b2cafelog

b2cafelog is a standardized logging format and reference implementation used in cafe-style point-of-sale and ordering systems to record business-to-consumer events. It is designed to be lightweight, human-readable, and machine-parseable, enabling consistent analysis across different vendors and deployments. The primary aim is to support operational insight, auditing, and interoperability in small to medium-sized cafe environments.

Log entries are structured as discrete events with a core set of fields and optional payloads. Core fields typically include a timestamp (ISO 8601), event_type (such as sale, refund, inventory_adjustment, loyalty_interaction), transaction_id, location_id, staff_id, and currency. Optional fields cover item details (item_id, SKU, quantity, unit_price), payment_method, total_amount, and customer or loyalty identifiers. A version field and a reserved namespace help manage schema evolution. The format commonly uses JSON lines or a compact JSON object per event.

Generation and usage: Logs are emitted by POS terminals, self-checkout kiosks, or mobile ordering apps as events occur. They can be collected centrally via an event bus, file drop, or streaming protocol and ingested into analytics platforms, data warehouses, or fraud-detection modules. Privacy considerations include minimizing sensitive data, tokenizing customer identifiers, and enforcing access controls.

Adoption and ecosystem: b2cafelog has been adopted in open-source cafe-management projects and by some commercial vendors seeking a common data contract. Tooling includes validators, sample parsers, and reference dashboards. See also: event logging, POS data standards, and retail analytics.