(memStats.Alloc)/(1024*1024)),
-		"sys_mb", fmt.Sprintf("%.2f", float64(memStats.Sys)/(1024*1024)),
-		"num_gc", memStats.NumGC,
-		"num_goroutine", runtime.NumGoroutine(),
-	}
-
-	// Write the heartbeat record
-	l.writeHeartbeatRecord(LevelSys, sysArgs)
-}
-
-// writeHeartbeatRecord handles common logic for writing a heartbeat record
-func (l *Logger) writeHeartbeatRecord(level int64, args []any) {
-	if l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() || l.state.ShutdownCalled.Load() {
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Serialize heartbeat data
-	format, _ := l.config.String("log.format")
-	hbData := l.serializer.serialize(format, FlagDefault|FlagShowLevel, time.Now(), level, "", args)
-
-	// Mirror to stdout if enabled
-	enableStdout, _ := l.config.Bool("log.enable_stdout")
-	if enableStdout {
-		if s := l.state.StdoutWriter.Load(); s != nil {
-			// Assert to concrete type: *sink
-			if sinkWrapper, ok := s.(*sink); ok && sinkWrapper != nil {
-				// Use the wrapped writer (sinkWrapper.w)
-				_, _ = sinkWrapper.w.Write(hbData)
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	disableFile, _ := l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
-	if disableFile || !l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Write to file
-	cfPtr := l.state.CurrentFile.Load()
-	if cfPtr == nil {
-		l.internalLog("error - current file handle is nil during heartbeat\n")
-		return
-	}
-
-	currentLogFile, isFile := cfPtr.(*os.File)
-	if !isFile || currentLogFile == nil {
-		l.internalLog("error - invalid file handle type during heartbeat\n")
-		return
-	}
-
-	n, err := currentLogFile.Write(hbData)
-	if err != nil {
-		l.internalLog("failed to write heartbeat: %v\n", err)
-		l.performDiskCheck(true) // Force disk check on write failure
-
-		// One retry after disk check
-		n, err = currentLogFile.Write(hbData)
-		if err != nil {
-			l.internalLog("failed to write heartbeat on retry: %v\n", err)
-		} else {
-			l.state.CurrentSize.Add(int64(n))
-		}
-	} else {
-		l.state.CurrentSize.Add(int64(n))
-	}
 }

processor_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/processor_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestLoggerHeartbeat verifies that heartbeat messages are logged correctly
+func TestLoggerHeartbeat(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.HeartbeatLevel = 3 // All heartbeats
+	cfg.HeartbeatIntervalS = 1
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Wait for heartbeats
+	time.Sleep(1500 * time.Millisecond)
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Check for heartbeat content
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "proc")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "disk")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "sys")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "uptime_hours")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "processed_logs")
+	assert.Contains(t, string(content), "num_goroutine")
+}
+
+// TestDroppedLogs confirms that the logger correctly tracks dropped logs when the buffer is full
+func TestDroppedLogs(t *testing.T) {
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.Directory = t.TempDir()
+	cfg.EnableFile = true
+	cfg.BufferSize = 1         // Very small buffer
+	cfg.FlushIntervalMs = 10   // Fast processing
+	cfg.HeartbeatLevel = 1     // Enable proc heartbeat
+	cfg.HeartbeatIntervalS = 1 // Fast heartbeat
+
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Flood to guarantee drops
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		logger.Info("flood", i)
+	}
+
+	// Wait for first heartbeat
+	time.Sleep(1500 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Flood again
+	for i := 0; i < 50; i++ {
+		logger.Info("flood2", i)
+	}
+
+	// Wait for second heartbeat
+	time.Sleep(1000 * time.Millisecond)
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// Read log file and verify heartbeats
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(cfg.Directory, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	lines := strings.Split(string(content), "\n")
+	foundTotal := false
+	foundInterval := false
+
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		if strings.Contains(line, "proc") {
+			if strings.Contains(line, "total_dropped_logs") {
+				foundTotal = true
+			}
+			if strings.Contains(line, "dropped_since_last") {
+				foundInterval = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	assert.True(t, foundTotal, "Expected PROC heartbeat with total_dropped_logs")
+	assert.True(t, foundInterval, "Expected PROC heartbeat with dropped_since_last")
+}
+
+// TestAdaptiveDiskCheck ensures the adaptive disk check mechanism functions without panicking
+func TestAdaptiveDiskCheck(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.EnableAdaptiveInterval = true
+	cfg.DiskCheckIntervalMs = 100
+	cfg.MinCheckIntervalMs = 50
+	cfg.MaxCheckIntervalMs = 500
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Generate varying log rates and verify no panic
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		logger.Info("adaptive test", i)
+		time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+
+	// Burst
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		logger.Info("burst", i)
+	}
+
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+}
+
+// TestDroppedLogRecoveryOnDroppedHeartbeat verifies the total drop count remains accurate even if a heartbeat is dropped
+func TestDroppedLogRecoveryOnDroppedHeartbeat(t *testing.T) {
+	logger := NewLogger()
+
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.Directory = t.TempDir()
+	cfg.EnableFile = true
+	cfg.BufferSize = 10                // Small buffer
+	cfg.HeartbeatLevel = 1             // Enable proc heartbeat
+	cfg.HeartbeatIntervalS = 1         // Fast heartbeat
+	cfg.Format = "json"                // Use JSON for easy parsing
+	cfg.InternalErrorsToStderr = false // Disable internal error logs to avoid extra drops
+
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = logger.Start()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// 1. Flood the logger to guarantee drops, aiming to drop exactly 50 logs
+	const floodCount = 50
+	for i := 0; i < int(cfg.BufferSize)+floodCount; i++ {
+		logger.Info("flood", i)
+	}
+
+	// Wait for the first heartbeat to be generated and report ~50 drops
+	time.Sleep(1100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Clear the interval drops counter that was reset by the first heartbeat
+	// This ensures we only count drops from this point forward
+	logger.state.DroppedLogs.Store(0)
+
+	// 2. Immediately put the logger into a "disk full" state, causing processor to drop the first heartbeat
+	diskFullCfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	diskFullCfg.MinDiskFreeKB = 9999999999
+	diskFullCfg.InternalErrorsToStderr = false // Keep disabled
+	err = logger.ApplyConfig(diskFullCfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	// Force a disk check to ensure the state is updated to not OK
+	logger.performDiskCheck(true)
+	assert.False(t, logger.state.DiskStatusOK.Load(), "Disk status should be not OK")
+
+	// 3. Now, "fix" the disk so the next heartbeat can be written successfully
+	diskOKCfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	diskOKCfg.MinDiskFreeKB = 0
+	diskOKCfg.InternalErrorsToStderr = false // Keep disabled
+	err = logger.ApplyConfig(diskOKCfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	logger.performDiskCheck(true) // Ensure state is updated back to OK
+	assert.True(t, logger.state.DiskStatusOK.Load(), "Disk status should be OK")
+
+	// 4. Wait for the second heartbeat to be generated and written to the file
+	time.Sleep(1100 * time.Millisecond)
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// 5. Verify the log file content
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(cfg.Directory, "log.log"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var foundHeartbeat bool
+	var intervalDropCount, totalDropCount float64
+	lines := strings.Split(string(content), "\n")
+
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		// Find the last valid heartbeat with drop stats
+		if strings.Contains(line, `"level":"PROC"`) && strings.Contains(line, "dropped_since_last") {
+			foundHeartbeat = true
+			var entry map[string]any
+			err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &entry)
+			require.NoError(t, err, "Failed to parse heartbeat log line: %s", line)
+
+			fields := entry["fields"].([]any)
+			for i := 0; i < len(fields)-1; i += 2 {
+				if key, ok := fields[i].(string); ok {
+					if key == "dropped_since_last" {
+						intervalDropCount, _ = fields[i+1].(float64)
+					}
+					if key == "total_dropped_logs" {
+						totalDropCount, _ = fields[i+1].(float64)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	require.True(t, foundHeartbeat, "Did not find the final heartbeat with drop stats")
+
+	// The interval drop count includes the ERROR log about cleanup failure + any other internal logs
+	// Since we disabled internal errors, it should only be the logs explicitly sent
+	assert.LessOrEqual(t, intervalDropCount, float64(10), "Interval drops should be minimal after fixing disk")
+
+	// The 'total_dropped_logs' counter should be accurate, reflecting the initial flood (~50) + the one dropped heartbeat
+	assert.True(t, totalDropCount >= float64(floodCount), "Total drop count should be at least the number of flooded logs plus the dropped heartbeat.")
+}

