diff --git a/parity-clib-examples/cpp/main.cpp b/parity-clib-examples/cpp/main.cpp
index c5e83d06492..5aa4a876608 100644
--- a/parity-clib-examples/cpp/main.cpp
+++ b/parity-clib-examples/cpp/main.cpp
@@ -34,7 +34,9 @@ int main() {
     }
 
     void* parity;
-    if (parity_start(&cfg, &parity) != 0) {
+    char mode[] = "rpc=trace";
+    Logger logger = { .mode = mode, .mode_len = strlen(mode), .file = NULL, .file_len = 0 };
+    if (parity_start(&cfg, logger, &parity) != 0) {
         return 1;
     }
 
diff --git a/parity-clib/parity.h b/parity-clib/parity.h
index 9be077b4d30..02d3c8b1ac7 100644
--- a/parity-clib/parity.h
+++ b/parity-clib/parity.h
@@ -37,6 +37,18 @@ struct ParityParams {
 	void *on_client_restart_cb_custom;
 };
 
+/// Logger options for `parity_start`
+struct Logger {
+	/// Logger mode (Rust log format, see module docs for `ethcore-logger`
+	const char* mode;
+	/// Length of the `Logger mode`
+	size_t mode_len;
+	/// File name to write the log to
+	const char* file;
+	/// Length of the file name
+	size_t file_len;
+};
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
@@ -78,7 +90,7 @@ void parity_config_destroy(void* cfg);
 /// On success, the produced object will be written to the `void*` pointed by `out`.
 ///
 /// Returns 0 on success, and non-zero on error.
-int parity_start(const ParityParams* params, void** out);
+int parity_start(const ParityParams* params, Logger logger, void** out);
 
 /// Destroys the parity client created with `parity_start`.
 ///
diff --git a/parity-clib/src/lib.rs b/parity-clib/src/lib.rs
index 7791f97bd5e..b5c2cb9493a 100644
--- a/parity-clib/src/lib.rs
+++ b/parity-clib/src/lib.rs
@@ -22,11 +22,8 @@ extern crate jni;
 extern crate parity_ethereum;
 extern crate panic_hook;
 
+use std::{str, slice, panic, ptr};
 use std::os::raw::{c_char, c_void, c_int};
-use std::panic;
-use std::ptr;
-use std::slice;
-use std::str;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "jni")]
 use std::mem;
@@ -40,6 +37,14 @@ pub struct ParityParams {
 	pub on_client_restart_cb_custom: *mut c_void,
 }
 
+#[repr(C)]
+pub struct Logger {
+	pub mode: *const char,
+	pub mode_len: usize,
+	pub file: *const char,
+	pub file_len: usize,
+}
+
 #[no_mangle]
 pub unsafe extern fn parity_config_from_cli(args: *const *const c_char, args_lens: *const usize, len: usize, output: *mut *mut c_void) -> c_int {
 	panic::catch_unwind(|| {
@@ -87,11 +92,34 @@ pub unsafe extern fn parity_config_destroy(cfg: *mut c_void) {
 }
 
 #[no_mangle]
-pub unsafe extern fn parity_start(cfg: *const ParityParams, output: *mut *mut c_void) -> c_int {
+pub unsafe extern fn parity_start(cfg: *const ParityParams, logger: Logger, output: *mut *mut c_void) -> c_int {
 	panic::catch_unwind(|| {
 		*output = ptr::null_mut();
 		let cfg: &ParityParams = &*cfg;
 
+		let mode = {
+			if logger.mode_len == 0 {
+				None
+			} else {
+				let mode = slice::from_raw_parts(logger.mode as *const u8, logger.mode_len);
+				String::from_utf8(mode.to_owned()).ok()
+			}
+		};
+
+		let file = {
+			if logger.file_len == 0 {
+				None
+			} else {
+				let mode = slice::from_raw_parts(logger.mode as *const u8, logger.mode_len);
+				String::from_utf8(mode.to_owned()).ok()
+			}
+		};
+
+		let mut log_cfg = parity_ethereum::LoggerConfig::default();
+		log_cfg.mode = mode;
+		log_cfg.file = file;
+
+		let logger = parity_ethereum::setup_log(&log_cfg).expect("Logger initialized only once; qed");
 		let config = Box::from_raw(cfg.configuration as *mut parity_ethereum::Configuration);
 
 		let on_client_restart_cb = {
@@ -99,7 +127,7 @@ pub unsafe extern fn parity_start(cfg: *const ParityParams, output: *mut *mut c_
 			move |new_chain: String| { cb.call(&new_chain); }
 		};
 
-		let action = match parity_ethereum::start(*config, on_client_restart_cb, || {}) {
+		let action = match parity_ethereum::start(*config, logger, on_client_restart_cb, || {}) {
 			Ok(action) => action,
 			Err(_) => return 1,
 		};
@@ -215,7 +243,8 @@ pub unsafe extern "system" fn Java_io_parity_ethereum_Parity_build(env: JNIEnv,
 	};
 
 	let mut out = ptr::null_mut();
-	match parity_start(&params, &mut out) {
+	let dummy_logger = Logger { mode: ptr::null(), mode_len: 0, file: ptr::null(), file_len: 0 };
+	match parity_start(&params, dummy_logger, &mut out) {
 		0 => out as usize as jlong,
 		_ => {
 			let _ = env.throw_new("java/lang/Exception", "failed to start Parity");
diff --git a/parity/lib.rs b/parity/lib.rs
index 9407a07f98f..df315f00e74 100644
--- a/parity/lib.rs
+++ b/parity/lib.rs
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ mod db;
 
 use std::io::BufReader;
 use std::fs::File;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 use hash::keccak_buffer;
 use cli::Args;
 use configuration::{Cmd, Execute};
@@ -120,8 +121,7 @@ use std::alloc::System;
 
 pub use self::configuration::Configuration;
 pub use self::run::RunningClient;
-use ethcore_logger::RotatingLogger;
-use std::sync::Arc;
+pub use ethcore_logger::{Config as LoggerConfig, setup_log, RotatingLogger};
 
 #[cfg(feature = "memory_profiling")]
 #[global_allocator]