Stop Using console.log() in 2025 – Do This Instead

## Stop Using console.log() in 2025 – Do This Instead

In 2025, sprinkling console.log() everywhere is like debugging with a rock.

There are dramatically better tools built right into modern browsers and editors. Here’s what top devs actually use instead.

1. Use console.table() for arrays/objects

const users = [
{ id: 1, name: "Sarah", role: "admin", active: true },
{ id: 2, name: "Miguel", role: "editor", active: false },
{ id: 3, name: "Yuki", role: "viewer", active: true },
];

console.table(users);
// → instantly sortable, beautiful table in DevTools

⭐️ Pro tip: filter columns by typing in the table header.

2. Structured logging with objects (collapsible & searchable)

console.log("User login attempt", {
userId,
ip,
userAgent,
timestamp: new Date().toISOString()
});

⭐️ Groups automatically in Chrome/Edge, and you can search across all logs.

**

3. Debugger statements + breakpoints (the real game-changer)

**

Just drop a debugger; line. When DevTools is open, execution pauses exactly there — with full scope, call stack, and watch expressions.

function calculateTotal(items) {
debugger; // ← pauses here when DevTools open
return items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.price * item.qty, 0);
}

⭐️ Even better: conditional breakpoints and logpoints (Chrome/Edge):

• Right-click a line → “Logpoint” → type User ${user.name} clicked button
• It logs without pausing execution!

4. Use your editor’s built-in debugger (VS Code example)

1. Install the official JS Debugger extension
2. Create a .vscode/launch.json
3. Hit F5 and debug client or server code like a pro

Example launch.json for a Next.js app:

{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Debug Next.js",
"type": "chrome",
"request": "launch",
"url": "http://localhost:3000",
"webRoot": "${workspaceFolder}"
}
]
}

**

5. Bonus: Third-party tools the pros swear by (2025 edition)

**

• Errovr – beautiful error tracking with session replay (free tier is generous)
• LogRocket – still king for Redux/React debugging
• Sentry Browser Tracing – performance + error in one dashboard
• debug npm package – persistent, namespaced logs you can toggle at runtime

import debug from 'debug';
const log = debug('myapp:payment');

log('Processing payment %o', paymentData);
// Enable only in dev: localStorage.debug = 'myapp:*'

Quick checklist – stop doing this in 2025 ❌

• Leaving 50+ console.log statements in production
• Using JSON.stringify(obj, null, 2) just to read it
• Commenting out logs instead of removing them
• Never using the “Sources” or “Performance” tab

Start doing this instead ✅

• console.table, logpoints, and structured objects
• Real debugger with watch expressions
• Proper logging library in production

Your future self (and your teammates) will thank you.
What’s your current debugging workflow in 2025? Drop it in the comments — I read every single one! 🚀