record.go

@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/record.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// getCurrentLogChannel safely retrieves the current log channel
+func (l *Logger) getCurrentLogChannel() chan logRecord {
+	chVal := l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Load()
+	// No defensive nil check required in correct use of initialized logger
+	return chVal.(chan logRecord)
+}
+
+// getFlags from config
+func (l *Logger) getFlags() int64 {
+	var flags int64 = 0
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+
+	if cfg.ShowLevel {
+		flags |= FlagShowLevel
+	}
+	if cfg.ShowTimestamp {
+		flags |= FlagShowTimestamp
+	}
+	return flags
+}
+
+// sendLogRecord handles safe sending to the active channel
+func (l *Logger) sendLogRecord(record logRecord) {
+	defer func() {
+		if r := recover(); r != nil {
+			// A panic is only expected when a race condition occurs during shutdown
+			if err, ok := r.(error); ok && err.Error() == "send on closed channel" {
+				// Expected race condition between logging and shutdown
+				l.handleFailedSend()
+			} else {
+				// Unexpected panic, re-throw to surface
+				panic(r)
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+
+	if l.state.ShutdownCalled.Load() ||
+		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() ||
+		!l.state.Started.Load() {
+		// Process drops even if logger is disabled or shutting down
+		l.handleFailedSend()
+		return
+	}
+
+	ch := l.getCurrentLogChannel()
+
+	// Non-blocking send
+	select {
+	case ch <- record:
+		// Success
+	default:
+		l.handleFailedSend()
+	}
+}
+
+// handleFailedSend increments drop counters
+func (l *Logger) handleFailedSend() {
+	l.state.DroppedLogs.Add(1)      // Interval counter
+	l.state.TotalDroppedLogs.Add(1) // Total counter
+}
+
+// log handles the core logging logic
+func (l *Logger) log(flags int64, level int64, depth int64, args ...any) {
+	// State checks
+	if !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if !l.state.Started.Load() {
+		// Log to internal error channel if configured
+		cfg := l.getConfig()
+		if cfg.InternalErrorsToStderr {
+			l.internalLog("warning - logger not started, dropping log entry\n")
+		}
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Discard or proceed based on level
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+	if level < cfg.Level {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Get trace info from runtime
+	// Depth filter hard-coded based on call stack of current package design
+	var trace string
+	if depth > 0 {
+		const skipTrace = 3 // log.Info -> log -> getTrace (Adjust if call stack changes)
+		trace = getTrace(depth, skipTrace)
+	}
+
+	record := logRecord{
+		Flags:     flags,
+		TimeStamp: time.Now(),
+		Level:     level,
+		Trace:     trace,
+		Args:      args,
+	}
+	l.sendLogRecord(record)
+}
+
+// internalLog handles writing internal logger diagnostics to stderr if enabled
+func (l *Logger) internalLog(format string, args ...any) {
+	// Check if internal error reporting is enabled
+	cfg := l.getConfig()
+	if !cfg.InternalErrorsToStderr {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Ensure consistent "log: " prefix
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(format, "log: ") {
+		format = "log: " + format
+	}
+
+	// Write to stderr
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, format, args...)
+}

sanitizer/sanitizer.go

@@ -0,0 +1,312 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/sanitizer/sanitizer.go
+// Package sanitizer provides a fluent and composable interface for sanitizing
+// strings based on configurable rules using bitwise filter flags and transforms.
+package sanitizer
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"unicode"
+	"unicode/utf8"
+
+	"github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
+)
+
+// Filter flags for character matching
+const (
+	FilterNonPrintable uint64 = 1 << iota // Matches runes not classified as printable by strconv.IsPrint
+	FilterControl                         // Matches control characters (unicode.IsControl)
+	FilterWhitespace                      // Matches whitespace characters (unicode.IsSpace)
+	FilterShellSpecial                    // Matches common shell metacharacters: '`', '$', ';', '|', '&', '>', '<', '(', ')', '#'
+)
+
+// Transform flags for character transformation
+const (
+	TransformStrip      uint64 = 1 << iota // Removes the character
+	TransformHexEncode                     // Encodes the character's UTF-8 bytes as "<XXYY>"
+	TransformJSONEscape                    // Escapes the character with JSON-style backslashes (e.g., '\n', '\u0000')
+)
+
+// PolicyPreset defines pre-configured sanitization policies
+type PolicyPreset string
+
+const (
+	PolicyRaw   PolicyPreset = "raw"   // Raw is a no-op (passthrough)
+	PolicyJSON  PolicyPreset = "json"  // Policy for sanitizing strings to be embedded in JSON
+	PolicyTxt   PolicyPreset = "txt"   // Policy for sanitizing text written to log files
+	PolicyShell PolicyPreset = "shell" // Policy for sanitizing arguments passed to shell commands
+)
+
+// rule represents a single sanitization rule
+type rule struct {
+	filter    uint64
+	transform uint64
+}
+
+// policyRules contains pre-configured rules for each policy
+var policyRules = map[PolicyPreset][]rule{
+	PolicyRaw:   {},
+	PolicyTxt:   {{filter: FilterNonPrintable, transform: TransformHexEncode}},
+	PolicyJSON:  {{filter: FilterControl, transform: TransformJSONEscape}},
+	PolicyShell: {{filter: FilterShellSpecial | FilterWhitespace, transform: TransformStrip}},
+}
+
+// filterCheckers maps individual filter flags to their check functions
+var filterCheckers = map[uint64]func(rune) bool{
+	FilterNonPrintable: func(r rune) bool { return !strconv.IsPrint(r) },
+	FilterControl:      unicode.IsControl,
+	FilterWhitespace:   unicode.IsSpace,
+	FilterShellSpecial: func(r rune) bool {
+		switch r {
+		case '`', '$', ';', '|', '&', '>', '<', '(', ')', '#':
+			return true
+		}
+		return false
+	},
+}
+
+// Sanitizer provides chainable text sanitization
+type Sanitizer struct {
+	rules []rule
+	buf   []byte
+}
+
+// New creates a new Sanitizer instance
+func New() *Sanitizer {
+	return &Sanitizer{
+		rules: []rule{},
+		buf:   make([]byte, 0, 256),
+	}
+}
+
+// Rule adds a custom rule to the sanitizer (appended, earliest rule applies first)
+func (s *Sanitizer) Rule(filter uint64, transform uint64) *Sanitizer {
+	// Append rule in natural order
+	s.rules = append(s.rules, rule{filter: filter, transform: transform})
+	return s
+}
+
+// Policy applies a pre-configured policy to the sanitizer (appended)
+func (s *Sanitizer) Policy(preset PolicyPreset) *Sanitizer {
+	if rules, ok := policyRules[preset]; ok {
+		s.rules = append(s.rules, rules...)
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+// Sanitize applies all configured rules to the input string
+func (s *Sanitizer) Sanitize(data string) string {
+	// Reset buffer
+	s.buf = s.buf[:0]
+
+	// Process each rune
+	for _, r := range data {
+		matched := false
+		// Check rules in order (first match wins)
+		for _, rl := range s.rules {
+			if matchesFilter(r, rl.filter) {
+				applyTransform(&s.buf, r, rl.transform)
+				matched = true
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		// If no rule matched, append original rune
+		if !matched {
+			s.buf = utf8.AppendRune(s.buf, r)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return string(s.buf)
+}
+
+// matchesFilter checks if a rune matches any filter in the mask
+func matchesFilter(r rune, filterMask uint64) bool {
+	for flag, checker := range filterCheckers {
+		if (filterMask&flag) != 0 && checker(r) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// applyTransform applies the specified transform to the buffer
+func applyTransform(buf *[]byte, r rune, transformMask uint64) {
+	switch {
+	case (transformMask & TransformStrip) != 0:
+		// Do nothing (strip)
+
+	case (transformMask & TransformHexEncode) != 0:
+		var runeBytes [utf8.UTFMax]byte
+		n := utf8.EncodeRune(runeBytes[:], r)
+		*buf = append(*buf, '<')
+		*buf = append(*buf, hex.EncodeToString(runeBytes[:n])...)
+		*buf = append(*buf, '>')
+
+	case (transformMask & TransformJSONEscape) != 0:
+		switch r {
+		case '\n':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'n')
+		case '\r':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'r')
+		case '\t':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 't')
+		case '\b':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'b')
+		case '\f':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'f')
+		case '"':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', '"')
+		case '\\':
+			*buf = append(*buf, '\\', '\\')
+		default:
+			if r < 0x20 || r == 0x7f {
+				*buf = append(*buf, fmt.Sprintf("\\u%04x", r)...)
+			} else {
+				*buf = utf8.AppendRune(*buf, r)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Serializer implements format-specific output behaviors
+type Serializer struct {
+	format    string
+	sanitizer *Sanitizer
+}
+
+// NewSerializer creates a handler with format-specific behavior
+func NewSerializer(format string, san *Sanitizer) *Serializer {
+	return &Serializer{
+		format:    format,
+		sanitizer: san,
+	}
+}
+
+// WriteString writes a string with format-specific handling
+func (se *Serializer) WriteString(buf *[]byte, s string) {
+	switch se.format {
+	case "raw":
+		*buf = append(*buf, se.sanitizer.Sanitize(s)...)
+
+	case "txt":
+		sanitized := se.sanitizer.Sanitize(s)
+		if se.NeedsQuotes(sanitized) {
+			*buf = append(*buf, '"')
+			for i := 0; i < len(sanitized); i++ {
+				if sanitized[i] == '"' || sanitized[i] == '\\' {
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\')
+				}
+				*buf = append(*buf, sanitized[i])
+			}
+			*buf = append(*buf, '"')
+		} else {
+			*buf = append(*buf, sanitized...)
+		}
+
+	case "json":
+		*buf = append(*buf, '"')
+		// Direct JSON escaping
+		for i := 0; i < len(s); {
+			c := s[i]
+			if c >= ' ' && c != '"' && c != '\\' && c < 0x7f {
+				start := i
+				for i < len(s) && s[i] >= ' ' && s[i] != '"' && s[i] != '\\' && s[i] < 0x7f {
+					i++
+				}
+				*buf = append(*buf, s[start:i]...)
+			} else {
+				switch c {
+				case '\\', '"':
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\', c)
+				case '\n':
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'n')
+				case '\r':
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'r')
+				case '\t':
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 't')
+				case '\b':
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'b')
+				case '\f':
+					*buf = append(*buf, '\\', 'f')
+				default:
+					*buf = append(*buf, fmt.Sprintf("\\u%04x", c)...)
+				}
+				i++
+			}
+		}
+		*buf = append(*buf, '"')
+	}
+}
+
+// WriteNumber writes a number value
+func (se *Serializer) WriteNumber(buf *[]byte, n string) {
+	*buf = append(*buf, n...)
+}
+
+// WriteBool writes a boolean value
+func (se *Serializer) WriteBool(buf *[]byte, b bool) {
+	*buf = strconv.AppendBool(*buf, b)
+}
+
+// WriteNil writes a nil value
+func (se *Serializer) WriteNil(buf *[]byte) {
+	switch se.format {
+	case "raw":
+		*buf = append(*buf, "nil"...)
+	default:
+		*buf = append(*buf, "null"...)
+	}
+}
+
+// WriteComplex writes complex types
+func (se *Serializer) WriteComplex(buf *[]byte, v any) {
+	switch se.format {
+	// For debugging
+	case "raw":
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		dumper := &spew.ConfigState{
+			Indent:                  " ",
+			MaxDepth:                10,
+			DisablePointerAddresses: true,
+			DisableCapacities:       true,
+			SortKeys:                true,
+		}
+		dumper.Fdump(&b, v)
+		*buf = append(*buf, bytes.TrimSpace(b.Bytes())...)
+
+	default:
+		str := fmt.Sprintf("%+v", v)
+		se.WriteString(buf, str)
+	}
+}
+
+// NeedsQuotes determines if quoting is needed
+func (se *Serializer) NeedsQuotes(s string) bool {
+	switch se.format {
+	case "json":
+		return true
+	case "txt":
+		if len(s) == 0 {
+			return true
+		}
+		for _, r := range s {
+			if unicode.IsSpace(r) {
+				return true
+			}
+			switch r {
+			case '"', '\'', '\\', '$', '`', '!', '&', '|', ';',
+				'(', ')', '<', '>', '*', '?', '[', ']', '{', '}',
+				'~', '#', '%', '=', '\n', '\r', '\t':
+				return true
+			}
+			if !unicode.IsPrint(r) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+		return false
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}

