diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index f8196368..dfafe403 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "40723b8fb387abc38f4f4a37c09073622e41dd12327033091ef8950659e6dc0c"
 dependencies = [
  "memchr",
- "regex-automata",
+ "regex-automata 0.4.7",
  "serde",
 ]
 
@@ -438,6 +438,15 @@ version = "0.4.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6184e33543162437515c2e2b48714794e37845ec9851711914eec9d308f6ebe8"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "directories"
+version = "5.0.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9a49173b84e034382284f27f1af4dcbbd231ffa358c0fe316541a7337f376a35"
+dependencies = [
+ "dirs-sys",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dirs"
 version = "5.0.1"
@@ -681,8 +690,8 @@ dependencies = [
  "aho-corasick",
  "bstr",
  "log",
- "regex-automata",
- "regex-syntax",
+ "regex-automata 0.4.7",
+ "regex-syntax 0.8.4",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -904,7 +913,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "globset",
  "log",
  "memchr",
- "regex-automata",
+ "regex-automata 0.4.7",
  "same-file",
  "walkdir",
  "winapi-util",
@@ -1012,6 +1021,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "console",
  "ctrlc",
  "dialoguer",
+ "directories",
  "dirs",
  "dunce",
  "env_logger",
@@ -1038,6 +1048,9 @@ dependencies = [
  "tar",
  "tempfile",
  "thiserror",
+ "tracing",
+ "tracing-error",
+ "tracing-subscriber",
  "url",
  "windows",
  "winres",
@@ -1078,6 +1091,15 @@ version = "0.4.22"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "a7a70ba024b9dc04c27ea2f0c0548feb474ec5c54bba33a7f72f873a39d07b24"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "matchers"
+version = "0.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8263075bb86c5a1b1427b5ae862e8889656f126e9f77c484496e8b47cf5c5558"
+dependencies = [
+ "regex-automata 0.1.10",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "memchr"
 version = "2.7.4"
@@ -1164,6 +1186,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.59.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "nu-ansi-term"
+version = "0.46.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "77a8165726e8236064dbb45459242600304b42a5ea24ee2948e18e023bf7ba84"
+dependencies = [
+ "overload",
+ "winapi",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "num-traits"
 version = "0.2.19"
@@ -1255,6 +1287,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "overload"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b15813163c1d831bf4a13c3610c05c0d03b39feb07f7e09fa234dac9b15aaf39"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "path-absolutize"
 version = "3.1.1"
@@ -1486,8 +1524,17 @@ checksum = "4219d74c6b67a3654a9fbebc4b419e22126d13d2f3c4a07ee0cb61ff79a79619"
 dependencies = [
  "aho-corasick",
  "memchr",
- "regex-automata",
- "regex-syntax",
+ "regex-automata 0.4.7",
+ "regex-syntax 0.8.4",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "regex-automata"
+version = "0.1.10"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6c230d73fb8d8c1b9c0b3135c5142a8acee3a0558fb8db5cf1cb65f8d7862132"
+dependencies = [
+ "regex-syntax 0.6.29",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1498,9 +1545,15 @@ checksum = "38caf58cc5ef2fed281f89292ef23f6365465ed9a41b7a7754eb4e26496c92df"
 dependencies = [
  "aho-corasick",
  "memchr",
- "regex-syntax",
+ "regex-syntax 0.8.4",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "regex-syntax"
+version = "0.6.29"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f162c6dd7b008981e4d40210aca20b4bd0f9b60ca9271061b07f78537722f2e1"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "regex-syntax"
 version = "0.8.4"
@@ -1754,6 +1807,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "sharded-slab"
+version = "0.1.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f40ca3c46823713e0d4209592e8d6e826aa57e928f09752619fc696c499637f6"
+dependencies = [
+ "lazy_static",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "shell-words"
 version = "1.1.0"
@@ -1908,6 +1970,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn 2.0.77",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "thread_local"
+version = "1.1.8"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8b9ef9bad013ada3808854ceac7b46812a6465ba368859a37e2100283d2d719c"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "once_cell",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tinyvec"
 version = "1.8.0"
@@ -2047,9 +2119,21 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "c3523ab5a71916ccf420eebdf5521fcef02141234bbc0b8a49f2fdc4544364ef"
 dependencies = [
  "pin-project-lite",
+ "tracing-attributes",
  "tracing-core",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-attributes"
+version = "0.1.27"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "34704c8d6ebcbc939824180af020566b01a7c01f80641264eba0999f6c2b6be7"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 2.0.77",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tracing-core"
 version = "0.1.32"
@@ -2057,6 +2141,48 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "c06d3da6113f116aaee68e4d601191614c9053067f9ab7f6edbcb161237daa54"
 dependencies = [
  "once_cell",
+ "valuable",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-error"
+version = "0.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d686ec1c0f384b1277f097b2f279a2ecc11afe8c133c1aabf036a27cb4cd206e"
+dependencies = [
+ "tracing",
+ "tracing-subscriber",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-log"
+version = "0.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ee855f1f400bd0e5c02d150ae5de3840039a3f54b025156404e34c23c03f47c3"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "once_cell",
+ "tracing-core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-subscriber"
+version = "0.3.18"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ad0f048c97dbd9faa9b7df56362b8ebcaa52adb06b498c050d2f4e32f90a7a8b"
+dependencies = [
+ "matchers",
+ "nu-ansi-term",
+ "once_cell",
+ "regex",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+ "sharded-slab",
+ "smallvec",
+ "thread_local",
+ "tracing",
+ "tracing-core",
+ "tracing-log",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2124,6 +2250,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "getrandom",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "valuable"
+version = "0.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "830b7e5d4d90034032940e4ace0d9a9a057e7a45cd94e6c007832e39edb82f6d"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "vcpkg"
 version = "0.2.15"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index f6ce7650..c2d8fca8 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ is-terminal = "0.4"
 path-absolutize = "3.1.0"
 human-sort = "0.2.2"
 regex = "1.10"
+tracing = "0.1.40"
+tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3.18", features = ["env-filter", "serde", "serde_json"] }
+tracing-error = "0.2.0"
+directories = "5.0.1"
 
