feat: Add redirected actor logs #769

Pijukatel · 2025-10-22T11:10:28Z

Description

Add convenience methods and arguments for redirecting the streamed actor log to another log.
This changes the default behavior in non non-breaking way. By default, the logs will be redirected now.
Update log endpoints calls to accept raw parameter.
Parity with Python implementation feat: Add redirected actor logs apify-client-python#403

Example usage:

Actor.call - default

This will redirect logs by default. Example default redirected line:

2025-10-22T13:06:39.476Z redirect-log-tester runId:SoK1VRJxG61tVrgNz -> 2025-10-22T13:06:06.686Z ACTOR: Pulling container image of build Gh9yAJtjw0rHpc1NU from registry.

...
await client.actor('redirect-actor-id').call();

Actor.call - custom Log

This will redirect logs using custom log and logger. Example default redirected line:

2025-10-22T13:06:39.476Z customPrefix 2025-10-22T13:06:06.686Z ACTOR: Pulling container image of build Gh9yAJtjw0rHpc1NU from registry.

...
await client.actor('redirect-actor-id').call(someInputs, {
    log: new Log({ level: LEVELS.DEBUG, prefix: 'customPrefix', logger: new LoggerActorRedirect()
    }),

Actor.call - no log redirection

This will disable all log redirection (same as current behavior)

...
await client.actor('redirect-actor-id').call(someInputs, {log: null}),

Actor.run - attaching to already running actor and redirecting new logs

A typical use case is redirecting logs from an Actor that runs in standby. We do not want all the logs; we only want the new logs generated from the moment of connection.

...
const streamedLog = await client.run('someActorRunId').getStreamedLog({ fromStart: false });
streamedLog.start();
// Do some stuff while also redirecting logs from another Actor
await streamedLog.stop();

Example actor with recursive redirection:

https://console.apify.com/actors/IcfIKTIvbmujMmovj/source

Issues

Partially implements: .actor().call() method to set the correct timeout, show the progress in status message, and stream logs #632

Properly populate actor id and name

TODO: Try in actor

Pijukatel · 2025-10-23T13:27:00Z

package.json

        "url": "https://github.com/apify/apify-client-js/issues"
    },
    "homepage": "https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/",
-    "files": [


Just temp for testing

Just curious, what are you testing this way?

I have an Actor that just points to this branch and I can test the tip of it on the Apify platform as it compiles on the fly. It takes time, but it does not require me to do any manual actions.

The actor has in pacakge.json

"dependencies": { "apify-client": "github:apify/apify-client-js#log-redirection", ... }, "scripts": { ... "postinstall": "cd node_modules/apify-client && npm install && npm run build:node" }, ... "overrides": { "apify-client": "github:apify/apify-client-js#log-redirection" },

and I removed --omit=dev from npm install in the docker file

If there is a more convenient way for TypeScript-based code, I would be very happy to learn about it.

B4nan · 2025-10-23T14:16:03Z

@barjin @janbuchar can you guys please take a look at this and provide some early feedback? I'll be off tomorrow+monday, so it would have to wait a bit for me.

Pijukatel · 2025-10-23T15:16:44Z

src/resource_clients/actor.ts


 export interface ActorCallOptions extends Omit<ActorStartOptions, 'waitForFinish'> {
    waitSecs?: number;
+    log?: Log | null;


The difference from Python is the name of the argument. While in Python it is called logger and can be of type Logger, here it is log and can be of type Log.

In JS tooling, the Log is a kind of Logger from Python, as it (implicitly) includes level, formatting, and handler.

What is the reason for accepting null here? Wouldn't log?: Log work as well? If there are any semantics that I'm failing to see, please document them.

undefined -> use default
null -> explicitly requesting not to use any redirect logger
Log -> use whatever log is passed

In Python, it is similar, but since there is no undefined, there it is like
"default" -> use default
None -> explicitly requesting not to use any redirect logger
Logger -> use whatever Logger is passed

Added description

Wouldn't using a string literal like in Python work as well? I'd consider that more readable, too.

