diff --git a/core/include/aare/core/DType.hpp b/core/include/aare/core/DType.hpp
index b7fbebe..71ab9c3 100644
--- a/core/include/aare/core/DType.hpp
+++ b/core/include/aare/core/DType.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief enum class to define the endianess of the system
+ */
 enum class endian {
 #ifdef _WIN32
     little = 0,
@@ -17,6 +20,10 @@ enum class endian {
 #endif
 };
 
+/**
+ * @brief class to define the data type of the pixels
+ * @note only native endianess is supported
+ */
 class DType {
     // TODO! support for non native endianess?
     static_assert(sizeof(long) == sizeof(int64_t), "long should be 64bits");
diff --git a/core/include/aare/core/Frame.hpp b/core/include/aare/core/Frame.hpp
index ed8a4de..9ef404e 100644
--- a/core/include/aare/core/Frame.hpp
+++ b/core/include/aare/core/Frame.hpp
@@ -7,14 +7,13 @@
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <vector>
 
+namespace aare {
+
 /**
  * @brief Frame class to represent a single frame of data
  * model class
  * should be able to work with streams coming from files or network
  */
-
-namespace aare {
-
 class Frame {
     ssize_t m_rows;
     ssize_t m_cols;
diff --git a/core/include/aare/core/defs.hpp b/core/include/aare/core/defs.hpp
index 0f177ea..18594d4 100644
--- a/core/include/aare/core/defs.hpp
+++ b/core/include/aare/core/defs.hpp
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief header contained in parts of frames
+ */
 struct sls_detector_header {
     uint64_t frameNumber;
     uint32_t expLength;
@@ -35,7 +38,6 @@ struct xy {
     bool operator!=(const xy &other) const { return !(*this == other); }
 };
 
-// using image_shape = std::array<ssize_t, 2>;
 using dynamic_shape = std::vector<ssize_t>;
 
 enum class DetectorType { Jungfrau, Eiger, Mythen3, Moench, ChipTestBoard };
diff --git a/core/src/DType.cpp b/core/src/DType.cpp
index ca9849e..4e172ab 100644
--- a/core/src/DType.cpp
+++ b/core/src/DType.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,13 @@
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief Construct a DType object from a type_info object
+ * @param t type_info object
+ * @throw runtime_error if the type is not supported
+ * @note supported types are: int8_t, uint8_t, int16_t, uint16_t, int32_t, uint32_t, int64_t, uint64_t, float, double
+ * @note the type_info object is obtained using typeid (e.g. typeid(int))
+ */
 DType::DType(const std::type_info &t) {
     if (t == typeid(int8_t))
         m_type = TypeIndex::INT8;
@@ -33,6 +40,10 @@ DType::DType(const std::type_info &t) {
         throw std::runtime_error("Could not construct data type. Type not supported.");
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Get the bitdepth of the data type
+ * @return bitdepth
+ */
 uint8_t DType::bitdepth() const {
     switch (m_type) {
     case TypeIndex::INT8:
@@ -58,8 +69,20 @@ uint8_t DType::bitdepth() const {
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Construct a DType object from a TypeIndex
+ * @param ti TypeIndex
+ *
+ */
 DType::DType(DType::TypeIndex ti) : m_type(ti) {}
 
+/**
+ * @brief Construct a DType object from a string
+ * @param sv string_view
+ * @throw runtime_error if the type is not supported
+ * @note example strings: "<i4", "u8", "f4"
+ * @note the endianess is checked and only native endianess is supported
+ */
 DType::DType(std::string_view sv) {
 
