diff --git a/server/core/internal/logger.hh b/server/core/internal/logger.hh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eef0f09f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/core/internal/logger.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+#pragma once
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2016 MariaDB Corporation Ab
+ *
+ * Use of this software is governed by the Business Source License included
+ * in the LICENSE.TXT file and at www.mariadb.com/bsl11.
+ *
+ * Change Date: 2022-01-01
+ *
+ * On the date above, in accordance with the Business Source License, use
+ * of this software will be governed by version 2 or later of the General
+ * Public License.
+ */
+
+#include <maxscale/ccdefs.hh>
+
+#include <string>
+#include <mutex>
+#include <memory>
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+namespace maxscale
+{
+
+// Minimal logger interface
+class Logger
+{
+public:
+    Logger(const Logger&) = delete;
+    Logger& operator=(const Logger&) = delete;
+
+    virtual ~Logger()
+    {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Write a message to the log
+     *
+     * @param msg Message to write
+     * @param len Length of message
+     *
+     * @return True on success
+     */
+    virtual bool write(const char* msg, int len) = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * Rotate the logfile
+     *
+     * @return True if the log was rotated
+     */
+    virtual bool rotate() = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * Get the name of the log file
+     *
+     * @return The name of the log file
+     */
+    const char* filename() const
+    {
+        return m_filename.c_str();
+    }
+
+protected:
+    Logger(const std::string& filename):
+        m_filename(filename)
+    {
+    }
+
+    std::string m_filename;
+};
+
+class FileLogger: public Logger
+{
+public:
+    FileLogger(const FileLogger&) = delete;
+    FileLogger& operator=(const FileLogger&) = delete;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new logger that writes to a file
+     *
+     * @param logdir Log file to open
+     *
+     * @return New logger instance or an empty unique_ptr on error
+     */
+    static std::unique_ptr<Logger> create(const std::string& filename);
+
+    /**
+     * Close the log
+     *
+     * A footer is written to the log and the file is closed.
+     */
+    ~FileLogger();
+
+    /**
+     * Write a message to the log
+     *
+     * @param msg Message to write
+     * @param len Length of message
+     *
+     * @return True on success
+     */
+    bool write(const char* msg, int len);
+
+    /**
+     * Rotate the logfile by reopening it
+     *
+     * @return True if the log was rotated. False if the opening of the new file
+     *         descriptor failed in which case the old file descriptor will be used.
+     */
+    bool rotate();
+
+private:
+    int              m_fd;
+    std::mutex       m_lock;
+
+    FileLogger(int fd, const std::string& filename);
+    bool write_header();
+    bool write_footer(const char* suffix);
+    void close(const char* msg);
+};
+
+class StdoutLogger: public Logger
+{
+public:
+    StdoutLogger(const StdoutLogger&) = delete;
+    StdoutLogger& operator=(const StdoutLogger&) = delete;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new logger that writes to stdout
+     *
+     * @param logdir Log file to open, has no functional effect on this logger
+     *
+     * @return New logger instance or an empty unique_ptr on error
+     */
+    static std::unique_ptr<Logger> create(const std::string& filename)
+    {
+        return std::unique_ptr<Logger>(new StdoutLogger(filename));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Write a message to stdout
+     *
+     * @param msg Message to write
+     * @param len Length of message
+     *
+     * @return True on success
+     */
+    bool write(const char* msg, int len)
+    {
+        return ::write(STDOUT_FILENO, msg, len) != -1;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Rotate the "logfile"
+     *
+     * @return Always true
+     */
+    bool rotate()
+    {
+        return true;
+    };
+
+private:
+    StdoutLogger(const std::string& filename):
+        Logger(filename)
+    {
+    }
+};
+
+}
diff --git a/server/core/logger.cc b/server/core/logger.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1260dd257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/core/logger.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2016 MariaDB Corporation Ab
+ *
+ * Use of this software is governed by the Business Source License included
+ * in the LICENSE.TXT file and at www.mariadb.com/bsl11.
+ *
+ * Change Date: 2022-01-01
+ *
+ * On the date above, in accordance with the Business Source License, use
+ * of this software will be governed by version 2 or later of the General
+ * Public License.
+ */
+
+#include "internal/logger.hh"
+
+#include <syslog.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include <chrono>
+#include <cstring>
+#include <cstdio>
+#include <ctime>
+
+#include <maxscale/debug.h>
+
+/**
+ * Error logging for the logger itself.
+ *
+ * For obvious reasons, it cannot use its own functions for reporting errors.