sanitizer/sanitizer_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,241 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/sanitizer/sanitizer_test.go
+package sanitizer
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestNewSanitizer(t *testing.T) {
+	// Default passthrough behavior
+	s := New()
+	input := "abc\x00xyz"
+	assert.Equal(t, input, s.Sanitize(input), "default sanitizer should pass through all characters")
+}
+
+func TestSingleRule(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("strip non-printable", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformStrip)
+		assert.Equal(t, "ab", s.Sanitize("a\x00b"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "test", s.Sanitize("test\x01\x02\x03"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("hex encode non-printable", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformHexEncode)
+		assert.Equal(t, "a<00>b", s.Sanitize("a\x00b"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "bell<07>tab<09>", s.Sanitize("bell\x07tab\x09"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("JSON escape control", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterControl, TransformJSONEscape)
+		assert.Equal(t, "line1\\nline2", s.Sanitize("line1\nline2"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "tab\\there", s.Sanitize("tab\there"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "null\\u0000byte", s.Sanitize("null\x00byte"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("strip whitespace", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterWhitespace, TransformStrip)
+		assert.Equal(t, "nospaceshere", s.Sanitize("no spaces here"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "tabsgone", s.Sanitize("tabs\t\tgone"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("strip shell special", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterShellSpecial, TransformStrip)
+		assert.Equal(t, "cmd echo test", s.Sanitize("cmd; echo test"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "no  pipes", s.Sanitize("no | pipes"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "var", s.Sanitize("$var"))
+	})
+}
+
+func TestPolicy(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("PolicyTxt", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Policy(PolicyTxt)
+		assert.Equal(t, "hello<07>world", s.Sanitize("hello\x07world"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "clean text", s.Sanitize("clean text"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("PolicyJSON", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Policy(PolicyJSON)
+		assert.Equal(t, "line1\\nline2", s.Sanitize("line1\nline2"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "\\ttab", s.Sanitize("\ttab"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("PolicyShellArg", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Policy(PolicyShell)
+		assert.Equal(t, "cmdecho", s.Sanitize("cmd; echo"))
+		assert.Equal(t, "nospaces", s.Sanitize("no spaces"))
+	})
+}
+
+func TestRulePrecedence(t *testing.T) {
+	// With append + forward iteration: Policy is checked before Rule
+	s := New().Policy(PolicyTxt).Rule(FilterControl, TransformStrip)
+
+	// \x07 is both control AND non-printable - matches PolicyTxt first
+	// \x00 is both control AND non-printable - matches PolicyTxt first
+	input := "a\x07b\x00c"
+	expected := "a<07>b<00>c" // FIXED: Policy wins now
+	result := s.Sanitize(input)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, result,
+		"Policy() is now checked before Rule() - non-printable chars get hex encoded")
+}
+
+func TestCompositeFilter(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New().Rule(FilterShellSpecial|FilterWhitespace, TransformStrip)
+	assert.Equal(t, "cmdechohello", s.Sanitize("cmd; echo hello"))
+	assert.Equal(t, "nopipesnospaces", s.Sanitize("no |pipes| no spaces"))
+}
+
+func TestChaining(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New().
+		Rule(FilterWhitespace, TransformStrip).
+		Rule(FilterShellSpecial, TransformHexEncode)
+
+	// Shell special chars are checked first (prepended), get hex encoded
+	// Whitespace rule is second, strips spaces
+	assert.Equal(t, "cmd<3b>echohello", s.Sanitize("cmd; echo hello"))
+}
+
+func TestMultipleRulesOrder(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test that first matching rule wins
+	s := New().
+		Rule(FilterControl, TransformStrip).
+		Rule(FilterControl, TransformHexEncode) // This should never match
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "ab", s.Sanitize("a\x00b"), "first rule should win")
+}
+
+func TestEdgeCases(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("empty string", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformStrip)
+		assert.Equal(t, "", s.Sanitize(""))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("only sanitizable characters", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformStrip)
+		assert.Equal(t, "", s.Sanitize("\x00\x01\x02\x03"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("multi-byte UTF-8", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformHexEncode)
+		input := "Hello 世界 ✓"
+		assert.Equal(t, input, s.Sanitize(input), "UTF-8 should pass through")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("multi-byte control character", func(t *testing.T) {
+		s := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformHexEncode)
+		// NEL (Next Line) is U+0085, encoded as C2 85 in UTF-8
+		assert.Equal(t, "line1<c285>line2", s.Sanitize("line1\u0085line2"))
+	})
+}
+
+func TestSerializer(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("raw format with sanitizer", func(t *testing.T) {
+		san := New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformHexEncode)
+		handler := NewSerializer("raw", san)
+
+		var buf []byte
+		handler.WriteString(&buf, "test\x00data")
+		assert.Equal(t, "test<00>data", string(buf))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("txt format with quotes", func(t *testing.T) {
+		san := New() // No sanitization
+		handler := NewSerializer("txt", san)
+
+		var buf []byte
+		handler.WriteString(&buf, "hello world")
+		assert.Equal(t, `"hello world"`, string(buf))
+
+		buf = nil
+		handler.WriteString(&buf, "nospace")
+		assert.Equal(t, "nospace", string(buf))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("json format escaping", func(t *testing.T) {
+		san := New() // JSON handler does its own escaping
+		handler := NewSerializer("json", san)
+
+		var buf []byte
+		handler.WriteString(&buf, "line1\nline2\t\"quoted\"")
+		assert.Equal(t, `"line1\nline2\t\"quoted\""`, string(buf))
+
+		buf = nil
+		handler.WriteString(&buf, "null\x00byte")
+		assert.Equal(t, `"null\u0000byte"`, string(buf))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("complex value handling", func(t *testing.T) {
+		san := New()
+		handler := NewSerializer("raw", san)
+
+		var buf []byte
+		handler.WriteComplex(&buf, map[string]int{"a": 1})
+		assert.Contains(t, string(buf), "map[")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("nil handling", func(t *testing.T) {
+		san := New()
+
+		rawHandler := NewSerializer("raw", san)
+		var buf []byte
+		rawHandler.WriteNil(&buf)
+		assert.Equal(t, "nil", string(buf))
+
+		jsonHandler := NewSerializer("json", san)
+		buf = nil
+		jsonHandler.WriteNil(&buf)
+		assert.Equal(t, "null", string(buf))
+	})
+}
+
+func TestPolicyWithCustomRules(t *testing.T) {
+	s := New().
+		Policy(PolicyTxt).
+		Rule(FilterControl, TransformStrip).
+		Rule(FilterWhitespace, TransformJSONEscape)
+
+	// \x07 is non-printable AND control - matches PolicyTxt first (hex encode)
+	// \x7F is non-printable but NOT control - matches PolicyTxt (hex encode)
+	input := "a\x07b c\x7Fd"
+	result := s.Sanitize(input)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "a<07>b c<7f>d", result) // FIXED: \x07 now hex encoded
+}
+
+func BenchmarkSanitizer(b *testing.B) {
+	input := strings.Repeat("normal text\x00\n\t", 100)
+
+	benchmarks := []struct {
+		name      string
+		sanitizer *Sanitizer
+	}{
+		{"Passthrough", New()},
+		{"SingleRule", New().Rule(FilterNonPrintable, TransformHexEncode)},
+		{"Policy", New().Policy(PolicyTxt)},
+		{"Complex", New().
+			Policy(PolicyTxt).
+			Rule(FilterControl, TransformStrip).
+			Rule(FilterWhitespace, TransformJSONEscape)},
+	}
+
+	for _, bm := range benchmarks {
+		b.Run(bm.name, func(b *testing.B) {
+			b.ResetTimer()
+			for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+				_ = bm.sanitizer.Sanitize(input)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTransformPriority(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test that only one transform is applied per rule
+	s := New().Rule(FilterControl, TransformStrip|TransformHexEncode)
+
+	// Should strip (first flag checked), not hex encode
+	assert.Equal(t, "ab", s.Sanitize("a\x00b"))
+}

