diff --git a/conftest.py b/conftest.py
index 7427da7a09..b01b313085 100644
--- a/conftest.py
+++ b/conftest.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import sys
 import platform
 import pathlib
+import logging
 
 import pytest
 import path
@@ -36,39 +37,20 @@ def needs_zlib():
     pytest.importorskip('zlib')
 
 
-# from jaraco.collections
-class Everything:
-    def __contains__(self, other):
-        return True
-
-
-class SavedLogs(list):
-    def render(self, *levels):
-        return [
-            msg % args for level, msg, args in self if level in (levels or Everything())
-        ]
-
-
-@pytest.fixture
-def logs(monkeypatch):
-    from distutils import log
-
-    logs = SavedLogs()
-    log_levels = log.DEBUG, log.INFO, log.WARN, log.ERROR, log.FATAL
-
-    def _log(self, level, msg, args):
-        self.logs.append((level, msg, args))
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def log_everything():
+    """
+    For tests, set the level on the logger to log everything.
+    """
+    logging.getLogger('distutils').setLevel(0)
 
-    def save_log(self, level, msg, args):
-        if level not in log_levels:
-            raise ValueError(f'invalid log level {level}')
-        if not isinstance(msg, str):
-            raise TypeError(f'msg should be str, not {type(msg).__name__!r}')
-        logs.append((level, msg, args))
 
-    monkeypatch.setattr(log.Log, '_log', save_log)
-    monkeypatch.setattr(log._global_log, 'threshold', log.FATAL)
-    return logs
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def capture_log_at_info(caplog):
+    """
+    By default, capture logs at INFO and greater.
+    """
+    caplog.set_level(logging.INFO)
 
 
 def _save_cwd():
@@ -111,15 +93,6 @@ def temp_cwd(tmp_path):
         yield
 
 
-@pytest.fixture
-def threshold_warn():
-    from distutils.log import set_threshold, WARN
-
-    orig = set_threshold(WARN)
-    yield
-    set_threshold(orig)
-
-
 @pytest.fixture
 def pypirc(request, save_env, distutils_managed_tempdir):
     from distutils.core import PyPIRCCommand
diff --git a/distutils/_log.py b/distutils/_log.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4a2ae0acb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/distutils/_log.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+import logging
+
+
+log = logging.getLogger()
diff --git a/distutils/_msvccompiler.py b/distutils/_msvccompiler.py
index d25dec1c2e..8b4023c420 100644
--- a/distutils/_msvccompiler.py
+++ b/distutils/_msvccompiler.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
     LinkError,
 )
 from .ccompiler import CCompiler, gen_lib_options
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 from .util import get_platform
 
 from itertools import count
diff --git a/distutils/archive_util.py b/distutils/archive_util.py
index f9c4ed628b..7f9e1e00cc 100644
--- a/distutils/archive_util.py
+++ b/distutils/archive_util.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 from .errors import DistutilsExecError
 from .spawn import spawn
 from .dir_util import mkpath
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 try:
     from pwd import getpwnam
diff --git a/distutils/bcppcompiler.py b/distutils/bcppcompiler.py
index 4aa1edf21e..5d6b86536e 100644
--- a/distutils/bcppcompiler.py
+++ b/distutils/bcppcompiler.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 from .ccompiler import CCompiler, gen_preprocess_options
 from .file_util import write_file
 from .dep_util import newer
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 
 warnings.warn(
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ def link(  # noqa: C901
         )
 
         if runtime_library_dirs:
-            log.warn(
+            log.warning(
                 "I don't know what to do with 'runtime_library_dirs': %s",
                 str(runtime_library_dirs),
             )
diff --git a/distutils/ccompiler.py b/distutils/ccompiler.py
index 1e79e8e45e..646353111f 100644
--- a/distutils/ccompiler.py
+++ b/distutils/ccompiler.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 from .dir_util import mkpath
 from .dep_util import newer_group
 from .util import split_quoted, execute
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 
 class CCompiler:
diff --git a/distutils/cmd.py b/distutils/cmd.py
index 88a90ead55..918db85325 100644
--- a/distutils/cmd.py
+++ b/distutils/cmd.py
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@
 import sys
 import os
 import re
+import logging
 
 from .errors import DistutilsOptionError
-from . import util, dir_util, file_util, archive_util, dep_util, log
+from . import util, dir_util, file_util, archive_util, dep_util
+from ._log import log
 
 
 class Command:
@@ -156,14 +158,14 @@ def dump_options(self, header=None, indent=""):
 
