global.myNumber; // Declaration of the global variable - undefined
global.myNumber = 5; // Global variable initialized to value 5. 
var myNumberSquared = global.myNumber * global.myNumber; // Using the global variable. 

Node.js is different from client Side JavaScript when it comes to global variables. Just because you use the word var at the top of your Node.js script does not mean the variable will be accessible by all objects you require such as your 'basic-logger' .

To make something global just put the word global and a dot in front of the variable's name. So if I want company_id to be global I call it global.company_id. But be careful, global.company_id and company_id are the same thing so don't name global variable the same thing as any other variable in any other script - any other script that will be running on your server or any other place within the same code.

In Node.js, you can set global variables via the "global" or "GLOBAL" object:

GLOBAL._ = require('underscore'); // But you "shouldn't" do this! (see note below)

or more usefully...

GLOBAL.window = GLOBAL;  // Like in the browser

From the Node.js source, you can see that these are aliased to each other:

node-v0.6.6/src/node.js:
28:     global = this;
128:    global.GLOBAL = global;

In the code above, "this" is the global context. With the CommonJS module system (which Node.js uses), the "this" object inside of a module (i.e., "your code") is not the global context. For proof of this, see below where I spew the "this" object and then the giant "GLOBAL" object.

console.log("\nTHIS:");
console.log(this);
console.log("\nGLOBAL:");
console.log(global);

/* Outputs ...

THIS:
{}

GLOBAL:
{ ArrayBuffer: [Function: ArrayBuffer],
  Int8Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 1 },
  Uint8Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 1 },
  Int16Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 2 },
  Uint16Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 2 },
  Int32Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 4 },
  Uint32Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 4 },
  Float32Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 4 },
  Float64Array: { [Function] BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: 8 },
  DataView: [Function: DataView],
  global: [Circular],
  process:
   { EventEmitter: [Function: EventEmitter],
     title: 'node',
     assert: [Function],
     version: 'v0.6.5',
     _tickCallback: [Function],
     moduleLoadList:
      [ 'Binding evals',
        'Binding natives',
        'NativeModule events',
        'NativeModule buffer',
        'Binding buffer',
        'NativeModule assert',
        'NativeModule util',
        'NativeModule path',
        'NativeModule module',
        'NativeModule fs',
        'Binding fs',
        'Binding constants',
        'NativeModule stream',
        'NativeModule console',
        'Binding tty_wrap',
        'NativeModule tty',
        'NativeModule net',
        'NativeModule timers',
        'Binding timer_wrap',
        'NativeModule _linklist' ],
     versions:
      { node: '0.6.5',
        v8: '3.6.6.11',
        ares: '1.7.5-DEV',
        uv: '0.6',
        openssl: '0.9.8n' },
     nextTick: [Function],
     stdout: [Getter],
     arch: 'x64',
     stderr: [Getter],
     platform: 'darwin',
     argv: [ 'node', '/workspace/zd/zgap/darwin-js/index.js' ],
     stdin: [Getter],
     env:
      { TERM_PROGRAM: 'iTerm.app',
        'COM_GOOGLE_CHROME_FRAMEWORK_SERVICE_PROCESS/USERS/DDOPSON/LIBRARY/APPLICATION_SUPPORT/GOOGLE/CHROME_SOCKET': '/tmp/launch-nNl1vo/ServiceProcessSocket',
        TERM: 'xterm',
        SHELL: '/bin/bash',
        TMPDIR: '/var/folders/2h/2hQmtmXlFT4yVGtr5DBpdl9LAiQ/-Tmp-/',
        Apple_PubSub_Socket_Render: '/tmp/launch-9Ga0PT/Render',
        USER: 'ddopson',
        COMMAND_MODE: 'unix2003',
        SSH_AUTH_SOCK: '/tmp/launch-sD905b/Listeners',
        __CF_USER_TEXT_ENCODING: '0x12D732E7:0:0',
        PATH: '/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:~/bin:/usr/X11/bin',
        PWD: '/workspace/zd/zgap/darwin-js',
        LANG: 'en_US.UTF-8',
        ITERM_PROFILE: 'Default',
        SHLVL: '1',
        COLORFGBG: '7;0',
        HOME: '/Users/ddopson',
        ITERM_SESSION_ID: 'w0t0p0',
        LOGNAME: 'ddopson',
        DISPLAY: '/tmp/launch-l9RQXI/org.x:0',
        OLDPWD: '/workspace/zd/zgap/darwin-js/external',
        _: './index.js' },
     openStdin: [Function],
     exit: [Function],
     pid: 10321,
     features:
      { debug: false,
        uv: true,
        ipv6: true,
        tls_npn: false,
        tls_sni: true,
        tls: true },
     kill: [Function],
     execPath: '/usr/local/bin/node',
     addListener: [Function],
     _needTickCallback: [Function],
     on: [Function],
     removeListener: [Function],
     reallyExit: [Function],
     chdir: [Function],
     debug: [Function],
     error: [Function],
     cwd: [Function],
     watchFile: [Function],
     umask: [Function],
     getuid: [Function],
     unwatchFile: [Function],
     mixin: [Function],
     setuid: [Function],
     setgid: [Function],
     createChildProcess: [Function],
     getgid: [Function],
     inherits: [Function],
     _kill: [Function],
     _byteLength: [Function],
     mainModule:
      { id: '.',
        exports: {},
        parent: null,
        filename: '/workspace/zd/zgap/darwin-js/index.js',
        loaded: false,
        exited: false,
        children: [],
        paths: [Object] },
     _debugProcess: [Function],
     dlopen: [Function],
     uptime: [Function],
     memoryUsage: [Function],
     uvCounters: [Function],
     binding: [Function] },
  GLOBAL: [Circular],
  root: [Circular],
  Buffer:
   { [Function: Buffer]
     poolSize: 8192,
     isBuffer: [Function: isBuffer],
     byteLength: [Function],
     _charsWritten: 8 },
  setTimeout: [Function],
  setInterval: [Function],
  clearTimeout: [Function],
  clearInterval: [Function],
  console: [Getter],
  window: [Circular],
  navigator: {} }
*/

** Note: regarding setting "GLOBAL._", in general you should just do var _ = require('underscore');. Yes, you do that in every single file that uses Underscore.js, just like how in Java you do import com.foo.bar;. This makes it easier to figure out what your code is doing because the linkages between files are 'explicit'. It is mildly annoying, but a good thing. .... That's the preaching.

There is an exception to every rule. I have had precisely exactly one instance where I needed to set "GLOBAL._". I was creating a system for defining "configuration" files which were basically JSON, but were "written in JavaScript" to allow a bit more flexibility. Such configuration files had no 'require' statements, but I wanted them to have access to Underscore.js (the entire system was predicated on Underscore.js and Underscore.js templates), so before evaluating the "configuration", I would set "GLOBAL._". So yeah, for every rule, there's an exception somewhere. But you had better have a darn good reason and not just "I get tired of typing 'require', so I want to break with the convention".