state.go

@@ -1,37 +1,38 @@
-// FILE: state.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/state.go
 package log
 
 import (
-	"io"
-	"os"
-	"strconv"
-	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/lixenwraith/config"
 )
 
 // State encapsulates the runtime state of the logger
 type State struct {
-	IsInitialized   atomic.Bool
+	// General state
-	LoggerDisabled  atomic.Bool
+	IsInitialized   atomic.Bool // Tracks successful initialization, not start of log processor
-	ShutdownCalled  atomic.Bool
+	LoggerDisabled  atomic.Bool // Tracks logger stop due to issues (e.g. disk full)
-	DiskFullLogged  atomic.Bool
+	ShutdownCalled  atomic.Bool // Tracks if Shutdown() has been called, a terminal state
-	DiskStatusOK    atomic.Bool
+	DiskFullLogged  atomic.Bool // Tracks if a disk full error has been logged to prevent log spam
+	DiskStatusOK    atomic.Bool // Tracks if disk space and size limits are currently met
+	Started         atomic.Bool // Tracks calls to Start() and Stop()
 	ProcessorExited atomic.Bool // Tracks if the processor goroutine is running or has exited
 
+	// Flushing state
 	flushRequestChan chan chan struct{} // Channel to request a flush
 	flushMutex       sync.Mutex         // Protect concurrent Flush calls
 
-	CurrentFile      atomic.Value  // stores *os.File
+	// Outputs
-	CurrentSize      atomic.Int64  // Size of the current log file
+	CurrentFile  atomic.Value // stores *os.File
-	EarliestFileTime atomic.Value  // stores time.Time for retention
+	StdoutWriter atomic.Value // stores io.Writer (os.Stdout, os.Stderr, or io.Discard)
-	DroppedLogs      atomic.Uint64 // Counter for logs dropped
 
-	ActiveLogChannel atomic.Value // stores chan logRecord
+	// File State
-	StdoutWriter     atomic.Value // stores io.Writer (os.Stdout, os.Stderr, or io.Discard)
+	CurrentSize      atomic.Int64 // Size of the current log file
+	EarliestFileTime atomic.Value // stores time.Time for retention
+
+	// Log state
+	ActiveLogChannel atomic.Value  // stores chan logRecord
+	DroppedLogs      atomic.Uint64 // Counter for logs dropped since last heartbeat
+	TotalDroppedLogs atomic.Uint64 // Counter for total logs dropped since logger start
 