         if header is None:
             header = "command options for '%s':" % self.get_command_name()
-        self.announce(indent + header, level=log.INFO)
+        self.announce(indent + header, level=logging.INFO)
         indent = indent + "  "
         for (option, _, _) in self.user_options:
             option = option.translate(longopt_xlate)
             if option[-1] == "=":
                 option = option[:-1]
             value = getattr(self, option)
-            self.announce(indent + "{} = {}".format(option, value), level=log.INFO)
+            self.announce(indent + "{} = {}".format(option, value), level=logging.INFO)
 
     def run(self):
         """A command's raison d'etre: carry out the action it exists to
@@ -179,10 +181,7 @@ def run(self):
             "abstract method -- subclass %s must override" % self.__class__
         )
 
-    def announce(self, msg, level=1):
-        """If the current verbosity level is of greater than or equal to
-        'level' print 'msg' to stdout.
-        """
+    def announce(self, msg, level=logging.DEBUG):
         log.log(level, msg)
 
     def debug_print(self, msg):
@@ -334,7 +333,7 @@ def get_sub_commands(self):
     # -- External world manipulation -----------------------------------
 
     def warn(self, msg):
-        log.warn("warning: %s: %s\n", self.get_command_name(), msg)
+        log.warning("warning: %s: %s\n", self.get_command_name(), msg)
 
     def execute(self, func, args, msg=None, level=1):
         util.execute(func, args, msg, dry_run=self.dry_run)
diff --git a/distutils/command/bdist_dumb.py b/distutils/command/bdist_dumb.py
index 4afea28ceb..071da77e18 100644
--- a/distutils/command/bdist_dumb.py
+++ b/distutils/command/bdist_dumb.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 from ..dir_util import remove_tree, ensure_relative
 from ..errors import DistutilsPlatformError
 from ..sysconfig import get_python_version
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 class bdist_dumb(Command):
diff --git a/distutils/command/bdist_rpm.py b/distutils/command/bdist_rpm.py
index 524314386d..340527b08a 100644
--- a/distutils/command/bdist_rpm.py
+++ b/distutils/command/bdist_rpm.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
     DistutilsExecError,
 )
 from ..sysconfig import get_python_version
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 class bdist_rpm(Command):
diff --git a/distutils/command/build_clib.py b/distutils/command/build_clib.py
index 442cd54ae6..f90c566432 100644
--- a/distutils/command/build_clib.py
+++ b/distutils/command/build_clib.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 from ..core import Command
 from ..errors import DistutilsSetupError
 from ..sysconfig import customize_compiler
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 def show_compilers():
diff --git a/distutils/command/build_ext.py b/distutils/command/build_ext.py
index 3019c7570b..f4c0eccd4f 100644
--- a/distutils/command/build_ext.py
+++ b/distutils/command/build_ext.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 from ..dep_util import newer_group
 from ..extension import Extension
 from ..util import get_platform
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 from . import py37compat
 
 from site import USER_BASE
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ def check_extensions_list(self, extensions):  # noqa: C901
 
             ext_name, build_info = ext
 
-            log.warn(
+            log.warning(
                 "old-style (ext_name, build_info) tuple found in "
                 "ext_modules for extension '%s' "
                 "-- please convert to Extension instance",
@@ -413,7 +413,9 @@ def check_extensions_list(self, extensions):  # noqa: C901
             # Medium-easy stuff: same syntax/semantics, different names.
             ext.runtime_library_dirs = build_info.get('rpath')
             if 'def_file' in build_info:
-                log.warn("'def_file' element of build info dict " "no longer supported")
+                log.warning(
+                    "'def_file' element of build info dict " "no longer supported"
+                )
 
             # Non-trivial stuff: 'macros' split into 'define_macros'
             # and 'undef_macros'.
@@ -597,7 +599,7 @@ def swig_sources(self, sources, extension):
         # the temp dir.
 
         if self.swig_cpp:
-            log.warn("--swig-cpp is deprecated - use --swig-opts=-c++")
+            log.warning("--swig-cpp is deprecated - use --swig-opts=-c++")
 
         if (
             self.swig_cpp
diff --git a/distutils/command/build_py.py b/distutils/command/build_py.py
index d3dfbf8b24..9f78324452 100644
--- a/distutils/command/build_py.py
+++ b/distutils/command/build_py.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 from ..core import Command
 from ..errors import DistutilsOptionError, DistutilsFileError
 from ..util import convert_path
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 class build_py(Command):
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ def check_package(self, package, package_dir):
 