     // Check if the file is using our native endianess
@@ -101,6 +124,10 @@ DType::DType(std::string_view sv) {
         throw std::runtime_error("Could not construct data type. Type no supported.");
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Get the string representation of the data type
+ * @return string representation
+ */
 std::string DType::str() const {
 
     char ec;
diff --git a/core/src/Frame.cpp b/core/src/Frame.cpp
index 609c329..1155f5e 100644
--- a/core/src/Frame.cpp
+++ b/core/src/Frame.cpp
@@ -5,17 +5,38 @@
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief Construct a new Frame
+ * @param bytes pointer to the data to be copied into the frame
+ * @param rows number of rows
+ * @param cols number of columns
+ * @param bitdepth bitdepth of the pixels
+ */
 Frame::Frame(std::byte *bytes, ssize_t rows, ssize_t cols, ssize_t bitdepth)
     : m_rows(rows), m_cols(cols), m_bitdepth(bitdepth) {
     m_data = new std::byte[rows * cols * bitdepth / 8];
     std::memcpy(m_data, bytes, rows * cols * bitdepth / 8);
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Construct a new Frame
+ * @param rows number of rows
+ * @param cols number of columns
+ * @param bitdepth bitdepth of the pixels
+ * @note the data is initialized to zero
+ */
 Frame::Frame(ssize_t rows, ssize_t cols, ssize_t bitdepth) : m_rows(rows), m_cols(cols), m_bitdepth(bitdepth) {
     m_data = new std::byte[rows * cols * bitdepth / 8];
     std::memset(m_data, 0, rows * cols * bitdepth / 8);
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Get the pointer to the pixel at the given row and column
+ * @param row row index
+ * @param col column index
+ * @return pointer to the pixel
+ * @note the user should cast the pointer to the appropriate type
+ */
 std::byte *Frame::get(int row, int col) {
     if (row < 0 || row >= m_rows || col < 0 || col >= m_cols) {
         std::cerr << "Invalid row or column index" << std::endl;
diff --git a/core/src/defs.cpp b/core/src/defs.cpp
index 8f77439..3ce6c07 100644
--- a/core/src/defs.cpp
+++ b/core/src/defs.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief Convert a DetectorType to a string
+ * @param type DetectorType
+ * @return string representation of the DetectorType
+ */
 template <> std::string toString(DetectorType type) {
     switch (type) {
     case DetectorType::Jungfrau:
@@ -19,6 +24,12 @@ template <> std::string toString(DetectorType type) {
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Convert a string to a DetectorType
+ * @param name string representation of the DetectorType
+ * @return DetectorType
+ * @throw runtime_error if the string does not match any DetectorType
+ */
 template <> DetectorType StringTo(std::string name) {
     if (name == "Jungfrau")
         return DetectorType::Jungfrau;
@@ -35,6 +46,12 @@ template <> DetectorType StringTo(std::string name) {
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Convert a string to a TimingMode
+ * @param mode string representation of the TimingMode
+ * @return TimingMode
+ * @throw runtime_error if the string does not match any TimingMode
+ */
 template <> TimingMode StringTo(std::string mode) {
     if (mode == "auto")
         return TimingMode::Auto;
diff --git a/etc/multimodule_virtual_jf.config b/etc/multimodule_virtual_jf.config
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b377fd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/etc/multimodule_virtual_jf.config
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+hostname localhost
+rx_hostname localhost
+
+udp_dstip auto
+powerchip 1
+frames 1
+exptime 5us
+period 1ms
+
+
+
+rx_zmqip 127.0.0.1
+rx_zmqport 5555
+rx_zmqstream 1
diff --git a/etc/virtual_jf.config b/etc/virtual_jf.config
index 96ac0db..23725c7 100644
--- a/etc/virtual_jf.config
+++ b/etc/virtual_jf.config
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ udp_dstip auto
 powerchip 1
 frames 1
 exptime 5us
-period 100ms
+period 1ms
 
 rx_zmqip 127.0.0.1
 rx_zmqport 5555
diff --git a/examples/zmq_receiver_example.cpp b/examples/zmq_receiver_example.cpp
index ea893b1..6189ef2 100644
--- a/examples/zmq_receiver_example.cpp
+++ b/examples/zmq_receiver_example.cpp
@@ -1,14 +1,41 @@
 #include "aare/network_io/ZmqSocketReceiver.hpp"
 #include "aare/network_io/defs.hpp"
 
+#include <boost/program_options.hpp>
 #include <cassert>
 #include <fmt/core.h>
 #include <string>
 using namespace aare;
+namespace po = boost::program_options;
+using namespace std;
 