+ */
+#define LOG_ERROR(format, ...) do { fprintf(stderr, format, ##__VA_ARGS__); } while (false)
+
+//
+// Helper functions
+//
+namespace
+{
+
+int open_fd(const std::string& filename)
+{
+    int fd = open(filename.c_str(), O_WRONLY | O_APPEND | O_CREAT,
+                  S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IWGRP | S_IROTH);
+
+    if (fd == -1)
+    {
+        LOG_ERROR("Failed to open file '%s': %d, %s\n", filename.c_str(), errno, mxs_strerror(errno));
+    }
+
+    return fd;
+}
+
+bool should_log_error()
+{
+    using std::chrono::seconds;
+    static auto last_write = std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - seconds(61);
+    auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    bool rval = false;
+
+    if ((now - last_write).count() >= 60)
+    {
+        last_write = now;
+        rval = true;
+    }
+
+    return rval;
+}
+
+}
+
+namespace maxscale
+{
+
+//
+// Public methods
+//
+
+std::unique_ptr<Logger> FileLogger::create(const std::string& filename)
+{
+    std::unique_ptr<FileLogger> logger;
+    int fd = open_fd(filename);
+
+    if (fd != -1)
+    {
+        logger.reset(new (std::nothrow) FileLogger(fd, filename));
+
+        if (logger)
+        {
+            logger->write_header();
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            ::close(fd);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return std::move(logger);
+}
+
+FileLogger::~FileLogger()
+{
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> guard(m_lock);
+    ss_dassert(m_fd != -1);
+    close("MariaDB MaxScale is shut down.");
+}
+
+bool FileLogger::write(const char* msg, int len)
+{
+    bool rval = true;
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> guard(m_lock);
+
+    while (len > 0)
+    {
+        int rc;
+        do
+        {
+            rc = ::write(m_fd, msg, len);
+        }
+        while (rc == -1 && errno == EINTR);
+
+        if (rc == -1)
+        {
+            if (should_log_error()) // Coarse error suppression
+            {
+                LOG_ERROR("Failed to write to log: %d, %s\n", errno, mxs_strerror(errno));
+            }
+
+            rval = false;
+            break;
+        }
+
+        // If write only writes a part of the message, retry again
+        len -= rc;
+        msg += rc;
+    }
+
+    return rval;
+}
+
+bool FileLogger::rotate()
+{
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> guard(m_lock);
+    int fd = open_fd(m_filename);
+
+    if (fd != -1)
+    {
+        close("File closed due to log rotation.");
+        m_fd = fd;
+    }
+
+    return fd != -1;
+}
+
+//
+// Private methods
+//
+
+FileLogger::FileLogger(int fd, const std::string& filename):
+    Logger(filename),
+    m_fd(fd)
+{
+}
+
+void FileLogger::close(const char* msg)
+{
+    write_footer(msg);
+    ::close(m_fd);
+    m_fd = -1;
+}
+
+// Nearly identical to the one in log_manager.cc
+bool FileLogger::write_header()
+{
+    time_t t = time(NULL);
+    struct tm tm;
+    localtime_r(&t, &tm);
+
+    const char PREFIX[] = "MariaDB MaxScale  "; // sizeof(PREFIX) includes the NULL.
+    char time_string[32]; // 26 would be enough, according to "man asctime".
+    asctime_r(&tm, time_string);
+
+    size_t size = sizeof(PREFIX) + m_filename.length() + 2 * sizeof(' ') + strlen(time_string);
+
+    char header[size + 2]; // For the 2 newlines.
+    sprintf(header, "\n\n%s%s  %s", PREFIX, m_filename.c_str(), time_string);
+
+    char line[sizeof(header) - 1];
+    memset(line, '-', sizeof(line) - 1);
+    line[sizeof(line) - 1] = '\n';
+
+    bool ok = ::write(m_fd, header, sizeof(header) - 1) != -1 &&
+              ::write(m_fd, line, sizeof(line)) != -1;
+
+    if (!ok)
+    {
+        LOG_ERROR("Error: Writing log header failed due to %d, %s\n",
+                  errno, mxs_strerror(errno));
+    }
+
+    return ok;
+}
+
+// Nearly identical to the one in log_manager.cc
+bool FileLogger::write_footer(const char* suffix)
+{
+    time_t t = time(NULL);
+    struct tm tm;
+    localtime_r(&t, &tm);
+
+    const char FORMAT[] = "%04d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d";
+    char time_string[20]; // 19 chars + NULL.
+
+    sprintf(time_string, FORMAT,
+            tm.tm_year + 1900, tm.tm_mon + 1, tm.tm_mday, tm.tm_hour, tm.tm_min, tm.tm_sec);
+
+    size_t size = sizeof(time_string) + 3 * sizeof(' ') + strlen(suffix) + sizeof('\n');
+
+    char header[size];
+    sprintf(header, "%s   %s\n", time_string, suffix);
+
+    char line[sizeof(header) - 1];
+    memset(line, '-', sizeof(line) - 1);
+    line[sizeof(line) - 1] = '\n';
+
+    bool ok = ::write(m_fd, header, sizeof(header) - 1) != -1 &&
+              ::write(m_fd, line, sizeof(line)) != -1;
+
+    if (!ok)
+    {
+        LOG_ERROR("Error: Writing log footer failed due to %d, %s\n",
+                  errno, mxs_strerror(errno));
+    }
+
+    return ok;
+}
+
+}