Error logging method does not logs Error instance correctly

Please tell us about your environment:

• winston version? 3.1.0

  • winston@2
  • winston@3

• node -v outputs: v8.11.3

• Operating System? Linux

• Language? all

What is the problem?

logger.error called with Error instance doesn’t use message and stack fields, instead logs test error.

Code example:

const winston = require('winston');

const alignedWithColorsAndTime = winston.format.combine(
  // winston.format.colorize({ all: true }),
  // winston.format.timestamp(),
  // winston.format.align(),
  winston.format.printf((info) => {
    const { level, message, ...args } = info;

    if (level.indexOf('error') !== -1) {
      console.log(typeof message, JSON.stringify(message));
    }

    return `[${level}]: ${message} ${Object.keys(args).length ? JSON.stringify(args, null, 2) : ''}`;
  })
);

const transports = [new winston.transports.Console({
  level: 'debug',
  format: alignedWithColorsAndTime
})];

const logger = winston.createLogger({
  level: 'debug',
  transports
});

try {
  logger.info('aaaaa');
  logger.debug('bbbb');
  logger.error('eeee');

  throw new Error('Scary error');
} catch (error) {
  logger.error(error);
}

What do you expect to happen instead?

At least actual error message logged. Ideally - with stack.

[gtsec]

Had same issue, I had to implement logger.error myself:

  logger.error = err => {
      if (err instanceof Error) {
        logger.log({ level: 'error', message: `${err.stack || err}` });
      } else {
        logger.log({ level: 'error', message: err });
      }
    };

[jeremy-j-ackso]

Suggesting this be closed due to #1576.

Can use the formatters.

const winston = require('winston');
const { format } = winston;

const logger = winston.createLogger({
  format: format.combine(
    format.errors({ stack: true }),
    format.metadata(),
    format.json(),
  ),
  transports: [ new winston.transports.Console() ],
});

logger.error(new Error('FakeError'));