gitwtfhub

wtf is nslogger?

krausefx/nslogger — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-05 · repo last pushed 2023-08-18

10Objective-CAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5DormantSetup · moderate

TL;DR

NSLogger is a desktop debugging tool for iOS and Android developers that shows rich, real-time logs from your app on your Mac, with filtering, color-coding, and image logging.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Rich real-time logging
      Desktop viewer app
      Filters and color coding
    How it works
      Add code to your app
      Auto-finds viewer on network
      Separate thread
    Use cases
      Debug network failures
      Log images and raw data
      Save sessions to share
    Audience
      iOS developers
      Android developers
    Tech stack
      Objective-C
      macOS desktop app

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Debug a failing network request on a real iPhone by tagging it as a network error and finding it highlighted in the viewer.

REASON 2

Log images or raw data from your app directly in the desktop log window for visual inspection.

REASON 3

Save a log session to a file so you can review it later or share it with teammates.

REASON 4

Catch issues that happen right when a device wakes up before the network is ready using in-memory log buffering.

What's in the stack?

Objective-CmacOSiOSAndroid

How it stacks up

krausefx/nsloggeralexzielenski/icofamilyezzuldinst/lspoof
Stars101114
LanguageObjective-CObjective-CObjective-C
Last pushed2023-08-182013-12-24
MaintenanceDormantDormant
Setup difficultymoderateeasyhard
Complexity3/52/54/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

You need to add the NSLogger client code to your app and run the separate desktop viewer application on a Mac on the same network.

No license information is provided in the explanation, so usage rights are unknown.

Wtf does this do

NSLogger is a tool that helps app developers see what their application is doing behind the scenes. When you build an app for iOS or Android, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out why something went wrong. NSLogger replaces the basic text output you normally get from your development tools with a dedicated desktop app that gives you a much richer, more organized view of your app's activity in real time. To use it, you add a small piece of code to your app and run a separate viewer application on your Mac. When your app runs, it automatically searches your local network for the viewer app and starts sending it logs. The viewer lets you do things the standard console cannot, like filtering messages with complex rules, color-coding specific text, and even logging images or raw data directly in the log window. You can also save these log sessions to a file to review later or share with teammates. This is aimed at mobile app developers who need better debugging tools than what comes built into Xcode or Android Studio. For example, if you are testing an app on a real iPhone and a network request fails, you can tag that specific event with a "network" domain and an "error" importance level. When you look at your Mac, that specific log will be highlighted and easy to find among all the other background activity. A notable aspect of how this works is that it runs on its own separate thread within your app, meaning it tries not to slow your app down while it collects data. If your device is not connected to a network, it can temporarily store the logs in memory and send them to your Mac once a connection is found. This is particularly useful for catching issues that happen right when a device wakes up, before the network is fully ready.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me add NSLogger to my iOS app so it sends logs to the Mac viewer over the local network. Where do I start?
Prompt 2
Write the NSLogger logging calls to tag a network request failure with the domain 'network' and an error severity level so it stands out in the viewer.
Prompt 3
Show me how to log an image and raw binary data using NSLogger so they appear in the desktop log window.
Prompt 4
Explain how NSLogger stores logs in memory when the device has no network and sends them once a connection is found, and how to enable that behavior.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is nslogger?

NSLogger is a desktop debugging tool for iOS and Android developers that shows rich, real-time logs from your app on your Mac, with filtering, color-coding, and image logging.

What language is nslogger written in?

Mainly Objective-C. The stack also includes Objective-C, macOS, iOS.

Is nslogger actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2023-08-18).

What license does nslogger use?

No license information is provided in the explanation, so usage rights are unknown.

How hard is nslogger to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is nslogger for?

Mainly developer.

View the repo → Decode another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Don't trust strangers blindly. Verify against the repo.