Fixing Newtonsoft JsonReader MaxDepth Error in Umbraco

Published on: 11/24/2024, by:

Piotr Bach

Wojciech Tengler

Umbraco

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What Causes the Error?#

The root of the problem lies in a breaking change introduced in Newtonsoft.Json v13.0.1, which sets a default maximum depth for JSON deserialization:

https://github.com/JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json/blob/release/13.0.3/Src/Newtonsoft.Json/JsonSerializerSettings.cs#L70

internal const int DefaultMaxDepth = 64;

JsonSerializerSettings internal const int DefaultMaxDepth = 64;

This limitation impacts Umbraco’s LogViewer when processing deeply nested JSON, triggering the following exception:

Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException: The reader's MaxDepth of 64 has been exceeded. Path '@x.@x...', line 1, position 7441.

You can compare all Newtonsoft.Json releases here:

https://github.com/JamesNK/Newtonsoft.Json/releases

Newtonsoft.Json JsonSerializerSettings DefaultMaxDepth = 64 — Newtonsoft.Json JsonSerializerSettings DefaultMaxDepth is 64

As you can see, version Newtonsoft.Json 13.0.1 introduces a breaking change that affects the Umbraco log viewer panel when getting logs.

Unable to parse a line in the JSON log file

Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReaderException: The reader's MaxDepth of 64 has been exceeded. Path '@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x.@x', line 1, position 7441.
   at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonReader.Push(JsonContainerType value)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.ParseValue()
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateJObject(JsonReader reader)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateObject(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateValueInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.Deserialize(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, Boolean checkAdditionalContent)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer.DeserializeInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType)
   at Serilog.Formatting.Compact.Reader.LogEventReader.TryRead(LogEvent& evt)
   at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Logging.Viewer.SerilogJsonLogViewer.TryRead(LogEventReader reader, LogEvent& evt)

The Fix: Modify MaxDepth in JsonSerializerSettings#

The solution involves adjusting the maximum depth for JSON deserialization in the Umbraco project.

Here’s how you can fix this issue.

Step 1: Update the Log Viewer Code

In the SerilogJsonLogViewer class, modify the JSON serializer settings to allow a higher MaxDepth value.

For example:

private JsonSerializerSettings GetJsonSerializerSettings()
{
    return new JsonSerializerSettings
    {
        DateParseHandling = DateParseHandling.None,
        Culture = System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
        MaxDepth = 128 // Increased limit to handle deeply nested JSON
    };
}

This change increases the maximum depth to 128, ensuring that your log files are processed correctly.

Step 2: Improved Error Handling

To make logging system more robust, implement enhanced error handling in the TryRead method.

Here’s an example:

private bool TryRead(LogEventReader reader, string filePath, out LogEvent? evt)
{
    evt = null;

    try
    {
        return reader.TryRead(out evt);
    }
    catch (JsonReaderException ex)
    {
        _logger.LogError(ex, $"JSON Reader error in file '{filePath}': {ex.Message}");
        return false;
    }
    catch (JsonSerializationException ex)
    {
        _logger.LogError(ex, $"JSON Serialization error in file '{filePath}': {ex.Message}");
        return false;
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        _logger.LogError(ex, $"Unexpected error in file '{filePath}': {ex.Message}");
        throw;
    }
}

Wrapping up SerilogJsonLogViewer.cs#

Here is the full SerilogJsonLogViewer class with better error handling and increased MaxDepth when reading JSON:

namespace Umbraco.Cms.Core.Logging.Viewer;

internal class SerilogJsonLogViewer : SerilogLogViewerSourceBase
{
    private const int FileSizeCap = 100;
    private readonly ILogger<SerilogJsonLogViewer> _logger;
    private readonly string _logsPath;

    public SerilogJsonLogViewer(
        ILogger<SerilogJsonLogViewer> logger,
        ILogViewerConfig logViewerConfig,
        ILoggingConfiguration loggingConfiguration,
        ILogLevelLoader logLevelLoader,
        ILogger serilogLog)
        : base(logViewerConfig, logLevelLoader, serilogLog)
    {
        _logger = logger;
        _logsPath = loggingConfiguration.LogDirectory;
    }

    public override bool CanHandleLargeLogs => false;

    public override bool CheckCanOpenLogs(LogTimePeriod logTimePeriod)
    {
        // Log Directory
        var logDirectory = _logsPath;

        // Number of entries
        long fileSizeCount = 0;

