/api-observability-setup-axiom-pino-sentry

name: api-observability-setup-axiom-pino-sentry
description: Pino, Axiom, Sentry installation - one-time project setup for logging and error tracking with source maps upload

Observability Setup (Pino + Axiom + Sentry)

> **Quick Guide:** One-time project setup for observability. Install `pino`, `next-axiom`, `@sentry/nextjs`. Configure Axiom dataset + Vercel integration. Set up Sentry DSN and config files. Wrap `next.config.ts` with `withAxiom` then `withSentryConfig`. Add `instrumentation.ts` for runtime-specific Sentry init. Source maps are uploaded automatically when `SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN` is set in CI.

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**Detailed Resources:**

• For code examples, see [examples/](examples/) folder:
• [examples/core.md](examples/core.md) - Dependencies, env vars, next.config.ts, instrumentation
• [examples/sentry-config.md](examples/sentry-config.md) - Sentry configuration files (client, server, edge)
• [examples/pino-logger.md](examples/pino-logger.md) - Pino logger setup with redaction
• [examples/axiom-integration.md](examples/axiom-integration.md) - Web Vitals and dashboard queries
• [examples/ci-cd.md](examples/ci-cd.md) - GitHub Actions source maps upload
• [examples/health-check.md](examples/health-check.md) - Health check endpoints
• For decision frameworks and anti-patterns, see [reference.md](reference.md)

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<critical_requirements>

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

**(You MUST create separate Axiom datasets for each environment - development, staging, production)**

**(You MUST configure all three Sentry config files - `sentry.client.config.ts`, `sentry.server.config.ts`, `sentry.edge.config.ts`)**

**(You MUST add source maps upload to CI/CD - Sentry needs source maps for readable stack traces)**

**(You MUST install `pino-pretty` as a devDependency only - never use in production)**

</critical_requirements>

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**Auto-detection:** pino, next-axiom, @sentry/nextjs, Axiom, Sentry, observability setup, logging setup, error tracking setup, source maps, sentry.client.config, sentry.server.config, sentry.edge.config, withAxiom, withSentryConfig

**When to use:**

• Setting up a new project that needs logging and error tracking
• Adding observability to an existing project without it
• Migrating from another logging/error tracking solution to Axiom + Sentry

**When NOT to use:**

• Adding new log statements to existing code (ongoing usage, not initial setup)
• Configuring alerts, monitors, or dashboards after initial setup
• Debugging production issues with existing observability

**Key patterns covered:**

• Dependency installation (Pino, next-axiom, @sentry/nextjs, pino-pretty)
• Environment variables template (`.env.example`)
• `next.config.ts` with `withAxiom()` and `withSentryConfig()` wrappers
• Sentry configuration files (client, server, edge)
• `instrumentation.ts` for Sentry initialization
• GitHub Actions for source maps upload
• Pino logger with development/production modes
• Health check endpoints
• Initial Axiom dashboard setup

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<philosophy>

Philosophy

**Observability is not optional for production apps.** Without logging and error tracking, debugging production issues becomes guesswork. The Pino + Axiom + Sentry stack provides:

• **Pino**: Fast structured JSON logging (5x faster than Winston)
• **Axiom**: Unified logs, traces, and metrics with Vercel integration
• **Sentry**: Error tracking with source maps and release tracking

**This skill covers one-time setup only.** For ongoing usage patterns (log levels, structured fields, correlation IDs, alert configuration), use your observability usage skill.

</philosophy>

---

<patterns>

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Dependency Installation

Install all observability packages with correct dependency types.

# Production dependencies
npm install pino next-axiom @sentry/nextjs

# Development dependencies (pretty printing for local dev)
npm install -D pino-pretty

**Why:** `pino-pretty` as devDependency prevents production bundle bloat (~500KB), all core packages are production dependencies for runtime use.

For detailed code examples with good/bad comparisons, see [examples/core.md](examples/core.md#pattern-1-dependency-installation).

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Pattern 2: Environment Variables Template

Create `.env.example` with all required observability variables documented. Group by service, use comments to explain where to get each value, and maintain separate datasets per environment.

Key variables needed:

• `NEXT_PUBLIC_AXIOM_DATASET` - Dataset name (e.g., `myapp-dev`, `myapp-prod`)
• `NEXT_PUBLIC_AXIOM_TOKEN` - API token with ingest permission
• `NEXT_PUBLIC_SENTRY_DSN` - Sentry DSN from project settings
• `SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN` - For source maps upload in CI
• `SENTRY_ORG` / `SENTRY_PROJECT` - Organization and project slugs

For complete template with all variables, see [examples/core.md](examples/core.md#pattern-2-environment-variables-template).

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Pattern 3: next.config.ts with withAxiom and withSentryConfig

Wrap Next.js config with `withAxiom` for logging integration, then `withSentryConfig` for source map handling.

Key configuration points:

• `withAxiom` wraps first (inner), Sentry wraps outer
• `silent: !process.env.CI` suppresses source map upload logs locally
• Source maps are hidden by default in v9+ (no `hideSourceMaps` needed)
• Use `sourcemaps.deleteSourcemapsAfterUpload` to clean up after upload

import { withSentryConfig } from "@sentry/nextjs";
import { withAxiom } from "next-axiom";

const nextConfig = {
  /* your config */
};

export default withSentryConfig(withAxiom(nextConfig), {
  org: process.env.SENTRY_ORG,
  project: process.env.SENTRY_PROJECT,
  authToken: process.env.SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN,
  silent: !process.env.CI,
});

For complete configuration example, see [examples/core.md](examples/core.md#pattern-3-nextconfigts-with-withaxiom).

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Pattern 4: Sentry Configuration Files

Create all three Sentry config files for client, serv