     def check_module(self, module, module_file):
         if not os.path.isfile(module_file):
-            log.warn("file %s (for module %s) not found", module_file, module)
+            log.warning("file %s (for module %s) not found", module_file, module)
             return False
         else:
             return True
diff --git a/distutils/command/build_scripts.py b/distutils/command/build_scripts.py
index 728535dad7..87174f6bb1 100644
--- a/distutils/command/build_scripts.py
+++ b/distutils/command/build_scripts.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 from ..core import Command
 from ..dep_util import newer
 from ..util import convert_path
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 import tokenize
 
 shebang_pattern = re.compile('^#!.*python[0-9.]*([ \t].*)?$')
diff --git a/distutils/command/clean.py b/distutils/command/clean.py
index d1b8a20696..d6eb3ebad6 100644
--- a/distutils/command/clean.py
+++ b/distutils/command/clean.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import os
 from ..core import Command
 from ..dir_util import remove_tree
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 class clean(Command):
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def run(self):
                 if os.path.exists(directory):
                     remove_tree(directory, dry_run=self.dry_run)
                 else:
-                    log.warn("'%s' does not exist -- can't clean it", directory)
+                    log.warning("'%s' does not exist -- can't clean it", directory)
 
         # just for the heck of it, try to remove the base build directory:
         # we might have emptied it right now, but if not we don't care
diff --git a/distutils/command/config.py b/distutils/command/config.py
index e7ae83f1bd..8bf0e4893b 100644
--- a/distutils/command/config.py
+++ b/distutils/command/config.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 from ..core import Command
 from ..errors import DistutilsExecError
 from ..sysconfig import customize_compiler
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 LANG_EXT = {"c": ".c", "c++": ".cxx"}
 
diff --git a/distutils/command/install.py b/distutils/command/install.py
index 9db4ad99af..08d2f8812f 100644
--- a/distutils/command/install.py
+++ b/distutils/command/install.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import sysconfig
 import itertools
 
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 from ..core import Command
 from ..debug import DEBUG
 from ..sysconfig import get_config_vars
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ def handle_extra_path(self):
             self.extra_path = self.distribution.extra_path
 
         if self.extra_path is not None:
-            log.warn(
+            log.warning(
                 "Distribution option extra_path is deprecated. "
                 "See issue27919 for details."
             )
diff --git a/distutils/command/install_egg_info.py b/distutils/command/install_egg_info.py
index ff9f0284bb..f3e8f3447d 100644
--- a/distutils/command/install_egg_info.py
+++ b/distutils/command/install_egg_info.py
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@
 import re
 
 from ..cmd import Command
-from distutils import log, dir_util
+from .. import dir_util
+from .._log import log
 
 
 class install_egg_info(Command):
diff --git a/distutils/command/install_scripts.py b/distutils/command/install_scripts.py
index d4d3e3f333..ec6ec5acaa 100644
--- a/distutils/command/install_scripts.py
+++ b/distutils/command/install_scripts.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 import os
 from ..core import Command
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 from stat import ST_MODE
 
 
diff --git a/distutils/command/register.py b/distutils/command/register.py
index 1a62ee3f16..55c1045ec6 100644
--- a/distutils/command/register.py
+++ b/distutils/command/register.py
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@
 
 import getpass
 import io
+import logging
 import urllib.parse
 import urllib.request
 from warnings import warn
 
 from ..core import PyPIRCCommand
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 class register(PyPIRCCommand):
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ def send_metadata(self):  # noqa: C901
  3. have the server generate a new password for you (and email it to you), or
  4. quit
 Your selection [default 1]: ''',
-                log.INFO,
+                logging.INFO,
             )
             choice = input()
             if not choice:
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ def send_metadata(self):  # noqa: C901
             auth.add_password(self.realm, host, username, password)
             # send the info to the server and report the result
             code, result = self.post_to_server(self.build_post_data('submit'), auth)
-            self.announce('Server response ({}): {}'.format(code, result), log.INFO)
+            self.announce('Server response ({}): {}'.format(code, result), logging.INFO)
 
