# Audit Logging

> A mechanism that appends an immutable record of each sensitive operation, naming the actor, the action, the target and the time.

Record: `architecture:audit-logging`
Kind: mechanism
Layer: [Observability](https://banes-lab.com/records/layer/observability.md)
Severity: contextual
Scope: security, compliance, data mutation
Canonical: https://banes-lab.com/ontology#architecture-audit-logging

Listed in [Architecture principles](https://banes-lab.com/api/records/architecture.md), after [Auditability](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/auditability.md) and before [Traceability](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/traceability.md).

## Repair

- Refactored by: Add Audit Event, Protect Audit Store
- Detected by: missing audit instrumentation
- Violated by: sensitive operation without immutable record
- Measured by: audit coverage
- Enforced by: [policy-as-code](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/policy-as-code.md), [tests](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/tests.md)

## Requires

- [Actor](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/actor.md)
- [Action](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/action.md)
- [Timestamp](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/timestamp.md)
- [Target](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/target.md)

## Reinforces

- [Auditability](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/auditability.md)
- [Traceability](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/traceability.md)

## Enables

- [Forensics](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/forensics.md)

## Conflicts with

- [Untracked Mutation](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/untracked-mutation.md)

## In tension with

- [Privacy](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/privacy.md)

## Tensions

- [Audit Logging / Privacy](https://banes-lab.com/records/tension/audit-logging-privacy.md)

## Severity

- [contextual](https://banes-lab.com/records/vocabulary/severity-contextual.md)

## Category

- [Observability / Auditability / Traceability](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture-category/observability-auditability-traceability.md)

## Linked from

- [Detect, log, fix](https://banes-lab.com/disciplined-methodology/build/detect-log-fix.md)
- [Observability / Auditability / Traceability](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-observability-auditability-traceability.md)
- [Observability / Auditability / Traceability](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-observability-auditability-traceability.md)
- [Severity levels](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-vocabulary-severity.md)
- [The resolutions](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-resolutions.md)