Where should a gem store log files?

Question

I am building a ruby gem that should output a logfile. Where is it a good practice to store log files?

I am extracting this functionality from a Rails website I am building, and there I could simply log in the log/ directory.

Answer 1

Ideally, make the path configurable (.rc file, switch, rails/rack config, whatever).

If it's a Rack middleware, add the possibility to specify it in the constructor's arguments.

If no log path is provided, fallback to detecting a log directory. (I vaguely remember it being config.paths['log'] in Rails, but be sure that config actually points to something before using that in your gem if it can be used outside of Rails.)

And if all else fails, log to nowhere...

Also, allow to disable logging if you enable it by default. Not everyone wants logs.