-int main() {
+int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     aare::logger::set_verbosity(aare::logger::DEBUG);
-    std::string endpoint = "tcp://localhost:5555";
+
+    po::options_description desc("options");
+    desc.add_options()("help", "produce help message")("port,p", po::value<uint16_t>()->default_value(5555),
+                                                       "port number");
+    po::positional_options_description pd;
+    pd.add("port", 1);
+    po::variables_map vm;
+    try {
+        auto parsed = po::command_line_parser(argc, argv).options(desc).positional(pd).run();
+        po::store(parsed, vm);
+        po::notify(vm);
+
+    } catch (const boost::program_options::error &e) {
+        cout << e.what() << "\n";
+        cout << desc << "\n";
+        return 1;
+    }
+    if (vm.count("help")) {
+        cout << desc << "\n";
+        return 1;
+    }
+
+    auto port = vm["port"].as<uint16_t>();
+
+    std::string endpoint = "udp://127.0.0.1:" + std::to_string(port);
     aare::ZmqSocketReceiver socket(endpoint);
     socket.connect();
     while (true) {
diff --git a/examples/zmq_restream_example.cpp b/examples/zmq_restream_example.cpp
index 07bb996..1d3f496 100644
--- a/examples/zmq_restream_example.cpp
+++ b/examples/zmq_restream_example.cpp
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         header.npixelsx = frame.rows();
         header.npixelsy = frame.cols();
         header.dynamicRange = frame.bitdepth();
-        header.imageSize = frame.size();
+        header.size = frame.size();
 
         sender.send({header, frame});
         std::this_thread::sleep_for(d);
diff --git a/examples/zmq_sender_example.cpp b/examples/zmq_sender_example.cpp
index 5799130..b0083c6 100644
--- a/examples/zmq_sender_example.cpp
+++ b/examples/zmq_sender_example.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ int main() {
     aare::ZmqHeader header;
     header.npixelsx = 1024;
     header.npixelsy = 1024;
-    header.imageSize = sizeof(uint32_t) * 1024 * 1024;
+    header.size = sizeof(uint32_t) * 1024 * 1024;
     header.dynamicRange = 32;
 
     std::vector<ZmqFrame> zmq_frames;
diff --git a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqHeader.hpp b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqHeader.hpp
index 085f922..4c4b6bf 100644
--- a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqHeader.hpp
+++ b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqHeader.hpp
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ struct ZmqHeader {
     /** number of pixels/channels in y axis for this zmq socket */
     uint32_t npixelsy{0};
     /** number of bytes for an image in this socket */
-    uint32_t imageSize{0};
+    uint32_t size{0};
     /** frame number from detector */
     uint64_t acqIndex{0};
     /** frame index (starting at 0 for each acquisition) */
diff --git a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocket.hpp b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocket.hpp
index 1338658..96ea923 100644
--- a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocket.hpp
+++ b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocket.hpp
@@ -10,7 +10,22 @@ class zmq_msg_t;
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief parent class for ZmqSocketReceiver and ZmqSocketSender
+ * contains common functions and variables
+ */
 class ZmqSocket {
+  public:
+    ZmqSocket() = default;
+    ~ZmqSocket();
+    ZmqSocket(const ZmqSocket &) = delete;
+    ZmqSocket operator=(const ZmqSocket &) = delete;
+    ZmqSocket(ZmqSocket &&) = delete;
+    void disconnect();
+    void set_zmq_hwm(int hwm);
+    void set_timeout_ms(int n);
+    void set_potential_frame_size(size_t size);
+
   protected:
     void *m_context{nullptr};
     void *m_socket{nullptr};
@@ -20,19 +35,6 @@ class ZmqSocket {
     size_t m_potential_frame_size{1024 * 1024};
     constexpr static size_t m_max_header_size = 1024;
     char *m_header_buffer = new char[m_max_header_size];
-
-  public:
-    ZmqSocket() = default;
-    ~ZmqSocket();
-
-    ZmqSocket(const ZmqSocket &) = delete;
-    ZmqSocket operator=(const ZmqSocket &) = delete;
-    ZmqSocket(ZmqSocket &&) = delete;
-
-    void disconnect();
-    void set_zmq_hwm(int hwm);
-    void set_timeout_ms(int n);
-    void set_potential_frame_size(size_t size);
 };
 
