OpenMod Logging & Troubleshooting

[- Alex - 36]

OpenMod Logging & Troubleshooting
Finding the Real Error Behind Plugin Failures
GGU Public Technical Knowledge Base

Public Knowledge Base:
This article is written for both GGU administrators and the wider server-hosting community. General instructions are platform-neutral where possible; GGU-specific practices are identified separately.

 

Applies To

• OpenMod administrators
• Plugin developers

 

Prerequisites

• Console/log access

 

What You’ll Accomplish

Use OpenMod logs systematically to isolate plugin, configuration, dependency, and runtime failures.

 

Logging Architecture

OpenMod uses Serilog as its default logging implementation. Administrator-level logging is configured through `logging.yaml` in the OpenMod folder.

 

What to Capture When Troubleshooting

• The first error, not only the last cascading error.
• Plugin ID/name and version.
• OpenMod/game-server version information.
• Stack trace when available.
• Configuration parsing errors.
• Dependency/package errors.
• The exact action that triggered the problem.

 

Increasing Logging Usefully

More logging is useful only when it helps isolate the failure. Avoid flooding production logs indefinitely. Reproduce the issue, capture the relevant window, then return logging to the normal level if you temporarily increased verbosity.

 

Additional Log Sinks

OpenMod's documentation notes that Serilog sinks can be installed as packages and configured in `logging.yaml`. This makes it possible to send logs to additional destinations, but credentials and connection strings must be protected.

 

Reading a Plugin Failure

1. Locate the plugin load/start event.
2. Find the first exception/error associated with that plugin.
3. Check for missing dependencies.
4. Check YAML/config parsing.
5. Check permission/service registration errors.
6. Confirm the plugin targets the correct runtime/game.
7. Reproduce after making one corrective change.

 

GGU Implementation Notes

GGU production troubleshooting should preserve the relevant console/log excerpt in the incident or deployment record. Do not publish database strings, tokens, private IP details that are intentionally restricted, or member data in public KB examples.

 

Upstream References

• OpenMod Logging
• OpenMod Developer Configuration

 

Golden Gamers United — Public Technical Knowledge Base
General guidance first. GGU implementation details second.