podverse-logging-log-dir

Standardize LOG_DIR handling by reading the environment variable and avoiding hard-coded paths. Apps use process.env.LOG_DIR ?? '' to ensure logs route to console when unset, or to a mounted volume when configured.

Default file logging occurs when hard-coded paths like ./logs or /app/logs are used. To prevent bulky containers, code must rely on explicit environment configuration and volume mounts rather than default directories.

Adaptive logging switches output based on the LOG_DIR environment variable. When LOG_DIR is empty or unset, logs print to console; when set to a valid external volume path, logs are written to that directory.

Audit all apps and packages to verify they read LOG_DIR from the environment and enable file logging exclusively when a valid external volume is mounted, removing any hard-coded log paths.

Yes, when LOG_DIR is unset or empty, applications fall back to printing logs directly to the console. This approach avoids bulky containers by never defaulting to local file logging without a mounted volume.

Hard-coded log paths should never be used when standardizing monorepo log transport. Relying on process.env.LOG_DIR ensures consistent, environment-driven behavior and prevents unintended file logging across different deployments.