 } // namespace aare
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketReceiver.hpp b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketReceiver.hpp
index 4562114..7d207a5 100644
--- a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketReceiver.hpp
+++ b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketReceiver.hpp
@@ -8,14 +8,15 @@
 #include <cstdint>
 #include <string>
 
-// Socket to receive data from a ZMQ publisher
-// needs to be in sync with the main library (or maybe better use the versioning in the header)
-
 // forward declare zmq_msg_t to avoid including zmq.h in the header
 class zmq_msg_t;
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief Socket to receive data from a ZMQ publisher
+ * @note needs to be in sync with the main library (or maybe better use the versioning in the header)
+ */
 class ZmqSocketReceiver : public ZmqSocket {
   public:
     ZmqSocketReceiver(const std::string &endpoint);
diff --git a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketSender.hpp b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketSender.hpp
index 1a7f9fb..2ef379f 100644
--- a/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketSender.hpp
+++ b/network_io/include/aare/network_io/ZmqSocketSender.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@
 #include "aare/network_io/defs.hpp"
 
 namespace aare {
+
+/**
+ * @brief Socket to send data to a ZMQ subscriber
+ * @note needs to be in sync with the main library (or maybe better use the versioning in the header)
+ */
 class ZmqSocketSender : public ZmqSocket {
   public:
     ZmqSocketSender(const std::string &endpoint);
diff --git a/network_io/src/ZmqHeader.cpp b/network_io/src/ZmqHeader.cpp
index fdc67a2..76bf34f 100644
--- a/network_io/src/ZmqHeader.cpp
+++ b/network_io/src/ZmqHeader.cpp
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ std::string ZmqHeader::to_string() const {
     write_digit(s, "ndety", ndety);
     write_digit(s, "npixelsx", npixelsx);
     write_digit(s, "npixelsy", npixelsy);
-    write_digit(s, "imageSize", imageSize);
+    write_digit(s, "size", size);
     write_digit(s, "acqIndex", acqIndex);
     write_digit(s, "frameIndex", frameIndex);
     write_digit(s, "progress", progress);
@@ -117,7 +117,6 @@ void ZmqHeader::from_string(std::string &s) {
 
     for (auto field : object) {
         std::string_view key = field.unescaped_key();
-
         if (key == "data") {
             data = uint64_t(field.value()) ? true : false;
         } else if (key == "jsonversion") {
@@ -134,8 +133,8 @@ void ZmqHeader::from_string(std::string &s) {
             npixelsx = uint32_t(field.value());
         } else if (key == "npixelsy") {
             npixelsy = uint32_t(field.value());
-        } else if (key == "imageSize") {
-            imageSize = uint32_t(field.value());
+        } else if (key == "size") {
+            size = uint32_t(field.value());
         } else if (key == "acqIndex") {
             acqIndex = uint64_t(field.value());
         } else if (key == "frameIndex") {
@@ -187,7 +186,7 @@ void ZmqHeader::from_string(std::string &s) {
 bool ZmqHeader::operator==(const ZmqHeader &other) const {
     return data == other.data && jsonversion == other.jsonversion && dynamicRange == other.dynamicRange &&
            fileIndex == other.fileIndex && ndetx == other.ndetx && ndety == other.ndety && npixelsx == other.npixelsx &&
-           npixelsy == other.npixelsy && imageSize == other.imageSize && acqIndex == other.acqIndex &&
+           npixelsy == other.npixelsy && size == other.size && acqIndex == other.acqIndex &&
            frameIndex == other.frameIndex && progress == other.progress && fname == other.fname &&
            frameNumber == other.frameNumber && expLength == other.expLength && packetNumber == other.packetNumber &&
            detSpec1 == other.detSpec1 && timestamp == other.timestamp && modId == other.modId && row == other.row &&
diff --git a/network_io/src/ZmqSocket.cpp b/network_io/src/ZmqSocket.cpp
index 6200aac..e3d6b3f 100644
--- a/network_io/src/ZmqSocket.cpp
+++ b/network_io/src/ZmqSocket.cpp
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@
 