             # possibly save the login
             if code == 200:
@@ -188,11 +189,11 @@ def send_metadata(self):  # noqa: C901
                             'I can store your PyPI login so future '
                             'submissions will be faster.'
                         ),
-                        log.INFO,
+                        logging.INFO,
                     )
                     self.announce(
                         '(the login will be stored in %s)' % self._get_rc_file(),
-                        log.INFO,
+                        logging.INFO,
                     )
                     choice = 'X'
                     while choice.lower() not in 'yn':
@@ -265,7 +266,8 @@ def post_to_server(self, data, auth=None):  # noqa: C901
         '''Post a query to the server, and return a string response.'''
         if 'name' in data:
             self.announce(
-                'Registering {} to {}'.format(data['name'], self.repository), log.INFO
+                'Registering {} to {}'.format(data['name'], self.repository),
+                logging.INFO,
             )
         # Build up the MIME payload for the urllib2 POST data
         boundary = '--------------GHSKFJDLGDS7543FJKLFHRE75642756743254'
@@ -315,5 +317,5 @@ def post_to_server(self, data, auth=None):  # noqa: C901
             result = 200, 'OK'
         if self.show_response:
             msg = '\n'.join(('-' * 75, data, '-' * 75))
-            self.announce(msg, log.INFO)
+            self.announce(msg, logging.INFO)
         return result
diff --git a/distutils/command/sdist.py b/distutils/command/sdist.py
index 86e41e5fe7..5cfd4c1456 100644
--- a/distutils/command/sdist.py
+++ b/distutils/command/sdist.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 from distutils import archive_util
 from ..text_file import TextFile
 from ..filelist import FileList
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 from ..util import convert_path
 from ..errors import DistutilsOptionError, DistutilsTemplateError
 
@@ -481,12 +481,12 @@ def make_release_tree(self, base_dir, files):
             msg = "copying files to %s..." % base_dir
 
         if not files:
-            log.warn("no files to distribute -- empty manifest?")
+            log.warning("no files to distribute -- empty manifest?")
         else:
             log.info(msg)
         for file in files:
             if not os.path.isfile(file):
-                log.warn("'%s' not a regular file -- skipping", file)
+                log.warning("'%s' not a regular file -- skipping", file)
             else:
                 dest = os.path.join(base_dir, file)
                 self.copy_file(file, dest, link=link)
diff --git a/distutils/command/upload.py b/distutils/command/upload.py
index 633273ee7d..16e15d8b60 100644
--- a/distutils/command/upload.py
+++ b/distutils/command/upload.py
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@
 import os
 import io
 import hashlib
+import logging
 from base64 import standard_b64encode
 from urllib.request import urlopen, Request, HTTPError
 from urllib.parse import urlparse
 from ..errors import DistutilsError, DistutilsOptionError
 from ..core import PyPIRCCommand
 from ..spawn import spawn
-from distutils import log
 
 
 # PyPI Warehouse supports MD5, SHA256, and Blake2 (blake2-256)
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ def upload_file(self, command, pyversion, filename):  # noqa: C901
         body = body.getvalue()
 
         msg = "Submitting {} to {}".format(filename, self.repository)
-        self.announce(msg, log.INFO)
+        self.announce(msg, logging.INFO)
 
         # build the Request
         headers = {
@@ -190,16 +190,18 @@ def upload_file(self, command, pyversion, filename):  # noqa: C901
             status = e.code
             reason = e.msg
         except OSError as e:
-            self.announce(str(e), log.ERROR)
+            self.announce(str(e), logging.ERROR)
             raise
 
         if status == 200:
-            self.announce('Server response ({}): {}'.format(status, reason), log.INFO)
+            self.announce(
+                'Server response ({}): {}'.format(status, reason), logging.INFO
+            )
             if self.show_response:
                 text = self._read_pypi_response(result)
                 msg = '\n'.join(('-' * 75, text, '-' * 75))
-                self.announce(msg, log.INFO)
+                self.announce(msg, logging.INFO)
         else:
             msg = 'Upload failed ({}): {}'.format(status, reason)
-            self.announce(msg, log.ERROR)
+            self.announce(msg, logging.ERROR)
             raise DistutilsError(msg)
diff --git a/distutils/dir_util.py b/distutils/dir_util.py
index 54f5410340..80f7764902 100644
--- a/distutils/dir_util.py
+++ b/distutils/dir_util.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 import os
 import errno
 from .errors import DistutilsInternalError, DistutilsFileError
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 # cache for by mkpath() -- in addition to cheapening redundant calls,
 # eliminates redundant "creating /foo/bar/baz" messages in dry-run mode
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ def remove_tree(directory, verbose=1, dry_run=0):
             if abspath in _path_created:
                 del _path_created[abspath]
         except OSError as exc:
-            log.warn("error removing %s: %s", directory, exc)
+            log.warning("error removing %s: %s", directory, exc)
 
 
 def ensure_relative(path):
diff --git a/distutils/dist.py b/distutils/dist.py
index d6677b6260..d7458a052f 100644
--- a/distutils/dist.py
+++ b/distutils/dist.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import re
 import pathlib
 import contextlib
+import logging
 from email import message_from_file
 
 try:
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@
 )
 from .fancy_getopt import FancyGetopt, translate_longopt
 from .util import check_environ, strtobool, rfc822_escape
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 from .debug import DEBUG
 
