After taking a web application online, you need to track exceptions and errors effectively in order to debug problems. ELMAH (Error Logging Modules and Handlers) is an application wide error logging facility which is completely pluggable therefore it can be added to a running ASP.NET web application without any need for compilation or deployment.

HTTP modules and handlers can be used in ASP.NET to provide a high degree of componentization for code that is orthogonal to a web application, enabling entire sets of functionalities to be developed, packaged and deployed as a single unit and independent of an application. ELMAH (Error Logging Modules and Handlers) illustrates this approach by demonstration of an application-wide error logging that is completely pluggable. It can be dynamically added to a running ASP.NET web application, or even all ASP.NET web applications on a machine, without any need for re-compilation or re-deployment.

Elmah Project Site

Elmah logs nearly all unhandled exceptions. It offers web pages to remotely view the exception log and its details. Even if customErrors mode in web.config file is turned off, you can view the yellow error screen. It offers notifications via e-mail and an RSS feed of the error log. 

Elmah offers a web page to remotely view the exception log.

Elmah offers a web page to remotely view the exception log detail.

To learn more about ELMAH, see the MSDN article Using HTTP Modules and Handlers to Create Pluggable ASP.NET Components by Scott Mitchell and Atif Aziz.

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