diff --git a/include/libwebsockets/lws-logs.h b/include/libwebsockets/lws-logs.h
index d74489205..a108cd751 100644
--- a/include/libwebsockets/lws-logs.h
+++ b/include/libwebsockets/lws-logs.h
@@ -179,6 +179,36 @@ lws_set_log_level(int level,
 LWS_VISIBLE LWS_EXTERN void
 lwsl_emit_syslog(int level, const char *line);
 
+/**
+ * lwsl_emit_stderr() - helper log emit function writes to stderr
+ *
+ * \param level: one of LLL_ log level indexes
+ * \param line: log string
+ *
+ * You use this by passing the function pointer to lws_set_log_level(), to set
+ * it as the log emit function, it is not called directly.
+ *
+ * It prepends a system timestamp like [2018/11/13 07:41:57:3989]
+ *
+ * If stderr is a tty, then ansi colour codes are added.
+ */
+LWS_VISIBLE LWS_EXTERN void
+lwsl_emit_stderr(int level, const char *line);
+
+/**
+ * lwsl_emit_stderr_notimestamp() - helper log emit function writes to stderr
+ *
+ * \param level: one of LLL_ log level indexes
+ * \param line: log string
+ *
+ * You use this by passing the function pointer to lws_set_log_level(), to set
+ * it as the log emit function, it is not called directly.
+ *
+ * If stderr is a tty, then ansi colour codes are added.
+ */
+LWS_VISIBLE LWS_EXTERN void
+lwsl_emit_stderr_notimestamp(int level, const char *line);
+
 /**
  * lwsl_visible() - returns true if the log level should be printed
  *
diff --git a/lib/core/libwebsockets.c b/lib/core/libwebsockets.c
index 71c1a0971..0b2a0b5ac 100644
--- a/lib/core/libwebsockets.c
+++ b/lib/core/libwebsockets.c
@@ -2066,10 +2066,12 @@ static const char * const colours[] = {
 	"[31m", /* LLL_THREAD */
 };
 
-LWS_VISIBLE void lwsl_emit_stderr(int level, const char *line)
+static char tty;
+
+LWS_VISIBLE void
+lwsl_emit_stderr(int level, const char *line)
 {
 	char buf[50];
-	static char tty = 3;
 	int n, m = LWS_ARRAY_SIZE(colours) - 1;
 
 	if (!tty)
@@ -2088,6 +2090,28 @@ LWS_VISIBLE void lwsl_emit_stderr(int level, const char *line)
 	} else
 		fprintf(stderr, "%s%s", buf, line);
 }
+
+LWS_VISIBLE void
+lwsl_emit_stderr_notimestamp(int level, const char *line)
+{
+	int n, m = LWS_ARRAY_SIZE(colours) - 1;
+
+	if (!tty)
+		tty = isatty(2) | 2;
+
+	if (tty == 3) {
+		n = 1 << (LWS_ARRAY_SIZE(colours) - 1);
+		while (n) {
+			if (level & n)
+				break;
+			m--;
+			n >>= 1;
+		}
+		fprintf(stderr, "%c%s%s%c[0m", 27, colours[m], line, 27);
+	} else
+		fprintf(stderr, "%s", line);
+}
+
 #endif
 
 LWS_VISIBLE void _lws_logv(int filter, const char *format, va_list vl)
diff --git a/lwsws/main.c b/lwsws/main.c
index 1f0c09bf3..f74fdf2b9 100644
--- a/lwsws/main.c
+++ b/lwsws/main.c
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 //	openlog("lwsws", syslog_options, LOG_DAEMON);
 #endif
 
-	lws_set_log_level(debug_level, NULL); // lwsl_emit_syslog);
+	lws_set_log_level(debug_level, lwsl_emit_stderr_notimestamp);
 
 	lwsl_notice("lwsws libwebsockets web server - license CC0 + LGPL2.1\n");
 	lwsl_notice("(C) Copyright 2010-2018 Andy Green <andy@warmcat.com>\n");