 	// Heartbeat statistics
 	HeartbeatSequence  atomic.Uint64 // Counter for heartbeat sequence numbers
@@ -39,191 +40,4 @@ type State struct {
 	TotalLogsProcessed atomic.Uint64 // Counter for non-heartbeat logs successfully processed
 	TotalRotations     atomic.Uint64 // Counter for successful log rotations
 	TotalDeletions     atomic.Uint64 // Counter for successful log deletions (cleanup/retention)
-}
-
-// sink is a wrapper around an io.Writer, atomic value type change workaround
-type sink struct {
-	w io.Writer
-}
-
-// Init initializes or reconfigures the logger using the provided config.Config instance
-func (l *Logger) Init(cfg *config.Config, basePath string) error {
-	if cfg == nil {
-		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
-		return fmtErrorf("config instance cannot be nil")
-	}
-
-	l.initMu.Lock()
-	defer l.initMu.Unlock()
-
-	if l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() {
-		return fmtErrorf("logger previously failed to initialize and is disabled")
-	}
-
-	if err := l.updateConfigFromExternal(cfg, basePath); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return l.applyAndReconfigureLocked()
-}
-
-// InitWithDefaults initializes the logger with built-in defaults and optional overrides
-func (l *Logger) InitWithDefaults(overrides ...string) error {
-	l.initMu.Lock()
-	defer l.initMu.Unlock()
-
-	if l.state.LoggerDisabled.Load() {
-		return fmtErrorf("logger previously failed to initialize and is disabled")
-	}
-
-	for _, override := range overrides {
-		key, valueStr, err := parseKeyValue(override)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		keyLower := strings.ToLower(key)
-		path := "log." + keyLower
-
-		if _, exists := l.config.Get(path); !exists {
-			return fmtErrorf("unknown config key in override: %s", key)
-		}
-
-		currentVal, found := l.config.Get(path)
-		if !found {
-			return fmtErrorf("failed to get current value for '%s'", key)
-		}
-
-		var parsedValue interface{}
-		var parseErr error
-
-		switch currentVal.(type) {
-		case int64:
-			parsedValue, parseErr = strconv.ParseInt(valueStr, 10, 64)
-		case string:
-			parsedValue = valueStr
-		case bool:
-			parsedValue, parseErr = strconv.ParseBool(valueStr)
-		case float64:
-			parsedValue, parseErr = strconv.ParseFloat(valueStr, 64)
-		default:
-			return fmtErrorf("unsupported type for key '%s'", key)
-		}
-
-		if parseErr != nil {
-			return fmtErrorf("invalid value format for '%s': %w", key, parseErr)
-		}
-
-		if err := validateConfigValue(keyLower, parsedValue); err != nil {
-			return fmtErrorf("invalid value for '%s': %w", key, err)
-		}
-
-		err = l.config.Set(path, parsedValue)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmtErrorf("failed to update config value for '%s': %w", key, err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return l.applyAndReconfigureLocked()
-}
-
-// Shutdown gracefully closes the logger, attempting to flush pending records
-// If no timeout is provided, uses a default of 2x flush interval
-func (l *Logger) Shutdown(timeout ...time.Duration) error {
-
-	if !l.state.ShutdownCalled.CompareAndSwap(false, true) {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
-
-	if !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() {
-		l.state.ShutdownCalled.Store(false)
-		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(false)
-		l.state.ProcessorExited.Store(true)
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	l.initMu.Lock()
-	ch := l.getCurrentLogChannel()
-	closedChan := make(chan logRecord)
-	close(closedChan)
-	l.state.ActiveLogChannel.Store(closedChan)
-	if ch != closedChan {
-		close(ch)
-	}
-	l.initMu.Unlock()
-
-	var effectiveTimeout time.Duration
-	if len(timeout) > 0 {
-		effectiveTimeout = timeout[0]
-	} else {
-		// Default to 2x flush interval
-		flushMs, _ := l.config.Int64("log.flush_interval_ms")
-		effectiveTimeout = 2 * time.Duration(flushMs) * time.Millisecond
-	}
-
-	deadline := time.Now().Add(effectiveTimeout)
-	pollInterval := 10 * time.Millisecond // Reasonable check period
-	processorCleanlyExited := false
-	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
-		if l.state.ProcessorExited.Load() {
-			processorCleanlyExited = true
-			break
-		}
-		time.Sleep(pollInterval)
-	}
-
-	l.state.IsInitialized.Store(false)
-
-	var finalErr error
-	cfPtr := l.state.CurrentFile.Load()
-	if cfPtr != nil {
-		if currentLogFile, ok := cfPtr.(*os.File); ok && currentLogFile != nil {
-			if err := currentLogFile.Sync(); err != nil {
-				syncErr := fmtErrorf("failed to sync log file '%s' during shutdown: %w", currentLogFile.Name(), err)
-				finalErr = combineErrors(finalErr, syncErr)
-			}
-			if err := currentLogFile.Close(); err != nil {
-				closeErr := fmtErrorf("failed to close log file '%s' during shutdown: %w", currentLogFile.Name(), err)
-				finalErr = combineErrors(finalErr, closeErr)
-			}
-			l.state.CurrentFile.Store((*os.File)(nil))
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !processorCleanlyExited {
-		timeoutErr := fmtErrorf("logger processor did not exit within timeout (%v)", effectiveTimeout)
-		finalErr = combineErrors(finalErr, timeoutErr)
-	}
-
-	return finalErr
-}
-
-// Flush explicitly triggers a sync of the current log file buffer to disk and waits for completion or timeout.
-func (l *Logger) Flush(timeout time.Duration) error {
-	l.state.flushMutex.Lock()
-	defer l.state.flushMutex.Unlock()
-
-	if !l.state.IsInitialized.Load() || l.state.ShutdownCalled.Load() {
-		return fmtErrorf("logger not initialized or already shut down")
-	}
-
-	// Create a channel to wait for confirmation from the processor
-	confirmChan := make(chan struct{})
-
-	// Send the request with the confirmation channel
-	select {
-	case l.state.flushRequestChan <- confirmChan:
-		// Request sent
-	case <-time.After(10 * time.Millisecond): // Short timeout to prevent blocking if processor is stuck
-		return fmtErrorf("failed to send flush request to processor (possible deadlock or high load)")
-	}
-
-	select {
-	case <-confirmChan:
-		return nil
-	case <-time.After(timeout):
-		return fmtErrorf("timeout waiting for flush confirmation (%v)", timeout)
-	}
 }

state_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/state_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestLoggerShutdown verifies the logger's state and behavior after shutdown is called
+func TestLoggerShutdown(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("normal shutdown", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+
+		// Write some logs
+		logger.Info("shutdown test")
+
+		// Shutdown
+		err := logger.Shutdown(2 * time.Second)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Verify state
+		assert.True(t, logger.state.ShutdownCalled.Load())
+		assert.True(t, logger.state.LoggerDisabled.Load())
+		assert.False(t, logger.state.IsInitialized.Load())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("shutdown timeout", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+
+		// Fill buffer to potentially block processor
+		for i := 0; i < 200; i++ {
+			logger.Info("flood", i)
+		}
+
+		// Short timeout
+		err := logger.Shutdown(1 * time.Millisecond)
+		// May or may not timeout depending on system speed
+		_ = err
+	})
+
+	t.Run("shutdown before init", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger := NewLogger()
+		err := logger.Shutdown()
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("double shutdown", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+
+		err1 := logger.Shutdown()
+		err2 := logger.Shutdown()
+
+		assert.NoError(t, err1)
+		assert.NoError(t, err2)
+	})
+}
+
+// TestLoggerFlush tests the functionality and timeout behavior of the Flush method
+func TestLoggerFlush(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("successful flush", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+		defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+		logger.Info("flush test")
+
+		// Small delay to process log
+		time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+		err := logger.Flush(time.Second)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Verify data written
+		content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log.log"))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, string(content), "flush test")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("flush timeout", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+		defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+		// Very short timeout
+		err := logger.Flush(1 * time.Nanosecond)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "timeout")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("flush after shutdown", func(t *testing.T) {
+		logger, _ := createTestLogger(t)
+		logger.Shutdown()
+
+		err := logger.Flush(time.Second)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "not initialized")
+	})
+}

storage.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// FILE: storage.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/storage.go
 package log
 
 import (
@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ import (
 
 // performSync syncs the current log file
 func (l *Logger) performSync() {
+	c := l.getConfig()
 	// Skip sync if file output is disabled
-	disableFile, _ := l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
+	enableFile := c.EnableFile
-	if disableFile {
+	if !enableFile {
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -39,9 +40,10 @@ func (l *Logger) performSync() {
 // performDiskCheck checks disk space, triggers cleanup if needed, and updates status
 // Returns true if disk is OK, false otherwise
 func (l *Logger) performDiskCheck(forceCleanup bool) bool {
+	c := l.getConfig()
 	// Skip all disk checks if file output is disabled
-	disableFile, _ := l.config.Bool("log.disable_file")
+	enableFile := c.EnableFile
-	if disableFile {
+	if !enableFile {
 		// Always return OK status when file output is disabled
 		if !l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
 			l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(true)
@@ -50,13 +52,14 @@ func (l *Logger) performDiskCheck(forceCleanup bool) bool {
 		return true
 	}
 
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+	dir := c.Directory
-	ext, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
+	ext := c.Extension
-	maxTotalMB, _ := l.config.Int64("log.max_total_size_mb")
+	maxTotalKB := c.MaxTotalSizeKB
-	minDiskFreeMB, _ := l.config.Int64("log.min_disk_free_mb")
+	minDiskFreeKB := c.MinDiskFreeKB
-	maxTotal := maxTotalMB * 1024 * 1024
+	maxTotal := maxTotalKB * sizeMultiplier
-	minFreeRequired := minDiskFreeMB * 1024 * 1024
+	minFreeRequired := minDiskFreeKB * sizeMultiplier
 
+	// If no limits are set, the disk is considered OK
 	if maxTotal <= 0 && minFreeRequired <= 0 {
 		if !l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
 			l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(true)
@@ -65,15 +68,15 @@ func (l *Logger) performDiskCheck(forceCleanup bool) bool {
 		return true
 	}
 
+	// Check available disk space
 	freeSpace, err := l.getDiskFreeSpace(dir)
 	if err != nil {
 		l.internalLog("warning - failed to check free disk space for '%s': %v\n", dir, err)
-		if l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
+		l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(false)
-			l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(false)
-		}
 		return false
 	}
 
+	// Determine if cleanup is needed based on disk space and total log size
 	needsCleanupCheck := false
 	spaceToFree := int64(0)
 	if minFreeRequired > 0 && freeSpace < minFreeRequired {
@@ -99,6 +102,7 @@ func (l *Logger) performDiskCheck(forceCleanup bool) bool {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Trigger cleanup if needed and allowed by the 'forceCleanup' flag
 	if needsCleanupCheck && forceCleanup {
 		if err := l.cleanOldLogs(spaceToFree); err != nil {
 			if !l.state.DiskFullLogged.Swap(true) {
@@ -108,12 +112,10 @@ func (l *Logger) performDiskCheck(forceCleanup bool) bool {
 				}
 				l.sendLogRecord(diskFullRecord)
 			}
-			if l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
+			l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(false)
-				l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(false)
-			}
 			return false
 		}
-		// Cleanup succeeded
+		// Cleanup succeeded, reset flags
 		l.state.DiskFullLogged.Store(false)
 		l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(true)
 		l.updateEarliestFileTime()
@@ -125,7 +127,7 @@ func (l *Logger) performDiskCheck(forceCleanup bool) bool {
 		}
 		return false
 	} else {
-		// Limits OK
+		// Limits OK, reset flags
 		if !l.state.DiskStatusOK.Load() {
 			l.state.DiskStatusOK.Store(true)
 			l.state.DiskFullLogged.Store(false)
@@ -151,12 +153,12 @@ func (l *Logger) getDiskFreeSpace(path string) (int64, error) {
 	if err := syscall.Statfs(path, &stat); err != nil {
 		return 0, fmtErrorf("failed to get disk stats for '%s': %w", path, err)
 	}
-	availableBytes := int64(stat.Bavail) * int64(stat.Bsize)
+	availableBytes := int64(stat.Bavail) * stat.Bsize
 	return availableBytes, nil
 }
 