 # Regex to define acceptable Distutils command names.  This is not *quite*
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ def _ensure_list(value, fieldname):
         typename = type(value).__name__
         msg = "Warning: '{fieldname}' should be a list, got type '{typename}'"
         msg = msg.format(**locals())
-        log.log(log.WARN, msg)
+        log.warning(msg)
         value = list(value)
     return value
 
@@ -465,7 +466,7 @@ def parse_command_line(self):
         parser.set_aliases({'licence': 'license'})
         args = parser.getopt(args=self.script_args, object=self)
         option_order = parser.get_option_order()
-        log.set_verbosity(self.verbose)
+        logging.getLogger().setLevel(logging.WARN - 10 * self.verbose)
 
         # for display options we return immediately
         if self.handle_display_options(option_order):
@@ -956,7 +957,7 @@ def reinitialize_command(self, command, reinit_subcommands=0):
 
     # -- Methods that operate on the Distribution ----------------------
 
-    def announce(self, msg, level=log.INFO):
+    def announce(self, msg, level=logging.INFO):
         log.log(level, msg)
 
     def run_commands(self):
diff --git a/distutils/file_util.py b/distutils/file_util.py
index bead68eb2d..1b7cd53bd9 100644
--- a/distutils/file_util.py
+++ b/distutils/file_util.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 import os
 from .errors import DistutilsFileError
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 # for generating verbose output in 'copy_file()'
 _copy_action = {None: 'copying', 'hard': 'hard linking', 'sym': 'symbolically linking'}
diff --git a/distutils/filelist.py b/distutils/filelist.py
index 619d6338b0..6dadf923d7 100644
--- a/distutils/filelist.py
+++ b/distutils/filelist.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 from .util import convert_path
 from .errors import DistutilsTemplateError, DistutilsInternalError
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 
 class FileList:
@@ -120,13 +120,13 @@ def process_template_line(self, line):  # noqa: C901
             self.debug_print("include " + ' '.join(patterns))
             for pattern in patterns:
                 if not self.include_pattern(pattern, anchor=1):
-                    log.warn("warning: no files found matching '%s'", pattern)
+                    log.warning("warning: no files found matching '%s'", pattern)
 
         elif action == 'exclude':
             self.debug_print("exclude " + ' '.join(patterns))
             for pattern in patterns:
                 if not self.exclude_pattern(pattern, anchor=1):
-                    log.warn(
+                    log.warning(
                         (
                             "warning: no previously-included files "
                             "found matching '%s'"
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def process_template_line(self, line):  # noqa: C901
             self.debug_print("global-include " + ' '.join(patterns))
             for pattern in patterns:
                 if not self.include_pattern(pattern, anchor=0):
-                    log.warn(
+                    log.warning(
                         (
                             "warning: no files found matching '%s' "
                             "anywhere in distribution"
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def process_template_line(self, line):  # noqa: C901
             self.debug_print("global-exclude " + ' '.join(patterns))
             for pattern in patterns:
                 if not self.exclude_pattern(pattern, anchor=0):
-                    log.warn(
+                    log.warning(
                         (
                             "warning: no previously-included files matching "
                             "'%s' found anywhere in distribution"
@@ -165,13 +165,13 @@ def process_template_line(self, line):  # noqa: C901
                     msg = (
                         "warning: no files found matching '%s' " "under directory '%s'"
                     )
-                    log.warn(msg, pattern, dir)
+                    log.warning(msg, pattern, dir)
 
         elif action == 'recursive-exclude':
             self.debug_print("recursive-exclude {} {}".format(dir, ' '.join(patterns)))
             for pattern in patterns:
                 if not self.exclude_pattern(pattern, prefix=dir):
-                    log.warn(
+                    log.warning(
                         (
                             "warning: no previously-included files matching "
                             "'%s' found under directory '%s'"
@@ -183,12 +183,12 @@ def process_template_line(self, line):  # noqa: C901
         elif action == 'graft':
             self.debug_print("graft " + dir_pattern)
             if not self.include_pattern(None, prefix=dir_pattern):
-                log.warn("warning: no directories found matching '%s'", dir_pattern)
+                log.warning("warning: no directories found matching '%s'", dir_pattern)
 
         elif action == 'prune':
             self.debug_print("prune " + dir_pattern)
             if not self.exclude_pattern(None, prefix=dir_pattern):
-                log.warn(
+                log.warning(
                     ("no previously-included directories found " "matching '%s'"),
                     dir_pattern,
                 )
diff --git a/distutils/log.py b/distutils/log.py
index be25f6cabd..bb789c300d 100644
--- a/distutils/log.py
+++ b/distutils/log.py
@@ -1,80 +1,38 @@
-"""A simple log mechanism styled after PEP 282."""
+"""
+A simple log mechanism styled after PEP 282.
 
