Structured Logging in Java Microservices: SLF4J, MDC, and Distributed Tracing in Practice

I have spent more hours than I care to admit staring at logs that said "Process started" followed immediately by "Error: null." A logging strategy is not about making your console look active — it is a forensic requirement for production survival. If your logs don't provide a clear path to the root cause of a failure, they are just expensive noise.