 // getLogDirSize calculates total size of log files matching the current extension
-func (l *Logger) getLogDirSize(dir, fileExt string) (int64, error) {
+func (l *Logger) getLogDirSize(dir, ext string) (int64, error) {
 	var size int64
 	entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -166,7 +168,7 @@ func (l *Logger) getLogDirSize(dir, fileExt string) (int64, error) {
 		return 0, fmtErrorf("failed to read log directory '%s': %w", dir, err)
 	}
 
-	targetExt := "." + fileExt
+	targetExt := "." + ext
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if entry.IsDir() {
 			continue
@@ -184,19 +186,20 @@ func (l *Logger) getLogDirSize(dir, fileExt string) (int64, error) {
 
 // cleanOldLogs removes oldest log files until required space is freed
 func (l *Logger) cleanOldLogs(required int64) error {
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+	c := l.getConfig()
-	fileExt, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
+	dir := c.Directory
-	name, _ := l.config.String("log.name")
+	ext := c.Extension
+	name := c.Name
 
 	entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmtErrorf("failed to read log directory '%s' for cleanup: %w", dir, err)
 	}
 
-	// Get the static log filename to exclude from deletion
+	// Build a list of log files eligible for deletion, excluding the active log file
 	staticLogName := name
-	if fileExt != "" {
+	if ext != "" {
-		staticLogName = name + "." + fileExt
+		staticLogName = name + "." + ext
 	}
 
 	type logFileMeta struct {
@@ -205,12 +208,12 @@ func (l *Logger) cleanOldLogs(required int64) error {
 		size    int64
 	}
 	var logs []logFileMeta
-	targetExt := "." + fileExt
+	targetExt := "." + ext
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if entry.IsDir() || entry.Name() == staticLogName {
 			continue
 		}
-		if fileExt != "" && filepath.Ext(entry.Name()) != targetExt {
+		if ext != "" && filepath.Ext(entry.Name()) != targetExt {
 			continue
 		}
 		info, errInfo := entry.Info()
@@ -227,8 +230,10 @@ func (l *Logger) cleanOldLogs(required int64) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	// Sort logs by modification time to delete the oldest ones first
 	sort.Slice(logs, func(i, j int) bool { return logs[i].modTime.Before(logs[j].modTime) })
 
+	// Iterate and remove files until enough space has been freed
 	var freedSpace int64
 	for _, log := range logs {
 		if required > 0 && freedSpace >= required {
@@ -251,9 +256,10 @@ func (l *Logger) cleanOldLogs(required int64) error {
 
 // updateEarliestFileTime scans the log directory for the oldest log file
 func (l *Logger) updateEarliestFileTime() {
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+	c := l.getConfig()
-	fileExt, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
+	dir := c.Directory
-	name, _ := l.config.String("log.name")
+	ext := c.Extension
+	name := c.Name
 
 	entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -264,11 +270,11 @@ func (l *Logger) updateEarliestFileTime() {
 	var earliest time.Time
 	// Get the active log filename to exclude from timestamp tracking
 	staticLogName := name
-	if fileExt != "" {
+	if ext != "" {
-		staticLogName = name + "." + fileExt
+		staticLogName = name + "." + ext
 	}
 
-	targetExt := "." + fileExt
+	targetExt := "." + ext
 	prefix := name + "_"
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if entry.IsDir() {
@@ -279,7 +285,7 @@ func (l *Logger) updateEarliestFileTime() {
 		if fname == staticLogName {
 			continue
 		}
-		if !strings.HasPrefix(fname, prefix) || (fileExt != "" && filepath.Ext(fname) != targetExt) {
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(fname, prefix) || (ext != "" && filepath.Ext(fname) != targetExt) {
 			continue
 		}
 		info, errInfo := entry.Info()
@@ -295,10 +301,11 @@ func (l *Logger) updateEarliestFileTime() {
 
 // cleanExpiredLogs removes log files older than the retention period
 func (l *Logger) cleanExpiredLogs(oldest time.Time) error {
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+	c := l.getConfig()
-	fileExt, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
+	dir := c.Directory
-	name, _ := l.config.String("log.name")
+	ext := c.Extension
-	retentionPeriodHrs, _ := l.config.Float64("log.retention_period_hrs")
+	name := c.Name
+	retentionPeriodHrs := c.RetentionPeriodHrs
 	rpDuration := time.Duration(retentionPeriodHrs * float64(time.Hour))
 
 	if rpDuration <= 0 {
@@ -316,18 +323,18 @@ func (l *Logger) cleanExpiredLogs(oldest time.Time) error {
 
 	// Get the active log filename to exclude from deletion
 	staticLogName := name
-	if fileExt != "" {
+	if ext != "" {
-		staticLogName = name + "." + fileExt
+		staticLogName = name + "." + ext
 	}
 
-	targetExt := "." + fileExt
+	targetExt := "." + ext
 	var deletedCount int
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if entry.IsDir() || entry.Name() == staticLogName {
 			continue
 		}
 		// Only consider files with correct extension
-		if fileExt != "" && filepath.Ext(entry.Name()) != targetExt {
+		if ext != "" && filepath.Ext(entry.Name()) != targetExt {
 			continue
 		}
 		info, errInfo := entry.Info()
@@ -345,17 +352,15 @@ func (l *Logger) cleanExpiredLogs(oldest time.Time) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if deletedCount == 0 && err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
 	return nil
 }
 
 // getStaticLogFilePath returns the full path to the active log file
 func (l *Logger) getStaticLogFilePath() string {
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+	c := l.getConfig()
-	name, _ := l.config.String("log.name")
+	dir := c.Directory
-	ext, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
+	ext := c.Extension
+	name := c.Name
 
 	// Handle extension with or without dot
 	filename := name
@@ -368,8 +373,10 @@ func (l *Logger) getStaticLogFilePath() string {
 
 // generateArchiveLogFileName creates a timestamped filename for archived logs during rotation
 func (l *Logger) generateArchiveLogFileName(timestamp time.Time) string {
-	name, _ := l.config.String("log.name")
+	c := l.getConfig()
-	ext, _ := l.config.String("log.extension")
+	ext := c.Extension
+	name := c.Name
+
 	tsFormat := timestamp.Format("060102_150405")
 	nano := timestamp.Nanosecond()
 
@@ -393,9 +400,12 @@ func (l *Logger) createNewLogFile() (*os.File, error) {
 // rotateLogFile implements the rename-on-rotate strategy
 // Closes current file, renames it with timestamp, creates new static file
 func (l *Logger) rotateLogFile() error {
+	c := l.getConfig()
+
 	// Get current file handle
 	cfPtr := l.state.CurrentFile.Load()
 	if cfPtr == nil {
+		// This can happen if file logging was disabled and re-enabled
 		// No current file, just create a new one
 		newFile, err := l.createNewLogFile()
 		if err != nil {
@@ -409,7 +419,7 @@ func (l *Logger) rotateLogFile() error {
 
 	currentFile, ok := cfPtr.(*os.File)
 	if !ok || currentFile == nil {
-		// Invalid file handle, create new one
+		// Invalid file handle in state, treat as if there's no file
 		newFile, err := l.createNewLogFile()
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmtErrorf("failed to create log file during rotation: %w", err)
@@ -426,15 +436,16 @@ func (l *Logger) rotateLogFile() error {
 		// Continue with rotation anyway
 	}
 
-	// Generate archive filename with current timestamp
+	// Generate a new unique name with current timestamp for the old log file
-	dir, _ := l.config.String("log.directory")
+	dir := c.Directory
 	archiveName := l.generateArchiveLogFileName(time.Now())
 	archivePath := filepath.Join(dir, archiveName)
 