-# The class here is styled after PEP 282 so that it could later be
-# replaced with a standard Python logging implementation.
+Retained for compatibility and should not be used.
+"""
 
-import sys
+import logging
 
-DEBUG = 1
-INFO = 2
-WARN = 3
-ERROR = 4
-FATAL = 5
+from ._log import log as _global_log
 
 
-class Log:
-    def __init__(self, threshold=WARN):
-        self.threshold = threshold
+DEBUG = logging.DEBUG
+INFO = logging.INFO
+WARN = logging.WARN
+ERROR = logging.ERROR
+FATAL = logging.FATAL
 
-    def _log(self, level, msg, args):
-        if level not in (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, FATAL):
-            raise ValueError('%s wrong log level' % str(level))
-
-        if level >= self.threshold:
-            if args:
-                msg = msg % args
-            if level in (WARN, ERROR, FATAL):
-                stream = sys.stderr
-            else:
-                stream = sys.stdout
-            try:
-                stream.write('%s\n' % msg)
-            except UnicodeEncodeError:
-                # emulate backslashreplace error handler
-                encoding = stream.encoding
-                msg = msg.encode(encoding, "backslashreplace").decode(encoding)
-                stream.write('%s\n' % msg)
-            stream.flush()
-
-    def log(self, level, msg, *args):
-        self._log(level, msg, args)
-
-    def debug(self, msg, *args):
-        self._log(DEBUG, msg, args)
-
-    def info(self, msg, *args):
-        self._log(INFO, msg, args)
-
-    def warn(self, msg, *args):
-        self._log(WARN, msg, args)
-
-    def error(self, msg, *args):
-        self._log(ERROR, msg, args)
-
-    def fatal(self, msg, *args):
-        self._log(FATAL, msg, args)
-
-
-_global_log = Log()
 log = _global_log.log
 debug = _global_log.debug
 info = _global_log.info
-warn = _global_log.warn
+warn = _global_log.warning
 error = _global_log.error
 fatal = _global_log.fatal
 
 
 def set_threshold(level):
-    # return the old threshold for use from tests
-    old = _global_log.threshold
-    _global_log.threshold = level
-    return old
+    orig = _global_log.level
+    _global_log.setLevel(level)
+    return orig
 
 
 def set_verbosity(v):
     if v <= 0:
-        set_threshold(WARN)
+        set_threshold(logging.WARN)
     elif v == 1:
-        set_threshold(INFO)
+        set_threshold(logging.INFO)
     elif v >= 2:
-        set_threshold(DEBUG)
+        set_threshold(logging.DEBUG)
diff --git a/distutils/msvc9compiler.py b/distutils/msvc9compiler.py
index e9f02c1a9e..a4714a559d 100644
--- a/distutils/msvc9compiler.py
+++ b/distutils/msvc9compiler.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     LinkError,
 )
 from .ccompiler import CCompiler, gen_lib_options
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 from .util import get_platform
 
 import winreg
diff --git a/distutils/msvccompiler.py b/distutils/msvccompiler.py
index d15499d7d7..59ebe99caa 100644
--- a/distutils/msvccompiler.py
+++ b/distutils/msvccompiler.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     LinkError,
 )
 from .ccompiler import CCompiler, gen_lib_options
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 _can_read_reg = False
 try:
diff --git a/distutils/spawn.py b/distutils/spawn.py
index 7ae364486b..afefe525ef 100644
--- a/distutils/spawn.py
+++ b/distutils/spawn.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 from .errors import DistutilsExecError
 from .debug import DEBUG
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 
 def spawn(cmd, search_path=1, verbose=0, dry_run=0, env=None):  # noqa: C901
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_build_py.py b/distutils/tests/test_build_py.py
index e5f4320cae..3bef9d79ec 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_build_py.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_build_py.py
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def test_dir_in_package_data(self):
         except DistutilsFileError:
             self.fail("failed package_data when data dir includes a dir")
 
