logger.xml

<configuration>
    <!-- this is plain logback config.
         documentation: http://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html


set -Dlogger.level like this:

/usr/java/latest/bin/java -Dconfig.file=/apps/YOURAPP/conf/application.conf -cp /apps/YOURAPP/staged/* -Dlogger.level=WARN play.core.server.NettyServer /apps/YOURAPP

     -->

    <conversionRule conversionWord="coloredLevel" converterClass="play.api.Logger$ColoredLevel" />

    <appender name="FILE" class="ch.qos.logback.core.rolling.RollingFileAppender">
        <file>${application.home}/logs/YOURAPP.log</file> <!-- can't be application.log because play deletes it -->
        <encoder>
            <pattern>%date %level %message%n%throwable{full}</pattern>
        </encoder>
        <triggeringPolicy class="ch.qos.logback.core.rolling.TimeBasedRollingPolicy">
            <fileNamePattern>${application.home}/logs/YOURAPP.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.log</fileNamePattern>
            <maxHistory>31</maxHistory>
        </triggeringPolicy>
    </appender>

    <appender name="STDOUT" class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <encoder>
            <pattern>%date %coloredLevel %message%n%throwable{full}</pattern>
        </encoder>
    </appender>

    <!-- not using logger.root, logger.application.. etc intentionally because application.conf isn't read here. 
         you must pass -Dlogger.level=WARN to jvm.
    -->
    <logger name="play" level="${logger.level}" />
    <logger name="application" level="${logger.level}" />

    <root level="${logger.level}">
        <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
        <appender-ref ref="FILE" />
    </root>
</configuration>