        // foreach full day in the range - see if we can find one or more filenames that end with
        // yyyyMMdd.json - Ends with due to MachineName in filenames - could be 1 or more due to load balancing
        for (DateTime day = logTimePeriod.StartTime.Date; day.Date <= logTimePeriod.EndTime.Date; day = day.AddDays(1))
        {
            // Filename ending to search for (As could be multiple)
            var filesToFind = GetSearchPattern(day);

            var filesForCurrentDay = Directory.GetFiles(logDirectory, filesToFind);

            fileSizeCount += filesForCurrentDay.Sum(x => new FileInfo(x).Length);
        }

        // The GetLogSize call on JsonLogViewer returns the total file size in bytes
        // Check if the log size is not greater than 100Mb (FileSizeCap)
        var logSizeAsMegabytes = fileSizeCount / 1024 / 1024;
        return logSizeAsMegabytes <= FileSizeCap;
    }

    protected override IReadOnlyList<LogEvent> GetLogs(LogTimePeriod logTimePeriod, ILogFilter filter, int skip,
        int take)
    {
        var logs = new List<LogEvent>();

        var count = 0;

        var serializerSettings = GetJsonSerializerSettings();
        var jsonSerializer =  JsonSerializer.Create(serializerSettings);

        // foreach full day in the range - see if we can find one or more filenames that end with
        // yyyyMMdd.json - Ends with due to MachineName in filenames - could be 1 or more due to load balancing
        for (DateTime day = logTimePeriod.StartTime.Date; day.Date <= logTimePeriod.EndTime.Date; day = day.AddDays(1))
        {
            // Filename ending to search for (As could be multiple)
            var filesToFind = GetSearchPattern(day);

            var filesForCurrentDay = Directory.GetFiles(_logsPath, filesToFind);

            // Foreach file we find - open it
            foreach (var filePath in filesForCurrentDay)
            {
                // Open log file & add contents to the log collection
                // Which we then use LINQ to page over
                using (var fs = new FileStream(filePath, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.ReadWrite))
                {
                    using (var stream = new StreamReader(fs))
                    {
                        var reader = new LogEventReader(stream, jsonSerializer);

                        while (TryRead(reader, filePath, out LogEvent? evt))
                        {
                            // We may get a null if log line is malformed
                            if (evt == null)
                            {
                                continue;
                            }

                            if (count > skip + take)
                            {
                                break;
                            }

                            if (count < skip)
                            {
                                count++;
                                continue;
                            }

                            if (filter.TakeLogEvent(evt))
                            {
                                logs.Add(evt);
                            }

                            count++;
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        return logs;
    }

    private string GetSearchPattern(DateTime day) => $"*{day:yyyyMMdd}*.json";

    private bool TryRead(LogEventReader reader, string filePath, out LogEvent? evt)
    {
        evt = null;

        try
        {
            return reader.TryRead(out evt);
        }
        catch (JsonReaderException ex)
        {
            _logger.LogError(ex, $"JSON Reader error: Unable to parse log event in file '{filePath}'.");

            return false;
        }
        catch (JsonSerializationException ex)
        {
            _logger.LogError(ex, $"JSON Serialization error: Unable to deserialize log event in file '{filePath}'.");

            return false;
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            _logger.LogError(ex, $"An unexpected error occurred while reading a log event from file '{filePath}'.");

            throw;
        }
    }

    private JsonSerializerSettings GetJsonSerializerSettings()
    {
        return new JsonSerializerSettings
        {
            DateParseHandling = DateParseHandling.None,
            Culture = System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture,
            MaxDepth = 128
        };
    }
}

Key Insights on Serialization and Error Handling#

Serialization

GetJsonSerializerSettings() provides control over JSON parsing.
DateParseHandling.None: Prevents automatic date conversion, preserving raw date formats.
MaxDepth = 128: This limit on deserialization depth prevents potential stack overflow or excessive resource consumption from deeply nested JSON.
JsonSerializer.Create(serializerSettings) creates a reusable serializer instance, avoiding repeated initialization overhead during log processing.

Error Handling

Catches specific JSON-related exceptions (JsonReaderException and JsonSerializationException) to log meaningful error messages based on the nature of the issue (e.g., malformed JSON or deserialization failures).
Logs the exact exception type and message for better diagnostic insights.
All log messages include critical context, like the file path, to quickly identify the source of the issue.

Learn More#

Current Umbraco 13.5.2 SerilogJsonLogViewer.cs implementation https://github.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS/blob/release-13.5.2/src/Umbraco.Infrastructure/Logging/Viewer/SerilogJsonLogViewer.cs

The issue was raised on GitHub: https://github.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS/issues/17629

Pull request with the fix: https://github.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS/pull/17630

What's Next?

Explore our blog for more insights, and feel free to reach out for any queries or discussions related to Umbraco development.

Fixing The reader's MaxDepth of 64 has been exceeded in Umbraco

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Article written by

Piotr Bach

Jump to Section

What Causes the Error?#

The Fix: Modify MaxDepth in JsonSerializerSettings#

Step 1: Update the Log Viewer Code

Step 2: Improved Error Handling

Wrapping up SerilogJsonLogViewer.cs#

Key Insights on Serialization and Error Handling#

Serialization

Error Handling

Learn More#

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Article written by

Piotr Bach