diff --git a/common/include/villas/log.hpp b/common/include/villas/log.hpp
index 31600fc78..a1a4d6e9c 100644
--- a/common/include/villas/log.hpp
+++ b/common/include/villas/log.hpp
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ extern Log logging;
 class Log {
 
 public:
-	using DistSink = std::shared_ptr<spdlog::sinks::dist_sink_mt>;
 	using Level = spdlog::level::level_enum;
+	using DistSink = spdlog::sinks::dist_sink_mt;
 
 protected:
 	Logger logger = logging.get("log");
diff --git a/common/lib/kernel/rt.cpp b/common/lib/kernel/rt.cpp
index 421cf522e..af8227822 100644
--- a/common/lib/kernel/rt.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/kernel/rt.cpp
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ namespace villas {
 namespace kernel {
 namespace rt {
 
-static auto logger = logging.get("kernel:rt");
+static Logger logger = logging.get("kernel:rt");
 
 int init(int priority, int affinity)
 {
diff --git a/common/lib/kernel/vfio.cpp b/common/lib/kernel/vfio.cpp
index 7c222478a..736682560 100644
--- a/common/lib/kernel/vfio.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/kernel/vfio.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 
 using namespace villas;
 
-static auto logger = logging.get("kernel:vfio");
+static Logger logger = logging.get("kernel:vfio");
 
 static const char *vfio_pci_region_names[] = {
     "PCI_BAR0",		// VFIO_PCI_BAR0_REGION_INDEX,
diff --git a/common/lib/log.cpp b/common/lib/log.cpp
index 91985944e..61adbc708 100644
--- a/common/lib/log.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/log.cpp
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ int Log::getWidth()
 
 Logger Log::get(const std::string &name)
 {
-	auto logger = spdlog::get(name);
+	Logger logger = spdlog::get(name);
 
 	if (not logger)
 		logger = std::make_shared<Logger::element_type>(name, sinks);
@@ -98,13 +98,13 @@ void Log::parse(json_t *cfg)
 	if (path) {
 		auto sink = std::make_shared<spdlog::sinks::basic_file_sink_mt>(path);
 
-		sinks->add_sink(sink);
+		sinks.add_sink(sink);
 	}
 
 	if (syslog) {
 		auto sink = std::make_shared<spdlog::sinks::syslog_sink_mt>("villas", LOG_PID, LOG_DAEMON);
 
-		sinks->add_sink(sink);
+		sinks.add_sink(sink);
 	}
 
 	if (json_expressions) {
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ void Log::parse(json_t *cfg)
 			if (ret)
 				throw new JsonError(err);
 
-			auto logger = get(name);
+			Logger logger = get(name);
 			auto level = spdlog::level::from_str(lvl);
 
 			logger->set_level(level);
diff --git a/common/lib/log_legacy.cpp b/common/lib/log_legacy.cpp
index f9b9471d7..0f815fade 100644
--- a/common/lib/log_legacy.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/log_legacy.cpp
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 
 using namespace villas;
 
-auto logger = logging.get("default");
+Logger logger = logging.get("default");
 
 int log_get_width()
 {
diff --git a/common/lib/memory_manager.cpp b/common/lib/memory_manager.cpp
index 297da052b..bfcdfc0de 100644
--- a/common/lib/memory_manager.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/memory_manager.cpp
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ MemoryTranslation::getForeignAddr(uintptr_t addrInLocalAddrSpace) const
 MemoryTranslation&
 MemoryTranslation::operator+=(const MemoryTranslation& other)
 {
-	auto logger = logging.get("MemoryTranslation");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("MemoryTranslation");
 	// set level to debug to enable debug output
 	logger->set_level(spdlog::level::info);
 
diff --git a/common/lib/plugin.cpp b/common/lib/plugin.cpp
index 44da7b69c..b7bd5eec6 100644
--- a/common/lib/plugin.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/plugin.cpp
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ Plugin::unload()
 void
 Plugin::dump()
 {
-	auto logger = Registry::getLogger();
+	Logger logger = Registry::getLogger();
 	logger->info("Name: '{}' Description: '{}'", name, description);
 }
 
diff --git a/common/lib/terminal.cpp b/common/lib/terminal.cpp
index ff2c5c0b5..9cf569e24 100644
--- a/common/lib/terminal.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/terminal.cpp
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ void Terminal::resize(int, siginfo_t *, void *)
 	if (ret)
 		throw new SystemError("Failed to get terminal dimensions");
 
-	auto logger = logging.get("terminal");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("terminal");
 
 	logger->debug("New terminal size: {}x{}", window.ws_row, window.ws_col);
 };
diff --git a/common/lib/utils.cpp b/common/lib/utils.cpp
index 4a08bf794..c766a14f5 100644
--- a/common/lib/utils.cpp
+++ b/common/lib/utils.cpp
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ int signals_init(void (*cb)(int signal, siginfo_t *sinfo, void *ctx))
 {
 	int ret;
 
-	auto logger = logging.get("signals");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("signals");
 
 	logger->info("Initialize subsystem");
 
diff --git a/common/tests/graph.cpp b/common/tests/graph.cpp
index d0bf50973..bb18b9224 100644
--- a/common/tests/graph.cpp
+++ b/common/tests/graph.cpp
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ TestSuite(graph, .description = "Graph library");
 
 Test(graph, basic, .description = "DirectedGraph")
 {
-	auto logger = logging.get("test:graph:basic");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("test:graph:basic");
 	villas::graph::DirectedGraph<> g("test:graph:basic");
 
 	logger->info("Testing basic graph construction and modification");
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ Test(graph, basic, .description = "DirectedGraph")
 
 Test(graph, path, .description = "Find path")
 {
-	auto logger = logging.get("test:graph:path");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("test:graph:path");
 	logger->info("Testing path finding algorithm");
 
 	using Graph = villas::graph::DirectedGraph<>;
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ Test(graph, path, .description = "Find path")
 
 Test(graph, memory_manager, .description = "Global Memory Manager")
 {
-	auto logger = logging.get("test:graph:mm");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("test:graph:mm");
 	auto& mm = villas::MemoryManager::get();
 
 	logger->info("Create address spaces");
diff --git a/common/tests/logging.cpp b/common/tests/logging.cpp
index 8f8cf88be..a9cf6c7c1 100644
--- a/common/tests/logging.cpp
+++ b/common/tests/logging.cpp
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ static int format_msg(char *buf, size_t buflen, const char *msg, va_list args)
 
 void criterion_log_noformat(enum criterion_severity severity, const char *msg)
 {
-	auto logger = logging.get("criterion");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("criterion");
 
 	switch (severity) {
 		case CR_LOG_WARNING:
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ void criterion_vlog(enum criterion_logging_level /* level */, const char *msg, v
 
 	format_msg(formatted_msg, sizeof(formatted_msg), msg, args);
 
-	auto logger = logging.get("test");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("test");
 	logger->info(formatted_msg);
 }
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ void criterion_plog(enum criterion_logging_level /* level */, const struct crite
 	format_msg(formatted_msg, sizeof(formatted_msg), msg, args);
 	va_end(args);
 
-	auto logger = logging.get("test");
+	Logger logger = logging.get("test");
 
 	if      (!strcmp(prefix->prefix, "----") && !strcmp(prefix->color, "\33[0;34m"))
 		logger->info(formatted_msg);