I’m troubleshooting a problem on the live version of my site. The problem doesn’t present in dev. For some reason, nothing is showing in the Server Logs on the Live branch. I tried added &debug_mode=true to the URL in production, but it just redirects to remove that bit.
Why aren’t server logs being recorded in live?
How can I turn on debug_mode to track down what’s going on?
With respect to debug_mode in prod, I would be surprised that is an option since I could see how that could be used maliciously, but I figured I’d ask anyway.
Ensure that the app is being tested in live mode. If your app is yourapp.bubble…/version-test, ensure this is yourapp.bubble…/version-live (or no version-test). If adding ?debug_mode=true is redirecting and being removed, there may be a redirection moving you back to your test app (which could explain why nothing is appearing in your live server logs). Check if “version-live” is still in the URL rather than “version-test” before you run your tests.
Have you deployed your app to Live? And, if so, have you transferred any database records required for your app to the live database?
In your Logs, have you checked that you are viewing the “Server Logs” and seeing “Live branch” to indicate you are checking the logs for the Live branch? If so, are there any filters which may be preventing your logs from showing (like the start, end, User email, Contains…? Have you clicked the “Search” Button after checking your filters? The logs do not load immediately.
Finally, the logs will not show every page interaction. They are not the same as Debug Mode. The interaction must impact the server somehow (showing popups, searches on the page, etc. will not show up in the logs). If you edit a database record, run a backend workflow, etc. this would show up.
P.s. I believe debug_mode requires that you are logged into your Bubble Account to work.
Let me know if you are still having issues accessing your logs.
If the url doesn’t have parameters, you need to use ? and not & … debug_mode is available in all versions including live. However, if you are on mobile or with a small viewport, the debug_mode will be removed from url.
Pick the user that’s having issues and click “Run as”.
This lets you simulate the live environment inside the dev branch, with full debug_mode available.
Check Privacy Rules
Many “works in dev but not live” issues come from stricter Privacy rules in live. Confirm the user you’re testing with has permission to view/update the data.
Check conditionals / “Only when” logic
Sometimes the workflow isn’t firing in live because the condition evaluates differently (empty fields, mismatched data types).
Look at the Error Logs
Bubble does maintain a separate Error Logs tab (under Logs). That’s where API errors, failed actions, and capacity-related issues show up in live.
Add your own logging
Insert temporary “Log to console” or “Make changes to thing (Log)” steps in your workflow.
For example, create a DebugLog data type and write entries like step X reached. That way you get a trace even in production.
