Web/API/Console API

The Console API provides functionality to allow developers to perform debugging tasks, such as logging messages or the values of variables at set points in your code, or timing how long an operation takes to complete.

Concepts and usage

The Console API started as a largely proprietary API, with different browsers implementing it, albeit it in inconsistent ways. The Console API spec was created to define consistent behavior, and all modern browsers eventually settled on implementing this behavior — although some implementations still have their own additional proprietary functions. Find out about these at:

Usage is very simple — the console object — available via window.console, or WorkerGlobalScope.console in workers; accessible using just console — contains many methods that you can call to perform rudimentary debugging tasks, generally focused around logging various values to the browser's Web Console.

By far the most commonly-used method is console.log, which is used to log the current value contained inside a specific variable.

Interfaces

console: Provides rudimentary debugging functionality, including logging, stack traces, timers, and counters.

Examples

let myString = 'Hello world';

// Output "Hello world" to the console
console.log(myString)

See the Console reference page for more examples.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
Console API	Living Standard	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`Console`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 8 Notes' Full support 8 Notes' Notes' In Internet Explorer 8 and 9, the `console` object is `undefined` when the developer tools are not open. This behavior was fixed in Internet Explorer 10.	Opera Full support 10.5	Safari Full support 3	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`assert`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 28	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 28	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`clear`	Chrome Full support 25	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 39	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 12	Safari Full support 6.1	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 25	Firefox Android Full support 39	Opera Android Full support 12	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.5
`count`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 30	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 30	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`countReset`	Chrome Full support 68	Edge Full support 79	Firefox Full support 62	IE No support No	Opera Full support 55	Safari Full support 13	WebView Android Full support 68	Chrome Android Full support 68	Firefox Android Full support 62	Opera Android Full support 48	Safari iOS Full support 13	Samsung Internet Android Full support 10.0
`debug`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 10	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`dir` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 8	IE Full support 9	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 8	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`dirxml` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 39	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 39	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`error`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 10.5	Safari Full support 3	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`exception` (an alias for `error`) Deprecated'Non-standard'	Chrome No support No	Edge No support 13 — 79	Firefox Full support 28	IE No support No	Opera No support No	Safari No support No	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android No support No	Firefox Android Full support 28	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS No support No	Samsung Internet Android No support No
`group`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`groupCollapsed`	Chrome Full support 6	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 9	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 5.1	WebView Android Full support 37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 9	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 5.1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`groupEnd`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 9	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 9	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`info`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 10.5	Safari Full support 3	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`log`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 10.5	Safari Full support 3	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`profile` Experimental'Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 4	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 16	IE Full support 9	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 16	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`profileEnd` Experimental'Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 4	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 16	IE Full support 9	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 16	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`table`	Chrome Full support 27	Edge Full support 13	Firefox Full support 34	IE No support No	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 6.1	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 27	Firefox Android Full support 34	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.5
`time`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 10	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 10	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`timeEnd`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 10	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 10	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`timeLog`	Chrome Full support 71	Edge Full support 79	Firefox Full support 62	IE No support No	Opera Full support 60	Safari Full support 13	WebView Android Full support 71	Chrome Android Full support 71	Firefox Android Full support 62	Opera Android Full support 50	Safari iOS Full support 13	Samsung Internet Android Full support 10.0
`timeStamp` Experimental'Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 14	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 39	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 15	Safari Full support 6	WebView Android Full support ≤37	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 39	Opera Android Full support 14	Safari iOS Full support 6	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`trace`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 10	IE Full support 11	Opera Full support 11	Safari Full support 4	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 10	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 3.2	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
`warn`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 4	IE Full support 8	Opera Full support 10.5	Safari Full support 3	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 11	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0
Available in workers	Chrome Full support Yes	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 38	IE Full support Yes	Opera Full support Yes	Safari Full support Yes	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 38	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Compatibility unknown: Compatibility unknown
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.': Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.': Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.': Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.
See implementation notes.': See implementation notes.