Isn't that going to cause more confusion? Aren't the default values in JS commonly applied when the key is undefined in options?

Using default would allow to define the default value through both undefined and default literal

I tried in the last commit. It feels very redundant to me, but I can live with it
3e48c60

barjin

I took a brief look, I don't see any obvious JS problems. Good job!

Here are some first ideas I had reading this:

src/resource_clients/actor.ts

test/mock_server/server.js

src/resource_clients/log.ts

src/resource_clients/actor.ts

barjin

Looking good! I have some points to discuss, but most of them are questions rather than apparent problems:

src/resource_clients/log.ts

barjin · 2025-10-31T09:23:37Z

src/resource_clients/log.ts

+        console.log(line); // eslint-disable-line no-console
+    }
+
+    override _log(level: LogLevel, message: string, data?: any, exception?: unknown, opts: Record<string, any> = {}) {


I'm wondering, what's the biggest difference between this implementation and the _log from LoggerText (link)? Could we subclass LoggerText instead of abstract Logger and reduce the amount of code here?

Logger in our codebase is kind of a combination of a formater and a handler in Python terms. While LoggerActorRedirect has the same handler as LoggerText (they are both logging to console), they have completely different formater. So there is no point in inheriting from LoggerText as none of its methods would be reused in LoggerActorRedirect.

Maybe we need to adjust the shared logger to support this use case?

It is not really needed for this change. This change works with the current version of the codebase. Changing Log and Logger from the upstream repo to be more similar to the Python counterpart would be quite a refactoring.

src/resource_clients/log.ts

test/mock_server/server.js

test/runs.test.js

B4nan · 2025-10-23T14:16:43Z

src/resource_clients/log.ts

+
+        let maybeDate = '';
+        if (!this.options.skipTime) {
+            maybeDate = `${new Date().toISOString().replace('Z', '').replace('T', ' ')} `;


do we need to repeat the timestamps?

Those timestamps will not be the same. One is the timestamp of origin, and the other is the timestamp of redirection.

For example>
2025-10-31T09:04:03.380Z redirect-log-tester runId:V4OVPjPbmjflPDeMP -> 2025-10-31T09:03:26.899Z ACTOR: Pulling container image of build KNlNPqgcBBivdtNCr from registry.

It is important to

keep logs formatted in the same way. (Otherwise, redirected logs would be offset by not having the timestamp) - which is used to detect the actual log lines separations.

to keep it clear what the time of log redirection is and what the time of the actual log origin is (for redirected logs from actors that were started before we started redirection and to which we just attached)

B4nan · 2025-10-23T14:18:54Z

src/resource_clients/log.ts

+    raw?: boolean;
+}
+
+// Temp create it here and ask Martin where to put it


this is where the apify logger is defined, so maybe there?

https://github.com/apify/apify-shared-js/tree/master/packages/log

it doesnt feel right to have this in the client

Not sure about that. I can't imagine a scenario where this would be used outside of the client. It is very client-specific code. Maybe I can put it in to separate file? Something like redirection_utils or logging_utils?

src/resource_clients/log.ts

janbuchar · 2025-11-04T08:27:28Z

package.json

        "url": "https://github.com/apify/apify-client-js/issues"
    },
    "homepage": "https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/",
-    "files": [


Just curious, what are you testing this way?

janbuchar · 2025-11-04T08:33:18Z

src/resource_clients/actor.ts


 export interface ActorCallOptions extends Omit<ActorStartOptions, 'waitForFinish'> {
    waitSecs?: number;
+    log?: Log | null;


What is the reason for accepting null here? Wouldn't log?: Log work as well? If there are any semantics that I'm failing to see, please document them.

src/resource_clients/actor.ts

src/resource_clients/run.ts

test/mock_server/test_utils.js

src/resource_clients/log.ts

test/actors.test.js

test/runs.test.js

janbuchar

Only a couple of nits. Also, some of my previous comments remain unanswered, it seems 🙂

I assume you tested this against Apify already?

janbuchar · 2025-11-10T20:22:00Z

src/resource_clients/actor.ts


 export interface ActorCallOptions extends Omit<ActorStartOptions, 'waitForFinish'> {
    waitSecs?: number;
+    log?: Log | null;


Wouldn't using a string literal like in Python work as well? I'd consider that more readable, too.

src/resource_clients/log.ts

Pijukatel · 2025-11-11T10:19:19Z

I assume you tested this against Apify already?