 [target.'cfg(windows)'.dependencies]
 windows = { version = "0.58.0", features = ["Win32_Foundation", "Win32_UI_Shell", "Win32_Security", "Win32_System_JobObjects", "Win32_System_Console", "Win32_System_Threading", "Services_Store", "Foundation", "Foundation_Collections", "Web_Http", "Web_Http_Headers", "Storage_Streams", "Management_Deployment"] }
diff --git a/src/utils.rs b/src/utils.rs
index b5b8fad1..3fed30f8 100644
--- a/src/utils.rs
+++ b/src/utils.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,77 @@
 use anyhow::{anyhow, bail, Context, Result};
 use semver::{BuildMetadata, Version};
 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use tracing_error::ErrorLayer;
+use tracing_subscriber::{
+    self, prelude::__tracing_subscriber_SubscriberExt, util::SubscriberInitExt,
+};
 use url::Url;
 
+/// Returns the project directories.
+/// Uses the `ProjectDirs` struct from the `directories` crate to define a directory
+/// structure for the project with "org" as the organization, "julialang" as the application,
+/// and "install" as the qualifier. This is a standard approach for determining data storage paths.
+fn project_dirs() -> Option<directories::ProjectDirs> {
+    directories::ProjectDirs::from("org", "julialang", "install")
+}
+
+/// Returns the default data directory for the application.
+/// First, it checks the environment variable `JULIAUP_DATA_HOME`.
+/// If the environment variable is not set, it falls back to the data directory
+/// provided by `project_dirs`, which is typically platform-specific.
+/// If both fail, it defaults to a `.data` directory in the current working directory.
+pub fn default_data_dir() -> PathBuf {
+    std::env::var("JULIAUP_DATA_HOME")
+        .map(PathBuf::from)
+        .or_else(|_| {
+            project_dirs()
+                .map(|dirs| dirs.data_local_dir().to_path_buf())
+                .ok_or(())
+        })
+        .unwrap_or(PathBuf::from(".").join(".data"))
+}
+
+/// Initializes logging for the application.
+/// Creates the default data directory if it doesn't already exist.
+/// A log file named after the package is created in this directory.
+/// The `tracing_subscriber` library is then used to configure logging to the file,
+/// including file and line numbers in log entries, while disabling ANSI coloring.
+/// The log level for specific libraries (`tokio_util`, `hyper`, `reqwest`) is turned off.
+pub fn init_logging() -> Result<()> {
+    // Get the default data directory
+    let directory = default_data_dir();
+
+    // Create the directory (and any missing parent directories) if it doesn't exist
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(directory.clone())?;
+
+    // Create a log file named after the package
+    let log_file = format!("{}.log", env!("CARGO_PKG_NAME"));
+    let log_path = directory.join(log_file);
+    let log_file = std::fs::File::create(log_path)?;
+
+    // Set up a logging subscriber that writes to the log file, with specific configurations
+    let file_subscriber = tracing_subscriber::fmt::layer()
+        .with_file(true) // Include source file name in logs
+        .with_line_number(true) // Include line number in logs
+        .with_writer(log_file) // Log to the created file
+        .with_target(false) // Disable logging target (e.g., module paths)
+        .with_ansi(false); // Disable ANSI color codes
+
+    // Initialize the tracing subscriber with filters for specific libraries
+    tracing_subscriber::registry()
+        .with(file_subscriber)
+        .with(ErrorLayer::default()) // Add error handling layer
+        .with(
+            tracing_subscriber::filter::EnvFilter::from_default_env()
+                .add_directive("tokio_util=off".parse().unwrap()) // Disable logging for `tokio_util`
+                .add_directive("hyper=off".parse().unwrap()) // Disable logging for `hyper`
+                .add_directive("reqwest=off".parse().unwrap()), // Disable logging for `reqwest`
+        )
+        .init();
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 pub fn get_juliaserver_base_url() -> Result<Url> {
     let base_url = if let Ok(val) = std::env::var("JULIAUP_SERVER") {
         if val.ends_with('/') {