When logging an operation that succeeds but has unexpected outcomes, what is the appropriate logging practice?

When logging an operation that succeeds but produces unexpected outcomes, using a warning log level is appropriate. Logging a warning indicates that while the operation itself did not fail, there is something noteworthy that could potentially lead to issues or that may need attention.

Warnings serve to alert developers or system administrators to situations that are not ideal but do not immediately affect the system's functioning. In this case, an unexpected response from a service could suggest that there are underlying issues that may not be critical at the moment but could warrant further investigation to ensure they do not escalate into larger problems.

While debugging information is often used for detailed troubleshooting and is only relevant during the development phase, the use of informational logs typically highlights standard operational messages that confirm the system is performing as expected. Log entries marked as errors usually signal more serious problems that require immediate attention, such as failures in execution. Therefore, these alternatives are not suitable for situations where the operation was successful but produced unexpected results.

By choosing to log as a warning, developers maintain a balanced approach to monitoring and managing the application's health, ensuring that potential problems are noted without misrepresenting the severity of the situation. This practice promotes proactive maintenance and monitoring of the system’s performance.