-    def test_dont_write_bytecode(self, logs):
+    def test_dont_write_bytecode(self, caplog):
         # makes sure byte_compile is not used
         dist = self.create_dist()[1]
         cmd = build_py(dist)
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ def test_dont_write_bytecode(self, logs):
         finally:
             sys.dont_write_bytecode = old_dont_write_bytecode
 
-        assert 'byte-compiling is disabled' in logs.render()[0]
+        assert 'byte-compiling is disabled' in caplog.records[0].message
 
     def test_namespace_package_does_not_warn(self, caplog):
         """
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_config.py b/distutils/tests/test_config.py
index cdf73bb95b..1ae615db95 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_config.py
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@
 
 
 @support.combine_markers
-@pytest.mark.usefixtures('threshold_warn')
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures('pypirc')
 class BasePyPIRCCommandTestCase(support.TempdirManager):
     pass
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_config_cmd.py b/distutils/tests/test_config_cmd.py
index 6d13c24f74..e72a7c5ff8 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_config_cmd.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_config_cmd.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 from distutils.command.config import dump_file, config
 from distutils.tests import support
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_dir_util.py b/distutils/tests/test_dir_util.py
index a48be7364f..0c6db4afae 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_dir_util.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_dir_util.py
@@ -26,21 +26,19 @@ def stuff(request, monkeypatch, distutils_managed_tempdir):
 
 
 class TestDirUtil(support.TempdirManager):
-    def test_mkpath_remove_tree_verbosity(self, logs):
-
+    def test_mkpath_remove_tree_verbosity(self, caplog):
         mkpath(self.target, verbose=0)
-        wanted = []
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert not caplog.records
         remove_tree(self.root_target, verbose=0)
 
         mkpath(self.target, verbose=1)
         wanted = ['creating %s' % self.root_target, 'creating %s' % self.target]
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
-        logs.clear()
+        assert caplog.messages == wanted
+        caplog.clear()
 
         remove_tree(self.root_target, verbose=1)
         wanted = ["removing '%s' (and everything under it)" % self.root_target]
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert caplog.messages == wanted
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif("platform.system() == 'Windows'")
     def test_mkpath_with_custom_mode(self):
@@ -52,24 +50,24 @@ def test_mkpath_with_custom_mode(self):
         mkpath(self.target2, 0o555)
         assert stat.S_IMODE(os.stat(self.target2).st_mode) == 0o555 & ~umask
 
-    def test_create_tree_verbosity(self, logs):
+    def test_create_tree_verbosity(self, caplog):
 
         create_tree(self.root_target, ['one', 'two', 'three'], verbose=0)
-        assert logs.render() == []
+        assert caplog.messages == []
         remove_tree(self.root_target, verbose=0)
 
         wanted = ['creating %s' % self.root_target]
         create_tree(self.root_target, ['one', 'two', 'three'], verbose=1)
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert caplog.messages == wanted
 
         remove_tree(self.root_target, verbose=0)
 
-    def test_copy_tree_verbosity(self, logs):
+    def test_copy_tree_verbosity(self, caplog):
 
         mkpath(self.target, verbose=0)
 
         copy_tree(self.target, self.target2, verbose=0)
-        assert logs.render() == []
+        assert caplog.messages == []
 
         remove_tree(self.root_target, verbose=0)
 
@@ -80,7 +78,7 @@ def test_copy_tree_verbosity(self, logs):
 
         wanted = ['copying {} -> {}'.format(a_file, self.target2)]
         copy_tree(self.target, self.target2, verbose=1)
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert caplog.messages == wanted
 
         remove_tree(self.root_target, verbose=0)
         remove_tree(self.target2, verbose=0)
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_dist.py b/distutils/tests/test_dist.py
index 6726d50648..b5e81d0356 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_dist.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_dist.py
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 from distutils.cmd import Command
 
 from distutils.tests import support
-from distutils import log
 
 
 pydistutils_cfg = '.' * (os.name == 'posix') + 'pydistutils.cfg'
@@ -236,7 +235,7 @@ def test_get_command_packages(self):
     def test_announce(self):
         # make sure the level is known
         dist = Distribution()
-        with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        with pytest.raises(TypeError):
             dist.announce('ok', level='ok2')
 
     def test_find_config_files_disable(self, temp_home):
@@ -367,7 +366,7 @@ def test_classifier(self):
         meta = self.format_metadata(dist)
         assert 'Metadata-Version: 1.1' in meta
 