 	// Rename current file to archive name
 	currentPath := l.getStaticLogFilePath()
 	if err := os.Rename(currentPath, archivePath); err != nil {
-		// The original file is closed and couldn't be renamed. This is a terminal state for file logging.
+		// Critical failure: the original file is closed and couldn't be renamed
+		// This is a terminal state for file logging
 		l.internalLog("failed to rename log file from '%s' to '%s': %v. file logging disabled.",
 			currentPath, archivePath, err)
 		l.state.LoggerDisabled.Store(true)
@@ -459,7 +470,7 @@ func (l *Logger) rotateLogFile() error {
 }
 
 // getLogFileCount calculates the number of log files matching the current extension
-func (l *Logger) getLogFileCount(dir, fileExt string) (int, error) {
+func (l *Logger) getLogFileCount(dir, ext string) (int, error) {
 	count := 0
 	entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -469,7 +480,7 @@ func (l *Logger) getLogFileCount(dir, fileExt string) (int, error) {
 		return -1, fmtErrorf("failed to read log directory '%s': %w", dir, err)
 	}
 
-	targetExt := "." + fileExt
+	targetExt := "." + ext
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if entry.IsDir() {
 			continue

storage_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/storage_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestLogRotation verifies that log files are correctly rotated when they exceed MaxSizeKB
+func TestLogRotation(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.MaxSizeKB = 100      // 100KB
+	cfg.FlushIntervalMs = 10 // Fast flush for testing
+	logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+
+	// Create a message that's large enough to trigger rotation
+	// Account for timestamp, level, and other formatting overhead
+	// A typical log line overhead is ~50-100 bytes
+	const overhead = 100
+	const targetMessageSize = 5000 // 5KB per message
+	largeData := strings.Repeat("x", targetMessageSize)
+
+	// Write enough to exceed 1MB twice (should cause at least one rotation)
+	messagesNeeded := int((2 * sizeMultiplier * cfg.MaxSizeKB) / (targetMessageSize + overhead)) // ~40 messages
+
+	for i := 0; i < messagesNeeded; i++ {
+		logger.Info(fmt.Sprintf("msg%d:", i), largeData)
+		// Small delay to ensure processing
+		if i%10 == 0 {
+			time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Ensure all logs are written and rotated
+	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+	logger.Flush(time.Second)
+
+	// Check for rotated files
+	files, err := os.ReadDir(tmpDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Count log files
+	logFileCount := 0
+	hasRotated := false
+	for _, f := range files {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(f.Name(), ".log") {
+			logFileCount++
+			// Check for rotated file pattern: log_YYMMDD_HHMMSS_*.log
+			if strings.HasPrefix(f.Name(), "log_") && strings.Contains(f.Name(), "_") {
+				hasRotated = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Should have at least 2 log files (current + at least one rotated)
+	assert.GreaterOrEqual(t, logFileCount, 2, "Expected at least 2 log files (current + rotated)")
+	assert.True(t, hasRotated, "Expected to find rotated log files with timestamp pattern")
+}
+
+// TestDiskSpaceManagement ensures that old log files are cleaned up to stay within MaxTotalSizeKB
+func TestDiskSpaceManagement(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Create some old log files to be cleaned up
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		name := fmt.Sprintf("log_old_%d.log", i)
+		path := filepath.Join(tmpDir, name)
+		// Write more than 1KB of data to ensure total size exceeds the new limit
+		err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(strings.Repeat("a", 2000)), 0644)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Make files appear old
+		oldTime := time.Now().Add(-time.Hour * 24 * time.Duration(i+1))
+		os.Chtimes(path, oldTime, oldTime)
+	}
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	// Set a small limit to trigger cleanup - 0 disables the check
+	cfg.MaxTotalSizeKB = 1
+	// Disable free disk space check to isolate the total size check
+	cfg.MinDiskFreeKB = 0
+	err := logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Trigger disk check and cleanup
+	logger.performDiskCheck(true)
+
+	// Small delay to let the check complete
+	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Verify cleanup occurred. All old logs should be deleted
+	files, err := os.ReadDir(tmpDir)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Only the active log.log should remain
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, len(files), "Expected only the active log file to remain after cleanup")
+	assert.Equal(t, "log.log", files[0].Name())
+}
+
+// TestRetentionPolicy checks if log files older than RetentionPeriodHrs are deleted
+func TestRetentionPolicy(t *testing.T) {
+	logger, tmpDir := createTestLogger(t)
+	defer logger.Shutdown()
+
+	// Create an old log file
+	oldFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "log_old.log")
+	err := os.WriteFile(oldFile, []byte("old data"), 0644)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Set modification time to 2 hours ago
+	oldTime := time.Now().Add(-2 * time.Hour)
+	os.Chtimes(oldFile, oldTime, oldTime)
+
+	cfg := logger.GetConfig()
+	cfg.RetentionPeriodHrs = 1.0 // 1 hour retention
+	logger.ApplyConfig(cfg)
+
+	// Manually trigger retention check
+	logger.cleanExpiredLogs(oldTime)
+
+	// Verify old file was deleted
+	_, err = os.Stat(oldFile)
+	assert.True(t, os.IsNotExist(err))
+}

timer.go

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/timer.go
+package log
+
+import "time"
+
+// setupProcessingTimers creates and configures all necessary timers for the processor
+func (l *Logger) setupProcessingTimers() *TimerSet {
+	timers := &TimerSet{}
+
+	c := l.getConfig()
+
+	// Set up flush timer
+	flushInterval := c.FlushIntervalMs
+	if flushInterval <= 0 {
+		flushInterval = DefaultConfig().FlushIntervalMs
+	}
+	timers.flushTicker = time.NewTicker(time.Duration(flushInterval) * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Set up retention timer if enabled
+	timers.retentionChan = l.setupRetentionTimer(timers)
+
+	// Set up disk check timer
+	timers.diskCheckTicker = l.setupDiskCheckTimer()
+
+	// Set up heartbeat timer
+	timers.heartbeatChan = l.setupHeartbeatTimer(timers)
+
+	return timers
+}
+
+// setupRetentionTimer configures the retention check timer if retention is enabled
+func (l *Logger) setupRetentionTimer(timers *TimerSet) <-chan time.Time {
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	retentionPeriodHrs := c.RetentionPeriodHrs
+	retentionCheckMins := c.RetentionCheckMins
+	retentionDur := time.Duration(retentionPeriodHrs * float64(time.Hour))
+	retentionCheckInterval := time.Duration(retentionCheckMins * float64(time.Minute))
+
+	if retentionDur > 0 && retentionCheckInterval > 0 {
+		timers.retentionTicker = time.NewTicker(retentionCheckInterval)
+		l.updateEarliestFileTime() // Initial check
+		return timers.retentionTicker.C
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// setupDiskCheckTimer configures the disk check timer
+func (l *Logger) setupDiskCheckTimer() *time.Ticker {
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	diskCheckIntervalMs := c.DiskCheckIntervalMs
+	if diskCheckIntervalMs <= 0 {
+		diskCheckIntervalMs = 5000
+	}
+	currentDiskCheckInterval := time.Duration(diskCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
+
+	// Ensure initial interval respects bounds
+	minCheckIntervalMs := c.MinCheckIntervalMs
+	maxCheckIntervalMs := c.MaxCheckIntervalMs
+	minCheckInterval := time.Duration(minCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
+	maxCheckInterval := time.Duration(maxCheckIntervalMs) * time.Millisecond
+
+	if currentDiskCheckInterval < minCheckInterval {
+		currentDiskCheckInterval = minCheckInterval
+	}
+	if currentDiskCheckInterval > maxCheckInterval {
+		currentDiskCheckInterval = maxCheckInterval
+	}
+
+	return time.NewTicker(currentDiskCheckInterval)
+}
+
+// setupHeartbeatTimer configures the heartbeat timer if enabled
+func (l *Logger) setupHeartbeatTimer(timers *TimerSet) <-chan time.Time {
+	c := l.getConfig()
+	heartbeatLevel := c.HeartbeatLevel
+	if heartbeatLevel > 0 {
+		intervalS := c.HeartbeatIntervalS
+		// Make sure interval is positive
+		if intervalS <= 0 {
+			intervalS = DefaultConfig().HeartbeatIntervalS
+		}
+		timers.heartbeatTicker = time.NewTicker(time.Duration(intervalS) * time.Second)
+		return timers.heartbeatTicker.C
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// stopProcessingTimers stops all active timers
+func (l *Logger) stopProcessingTimers(timers *TimerSet) {
+	timers.flushTicker.Stop()
+	if timers.diskCheckTicker != nil {
+		timers.diskCheckTicker.Stop()
+	}
+	if timers.retentionTicker != nil {
+		timers.retentionTicker.Stop()
+	}
+	if timers.heartbeatTicker != nil {
+		timers.heartbeatTicker.Stop()
+	}
+}

type.go

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/type.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// logRecord represents a single log entry
+type logRecord struct {
+	Flags     int64
+	TimeStamp time.Time
+	Level     int64
+	Trace     string
+	Args      []any
+}
+
+// TimerSet holds all timers used in processLogs
+type TimerSet struct {
+	flushTicker     *time.Ticker
+	diskCheckTicker *time.Ticker
+	retentionTicker *time.Ticker
+	heartbeatTicker *time.Ticker
+	retentionChan   <-chan time.Time
+	heartbeatChan   <-chan time.Time
+}
+
+// sink is a wrapper around an io.Writer, atomic value type change workaround
+type sink struct {
+	w io.Writer
+}

utility.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// FILE: utility.go
+// FILE: lixenwraith/log/utility.go
 package log
 
 import (
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"unicode"
 )
 