 namespace aare {
 
+/**
+ * @brief closes the socket and destroys the context
+ * @return void
+ * @note this function is called by the destructor
+ */
 void ZmqSocket::disconnect() {
     zmq_close(m_socket);
     zmq_ctx_destroy(m_context);
@@ -10,6 +15,10 @@ void ZmqSocket::disconnect() {
     m_context = nullptr;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief destructor
+ * @note called from child classes (ZmqSocketReceiver and ZmqSocketSender)
+ */
 ZmqSocket::~ZmqSocket() {
     if (m_socket)
         disconnect();
diff --git a/network_io/src/ZmqSocketReceiver.cpp b/network_io/src/ZmqSocketReceiver.cpp
index 2235def..60d191b 100644
--- a/network_io/src/ZmqSocketReceiver.cpp
+++ b/network_io/src/ZmqSocketReceiver.cpp
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ int ZmqSocketReceiver::receive_data(std::byte *data, size_t size) {
     return data_bytes_received;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief receive a ZmqFrame (header and data)
+ * @return ZmqFrame
+ */
 ZmqFrame ZmqSocketReceiver::receive_zmqframe() {
     // receive header from zmq and parse it
     ZmqHeader header = receive_header();
@@ -94,13 +98,17 @@ ZmqFrame ZmqSocketReceiver::receive_zmqframe() {
     if (bytes_received == -1) {
         throw network_io::NetworkError(LOCATION + "Error receiving frame");
     }
-    if ((uint32_t)bytes_received != header.imageSize) {
+    if ((uint32_t)bytes_received != header.size) {
         throw network_io::NetworkError(
-            fmt::format("{} Expected {} bytes but received {}", LOCATION, header.imageSize, bytes_received));
+            fmt::format("{} Expected {} bytes but received {}", LOCATION, header.size, bytes_received));
     }
     return {header, std::move(frame)};
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief receive multiple ZmqFrames (header and data)
+ * @return std::vector<ZmqFrame>
+ */
 std::vector<ZmqFrame> ZmqSocketReceiver::receive_n() {
     std::vector<ZmqFrame> frames;
     while (true) {
diff --git a/network_io/test/ZmqHeader.test.cpp b/network_io/test/ZmqHeader.test.cpp
index c7769ff..de5b8b9 100644
--- a/network_io/test/ZmqHeader.test.cpp
+++ b/network_io/test/ZmqHeader.test.cpp
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ TEST_CASE("Test ZmqHeader") {
     header.fileIndex = 4;
     header.ndetx = 5;
     header.ndety = 6;
-    header.imageSize = 4800;
+    header.size = 4800;
     header.acqIndex = 8;
     header.frameIndex = 9;
     header.progress = 0.1;
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ TEST_CASE("Test ZmqHeader") {
                               "\"ndety\": 6, "
                               "\"npixelsx\": 10, "
                               "\"npixelsy\": 15, "
-                              "\"imageSize\": 4800, "
+                              "\"size\": 4800, "
                               "\"acqIndex\": 8, "
                               "\"frameIndex\": 9, "
                               "\"progress\": 0.100000, "
diff --git a/utils/include/aare/utils/logger.hpp b/utils/include/aare/utils/logger.hpp
index 87928bf..3091971 100644
--- a/utils/include/aare/utils/logger.hpp
+++ b/utils/include/aare/utils/logger.hpp
@@ -5,10 +5,19 @@
 #include <map>
 #include <vector>
 
+/**
+ * @brief LOCATION macro to get the current location in the code
+ */
 #define LOCATION std::string(__FILE__) + std::string(":") + std::to_string(__LINE__) + ":" + std::string(__func__) + ":"
 