Tested for example, here:
https://console.apify.com/actors/IcfIKTIvbmujMmovj/runs/gqj5UDlFeQ6QvZlxz#log

Pijukatel added 10 commits July 24, 2025 15:19

wip

ab71414

More wip, todo figure out streaming buffer

d328ada

WIP, polish the tests. Add those that exists in Python version.

a8ae55f

Properly populate actor id and name

Do I have to split logger into formater + logger?

4f2146d

Some working draft

cc7aba9

TODO: Try in actor

Try to exclude files, to make it possible to install/build from branch

50b2732

Add log option to ActorClient.call

f25935c

Update type hint

4aa0125

Format and lint and add test

c410190

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/master' into log-redirection

d9a900a

github-actions bot assigned Pijukatel Oct 22, 2025

github-actions bot added this to the 126th sprint - Tooling team milestone Oct 22, 2025

github-actions bot added t-tooling Issues with this label are in the ownership of the tooling team. tested Temporary label used only programatically for some analytics. labels Oct 22, 2025

Pijukatel added 2 commits October 23, 2025 14:28

Add Actor call test, 3 scenarios

1c293da

Add more comments

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Pijukatel requested a review from B4nan October 23, 2025 13:24

Pijukatel commented Oct 23, 2025

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Pijukatel added 2 commits October 23, 2025 15:30

Remove unused import

dc88c2b

Fix failing tests

ec0d60e

barjin self-requested a review October 23, 2025 14:37

Do not run log redirection when in Browser

fc7bb6c

Pijukatel commented Oct 23, 2025

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Review comments

bbeeee4

Pijukatel force-pushed the log-redirection branch from 4a3f418 to bbeeee4 Compare October 27, 2025 08:34

Pijukatel added 3 commits October 27, 2025 10:12

Update tests to pas on Node 16

00bf7ea

Properlyhnadle multibyte characters that are split by chunking

5fd0fc7

Fix awaiting logs without calling run

5d4c1f4

Pijukatel force-pushed the log-redirection branch 3 times, most recently from c1a034a to a54e71f Compare October 29, 2025 14:24

Make it possible to set response sequence per each test if needed

51dd246

Pijukatel force-pushed the log-redirection branch from a54e71f to 51dd246 Compare October 29, 2025 15:18

Pijukatel marked this pull request as ready for review October 29, 2025 15:22

Pijukatel requested a review from barjin October 31, 2025 09:02

barjin reviewed Oct 31, 2025

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Pijukatel requested review from B4nan and barjin November 4, 2025 07:13

janbuchar reviewed Nov 4, 2025

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Pijukatel added 5 commits November 4, 2025 16:19

Simplify handling of multibyte chars

0b2e6e6

Basic review feedback

0440e39

Simplify loging and add more docs

0b84a32

Cleanup using finally chain

bca27b2

Use setTimeout from node

8eb6e71

Pijukatel force-pushed the log-redirection branch from 6504a69 to 8eb6e71 Compare November 6, 2025 08:29

Pijukatel requested a review from janbuchar November 7, 2025 13:41

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Pijukatel added 2 commits November 11, 2025 10:38

Review comments

dfa5dcd

Add default alternative to undefined

3e48c60

Pijukatel requested a review from janbuchar November 11, 2025 10:17

feat: Add redirected actor logs #769

Are you sure you want to change the base?

feat: Add redirected actor logs #769

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Pijukatel commented Oct 22, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Description

Example usage:

Actor.call - default

Actor.call - custom Log

Actor.call - no log redirection

Actor.run - attaching to already running actor and redirecting new logs

Example actor with recursive redirection:

Issues

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Pijukatel Nov 5, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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B4nan commented Oct 23, 2025

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Pijukatel commented Oct 22, 2025 •

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