Logging timestamps should be optional

[erikarvstedt]

lnd always prints timestamps in log messages.
This is redundant in systemd services (where log messages are automatically timestamped) and should be made optional.
This SO post shows how this can be achieved

[redek-zelton]

Check this: https://newreleases.io/project/github/lightningnetwork/lnd/release/v0.13.0-beta.rc3.

Your Logging timestamps is useful for your peer. He should know when was your last log.

[erikarvstedt]

@redek-zelton, how is the link relevant to this issue?

[redek-zelton]

ah sorry my bad, it's a suggestion.

[imskr]

Can I work on this? @Roasbeef

[erikarvstedt]

Note to implementers:

• bitcoind has option logtimestamps (default: true)
• clightning has option log-timestamps(default: true)

lnd should use one of these names.

[guggero]

Unfortunately the command line flag parsing library we use cannot have boolean values with default value true (because you cannot specify --myflag=false). So it would need to be inverted. I'm voting for disable-log-timestamps.

[qustavo]

@guggero looks like the convention is to use the --no prefix flag (i.e --no-macaroons or --no-listen')

[ellemouton]

Note that when #9083 is in, then this should be quite easy to do by passing options to the Handlers we define there :) (ie, no need to pass options to the btclog package anymore)

[ellemouton]

Ok, #9083 has now been updated to address this issue.

With that PR, you will now be able to do: --logging.console.no-timestamps and or --logging.file.no-timestamps to omit timestamps for the stdout logger or log file logger