-// operator overload to print vectors
-// typename T must be printable (i.e. have the << operator)
+/**
+ * @brief operator overload for std::vector
+ * @tparam T type of the vector. T should have operator<< defined
+ * @param out output stream
+ * @param v vector to print
+ * @return std::ostream& output stream
+ * @note this is used to print vectors in the logger (or anywhere else)
+ */
 template <typename T> std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, const std::vector<T> &v) {
     out << "[";
     size_t last = v.size() - 1;
@@ -21,7 +30,15 @@ template <typename T> std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, const std::vec
     return out;
 }
 
-// operator overload for std::array
+/**
+ * @brief operator overload for std::array
+ * @tparam T type of the array. T should have operator<< defined
+ * @tparam N size of the array
+ * @param out output stream
+ * @param v array to print
+ * @return std::ostream& output stream
+ *
+ */
 template <typename T, size_t N> std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, const std::array<T, N> &v) {
     out << "[";
     size_t last = N - 1;
@@ -33,7 +50,16 @@ template <typename T, size_t N> std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, cons
     out << "]";
     return out;
 }
-// operator overlaod for std::map
+
+/**
+ * @brief operator overload for std::map
+ * @tparam K type of the key in the map. K should have operator<< defined
+ * @tparam V type of the value in the map. V should have operator<< defined
+ * @param out output stream
+ * @param v map to print
+ * @return std::ostream& output stream
+ *
+ */
 template <typename K, typename V> std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, const std::map<K, V> &v) {
     out << "{";
     size_t i = 0;
@@ -48,6 +74,9 @@ template <typename K, typename V> std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, co
 namespace aare {
 
 namespace logger {
+/**
+ * @brief enum to define the logging level
+ */
 enum LOGGING_LEVEL {
     DEBUG = 0,
     INFO = 1,
@@ -56,36 +85,64 @@ enum LOGGING_LEVEL {
 
 };
 
+/**
+ * @brief Logger class to log messages
+ * @note can be used to log to file or to a std::streambuf (like std::cout)
+ * @note by default logs to std::cout and std::cerr with INFO verbosity
+ */
 class Logger {
 
-    std::streambuf *standard_buf = std::cout.rdbuf();
-    std::streambuf *error_buf = std::cerr.rdbuf();
-    std::ostream *standard_output;
-    std::ostream *error_output;
-    LOGGING_LEVEL VERBOSITY_LEVEL = LOGGING_LEVEL::INFO;
-
-    std::ofstream out_file;
-
   public:
+    /**
+     * @brief get the instance of the logger
+     */
+    Logger() {
+        standard_output = new std::ostream(standard_buf);
+        error_output = new std::ostream(error_buf);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief set the output file for the logger by filename
+     * @param filename name of the file to log to
+     * @return void
+     */
     void set_output_file(std::string filename) {
         if (out_file.is_open())
             out_file.close();
         out_file.open(filename);
         set_streams(out_file.rdbuf());
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief set the output streams for the logger
+     * @param out output stream for standard output
+     * @param err output stream for error output
+     * @return void
+     */
     void set_streams(std::streambuf *out, std::streambuf *err) {
         delete standard_output;
         delete error_output;
         standard_output = new std::ostream(out);
         error_output = new std::ostream(err);
     }
+    /**
+     * @brief set the output streams for the logger
+     * @param out output stream for both standard and error output
+     * @return void
+     */
     void set_streams(std::streambuf *out) { set_streams(out, out); }
-    void set_verbosity(LOGGING_LEVEL level) { VERBOSITY_LEVEL = level; }
-    Logger() {
-        standard_output = new std::ostream(standard_buf);
-        error_output = new std::ostream(error_buf);
-    }
 