-// getTrace returns a function call trace string.
+// getTrace returns a function call trace string
 func getTrace(depth int64, skip int) string {
 	if depth <= 0 || depth > 10 {
 		return ""
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func getTrace(depth int64, skip int) string {
 	return strings.Join(trace, " -> ")
 }
 
-// fmtErrorf wrapper
+// fmtErrorf wraps fmt.Errorf with a "log: " prefix
 func fmtErrorf(format string, args ...any) error {
 	if !strings.HasPrefix(format, "log: ") {
 		format = "log: " + format
@@ -67,18 +67,7 @@ func fmtErrorf(format string, args ...any) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf(format, args...)
 }
 
-// combineErrors helper
+// parseKeyValue splits a "key=value" string into its components
-func combineErrors(err1, err2 error) error {
-	if err1 == nil {
-		return err2
-	}
-	if err2 == nil {
-		return err1
-	}
-	return fmt.Errorf("%v; %w", err1, err2)
-}
-
-// parseKeyValue splits a "key=value" string.
 func parseKeyValue(arg string) (string, string, error) {
 	parts := strings.SplitN(strings.TrimSpace(arg), "=", 2)
 	if len(parts) != 2 {
@@ -92,7 +81,7 @@ func parseKeyValue(arg string) (string, string, error) {
 	return key, value, nil
 }
 
-// Level converts level string to numeric constant.
+// Level converts level string to numeric constant
 func Level(levelStr string) (int64, error) {
 	switch strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(levelStr)) {
 	case "debug":
@@ -112,135 +101,4 @@ func Level(levelStr string) (int64, error) {
 	default:
 		return 0, fmtErrorf("invalid level string: '%s' (use debug, info, warn, error, proc, disk, sys)", levelStr)
 	}
-}
-
-// validateConfigValue validates a single configuration field
-func validateConfigValue(key string, value any) error {
-	keyLower := strings.ToLower(key)
-	switch keyLower {
-	case "name":
-		v, ok := value.(string)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("name must be string, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if strings.TrimSpace(v) == "" {
-			return fmtErrorf("log name cannot be empty")
-		}
-
-	case "format":
-		v, ok := value.(string)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("format must be string, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if v != "txt" && v != "json" && v != "raw" {
-			return fmtErrorf("invalid format: '%s' (use txt, json, or raw)", v)
-		}
-
-	case "extension":
-		v, ok := value.(string)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("extension must be string, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if strings.HasPrefix(v, ".") {
-			return fmtErrorf("extension should not start with dot: %s", v)
-		}
-
-	case "timestamp_format":
-		v, ok := value.(string)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("timestamp_format must be string, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if strings.TrimSpace(v) == "" {
-			return fmtErrorf("timestamp_format cannot be empty")
-		}
-
-	case "buffer_size":
-		v, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("buffer_size must be int64, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if v <= 0 {
-			return fmtErrorf("buffer_size must be positive: %d", v)
-		}
-
-	case "max_size_mb", "max_total_size_mb", "min_disk_free_mb":
-		v, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("%s must be int64, got %T", key, value)
-		}
-		if v < 0 {
-			return fmtErrorf("%s cannot be negative: %d", key, v)
-		}
-
-	case "flush_interval_ms", "disk_check_interval_ms", "min_check_interval_ms", "max_check_interval_ms":
-		v, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("%s must be int64, got %T", key, value)
-		}
-		if v <= 0 {
-			return fmtErrorf("%s must be positive milliseconds: %d", key, v)
-		}
-
-	case "trace_depth":
-		v, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("trace_depth must be int64, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if v < 0 || v > 10 {
-			return fmtErrorf("trace_depth must be between 0 and 10: %d", v)
-		}
-
-	case "retention_period_hrs", "retention_check_mins":
-		v, ok := value.(float64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("%s must be float64, got %T", key, value)
-		}
-		if v < 0 {
-			return fmtErrorf("%s cannot be negative: %f", key, v)
-		}
-
-	case "heartbeat_level":
-		v, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("heartbeat_level must be int64, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if v < 0 || v > 3 {
-			return fmtErrorf("heartbeat_level must be between 0 and 3: %d", v)
-		}
-
-	case "heartbeat_interval_s":
-		_, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("heartbeat_interval_s must be int64, got %T", value)
-		}
-		// Note: only validate positive if heartbeat is enabled (cross-field validation)
-
-	case "stdout_target":
-		v, ok := value.(string)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("stdout_target must be string, got %T", value)
-		}
-		if v != "stdout" && v != "stderr" {
-			return fmtErrorf("invalid stdout_target: '%s' (use stdout or stderr)", v)
-		}
-
-	case "level":
-		// Level validation if needed
-		_, ok := value.(int64)
-		if !ok {
-			return fmtErrorf("level must be int64, got %T", value)
-		}
-
-	// Fields that don't need validation beyond type
-	case "directory", "show_timestamp", "show_level", "enable_adaptive_interval",
-		"enable_periodic_sync", "enable_stdout", "disable_file", "internal_errors_to_stderr":
-		// Type checking handled by config system
-		return nil
-
-	default:
-		// Unknown field - let config system handle it
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	return nil
 }

utility_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+// FILE: utility_test.go
+package log
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+// TestLevel tests the conversion of level strings to their corresponding integer constants
+func TestLevel(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input    string
+		expected int64
+		wantErr  bool
+	}{
+		{"debug", LevelDebug, false},
+		{"DEBUG", LevelDebug, false},
+		{" info ", LevelInfo, false},
+		{"warn", LevelWarn, false},
+		{"error", LevelError, false},
+		{"proc", LevelProc, false},
+		{"disk", LevelDisk, false},
+		{"sys", LevelSys, false},
+		{"invalid", 0, true},
+		{"", 0, true},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.input, func(t *testing.T) {
+			level, err := Level(tt.input)
+
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				assert.Error(t, err)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, level)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestParseKeyValue verifies the parsing of "key=value" strings
+func TestParseKeyValue(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input     string
+		wantKey   string
+		wantValue string
+		wantErr   bool
+	}{
+		{"key=value", "key", "value", false},
+		{" key = value ", "key", "value", false},
+		{"key=value=with=equals", "key", "value=with=equals", false},
+		{"noequals", "", "", true},
+		{"=value", "", "", true},
+		{"key=", "key", "", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.input, func(t *testing.T) {
+			key, value, err := parseKeyValue(tt.input)
+
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				assert.Error(t, err)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Equal(t, tt.wantKey, key)
+				assert.Equal(t, tt.wantValue, value)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFmtErrorf ensures that internal errors are correctly prefixed
+func TestFmtErrorf(t *testing.T) {
+	err := fmtErrorf("test error: %s", "details")
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "log: test error: details", err.Error())
+
+	// Already prefixed
+	err = fmtErrorf("log: already prefixed")
+	assert.Equal(t, "log: already prefixed", err.Error())
+}
+
+// TestGetTrace checks the stack trace generation for various depths
+func TestGetTrace(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test various depths
+	tests := []struct {
+		depth int64
+		check func(string)
+	}{
+		{0, func(s string) { assert.Empty(t, s) }},
+		{1, func(s string) { assert.NotEmpty(t, s) }},
+		{3, func(s string) {
+			assert.NotEmpty(t, s)
+			assert.True(t, strings.Contains(s, "->") || s == "(unknown)")
+		}},
+		{11, func(s string) { assert.Empty(t, s) }}, // Over limit
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("depth_%d", tt.depth), func(t *testing.T) {
+			trace := getTrace(tt.depth, 0)
+			tt.check(trace)
+		})
+	}
+}