The <cflog> and <cftrace> tags allow developers to create customized logging. The <cflog> tag can write custom messages to Application.log,Scheduler.log, or a custom log file. The custom log file must be in the default log directory; if it does not exist, ColdFusion will create it.
The <cftrace> tag tracks execution times, logic flow, and variable values at the time the tag executes. It records the data in the cftrace.log (in the default logs directory) and can display this info either inline or in the debugging output of the current page request.
Use <cflog> to write custom error messages, track user logins, and record user activity to a custom log file. Use <cftrace> to track variables and application state within running requests.
Use the logging module from the Python standard library.
In Java, use or wrap existing logging infrastructures such as Log4J, or "java.util.logging.*".
For logging, consider using Log4Natural. If this isn't an option, consider using email.