+    /**
+     * @brief set the verbosity level of the logger
+     * @param level verbosity level
+     */
+    void set_verbosity(LOGGING_LEVEL level) { VERBOSITY_LEVEL = level; }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief destructor for the logger
+     * @note closes the file if it is open
+     * @note flushes the output streams
+     */
     ~Logger() {
         if (out_file.is_open())
             out_file.close();
@@ -95,16 +152,51 @@ class Logger {
         delete standard_output;
         delete error_output;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief log a message
+     * @tparam level logging level
+     * @tparam Strings variadic template for inferring the types of the arguments (not necessarily strings but can be
+     * any printable type)
+     * @param s arguments to log
+     * @return void
+     */
     template <LOGGING_LEVEL level, typename... Strings> void log(const Strings... s) {
         if (level >= VERBOSITY_LEVEL)
             log_<level>(s...);
     }
+    /**
+     * @brief log a message with DEBUG level
+     */
     template <typename... Strings> void debug(const Strings... s) { log<LOGGING_LEVEL::DEBUG>("[DEBUG]", s...); }
+    /**
+     * @brief log a message with INFO level
+     */
     template <typename... Strings> void info(const Strings... s) { log<LOGGING_LEVEL::INFO>("[INFO]", s...); }
+    /**
+     * @brief log a message with WARNING level
+     */
     template <typename... Strings> void warn(const Strings... s) { log<LOGGING_LEVEL::WARNING>("[WARN]", s...); }
+    /**
+     * @brief log a message with ERROR level
+     */
     template <typename... Strings> void error(const Strings... s) { log<LOGGING_LEVEL::ERROR>("[ERROR]", s...); }
 
   private:
+    std::streambuf *standard_buf = std::cout.rdbuf();
+    std::streambuf *error_buf = std::cerr.rdbuf();
+    std::ostream *standard_output;
+    std::ostream *error_output;
+    LOGGING_LEVEL VERBOSITY_LEVEL = LOGGING_LEVEL::INFO;
+
+    std::ofstream out_file;
+    /**
+     * @brief log_ function private function to log messages
+     * @tparam level logging level
+     * @note this is the final function in the recursive template function log_
+     * @note this function is called when there are no more arguments to log
+     * @note adds a newline at the end of the log message
+     */
     template <LOGGING_LEVEL level> void log_() {
         if (level == LOGGING_LEVEL::ERROR) {
             *error_output << std::endl;
@@ -112,6 +204,16 @@ class Logger {
             *standard_output << std::endl;
         }
     }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief log_ recursive function private function to log messages
+     * @tparam level logging level
+     * @tparam First type of the first argument
+     * @tparam Strings variadic template for inferring the types of the arguments
+     * @param arg first argument to log
+     * @param s rest of the arguments to log
+     * @note called at first from the public log function
+     */
     template <LOGGING_LEVEL level, typename First, typename... Strings> void log_(First arg, const Strings... s) {
         if (level == LOGGING_LEVEL::ERROR) {
             *error_output << (arg) << ' ';
@@ -125,16 +227,44 @@ class Logger {
 };
 
 namespace internal {
-
+/**
+ * @brief global instance of the logger
+ */
 extern aare::logger::Logger logger_instance;
 } // namespace internal
 
+/**
+ * functions below are the public interface to the logger.
+ * These functions call the corresponding functions in the logger_instance
+ * @note this is done to avoid having to pass the logger_instance around and allow users to assign their own
+ * logger_instance
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @brief log a message with the given level
+ * @tparam level logging level
+ * @tparam Strings variadic template for inferring the types of the arguments
+ * @param s arguments to log
+ * @return void
+ */
 template <LOGGING_LEVEL level, typename... Strings> void log(const Strings... s) {
     internal::logger_instance.log<level>(s...);
 }
+/**
+ * @brief log a message with DEBUG level
+ */
 template <typename... Strings> void debug(const Strings... s) { internal::logger_instance.debug(s...); }
+/**
+ * @brief log a message with INFO level
+ */
 template <typename... Strings> void info(const Strings... s) { internal::logger_instance.info(s...); }
+/**
+ * @brief log a message with WARNING level
+ */
 template <typename... Strings> void warn(const Strings... s) { internal::logger_instance.warn(s...); }
+/**
+ * @brief log a message with ERROR level
+ */
 template <typename... Strings> void error(const Strings... s) { internal::logger_instance.error(s...); }
 
 extern void set_streams(std::streambuf *out, std::streambuf *err);