-    def test_classifier_invalid_type(self, capsys):
+    def test_classifier_invalid_type(self, caplog):
         attrs = {
             'name': 'Boa',
             'version': '3.0',
@@ -375,7 +374,7 @@ def test_classifier_invalid_type(self, capsys):
         }
         d = Distribution(attrs)
         # should have warning about passing a non-list
-        assert 'should be a list' in capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert 'should be a list' in caplog.messages[0]
         # should be converted to a list
         assert isinstance(d.metadata.classifiers, list)
         assert d.metadata.classifiers == list(attrs['classifiers'])
@@ -389,7 +388,7 @@ def test_keywords(self):
         dist = Distribution(attrs)
         assert dist.get_keywords() == ['spam', 'eggs', 'life of brian']
 
-    def test_keywords_invalid_type(self, capsys):
+    def test_keywords_invalid_type(self, caplog):
         attrs = {
             'name': 'Monty',
             'version': '1.0',
@@ -397,7 +396,7 @@ def test_keywords_invalid_type(self, capsys):
         }
         d = Distribution(attrs)
         # should have warning about passing a non-list
-        assert 'should be a list' in capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert 'should be a list' in caplog.messages[0]
         # should be converted to a list
         assert isinstance(d.metadata.keywords, list)
         assert d.metadata.keywords == list(attrs['keywords'])
@@ -411,7 +410,7 @@ def test_platforms(self):
         dist = Distribution(attrs)
         assert dist.get_platforms() == ['GNU/Linux', 'Some Evil Platform']
 
-    def test_platforms_invalid_types(self, capsys):
+    def test_platforms_invalid_types(self, caplog):
         attrs = {
             'name': 'Monty',
             'version': '1.0',
@@ -419,7 +418,7 @@ def test_platforms_invalid_types(self, capsys):
         }
         d = Distribution(attrs)
         # should have warning about passing a non-list
-        assert 'should be a list' in capsys.readouterr().err
+        assert 'should be a list' in caplog.messages[0]
         # should be converted to a list
         assert isinstance(d.metadata.platforms, list)
         assert d.metadata.platforms == list(attrs['platforms'])
@@ -472,8 +471,6 @@ def test_fix_help_options(self):
 
     def test_show_help(self, request, capsys):
         # smoke test, just makes sure some help is displayed
-        reset_log = functools.partial(log.set_threshold, log._global_log.threshold)
-        request.addfinalizer(reset_log)
         dist = Distribution()
         sys.argv = []
         dist.help = 1
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_file_util.py b/distutils/tests/test_file_util.py
index 8ec56c3ba3..9f44f91dfa 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_file_util.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_file_util.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ def stuff(request, monkeypatch, distutils_managed_tempdir):
 
 
 class TestFileUtil(support.TempdirManager):
-    def test_move_file_verbosity(self, logs):
+    def test_move_file_verbosity(self, caplog):
         f = open(self.source, 'w')
         try:
             f.write('some content')
@@ -28,25 +28,24 @@ def test_move_file_verbosity(self, logs):
             f.close()
 
         move_file(self.source, self.target, verbose=0)
-        wanted = []
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert not caplog.messages
 
         # back to original state
         move_file(self.target, self.source, verbose=0)
 
         move_file(self.source, self.target, verbose=1)
         wanted = ['moving {} -> {}'.format(self.source, self.target)]
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert caplog.messages == wanted
 
         # back to original state
         move_file(self.target, self.source, verbose=0)
 
-        logs.clear()
+        caplog.clear()
         # now the target is a dir
         os.mkdir(self.target_dir)
         move_file(self.source, self.target_dir, verbose=1)
         wanted = ['moving {} -> {}'.format(self.source, self.target_dir)]
-        assert logs.render() == wanted
+        assert caplog.messages == wanted
 
     def test_move_file_exception_unpacking_rename(self):
         # see issue 22182
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py b/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py
index ed68df32b0..2cee42cddd 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_filelist.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 """Tests for distutils.filelist."""
 import os
 import re
+import logging
+
 from distutils import debug
-from distutils.log import WARN
 from distutils.errors import DistutilsTemplateError
 from distutils.filelist import glob_to_re, translate_pattern, FileList
 from distutils import filelist
@@ -35,13 +36,15 @@ def make_local_path(s):
 
 
 class TestFileList:
-    def assertNoWarnings(self, logs):
-        assert logs.render(WARN) == []
-        logs.clear()
+    def assertNoWarnings(self, caplog):
+        warnings = [rec for rec in caplog.records if rec.levelno == logging.WARNING]
+        assert not warnings
+        caplog.clear()
 
-    def assertWarnings(self, logs):
-        assert logs.render(WARN)
-        logs.clear()
+    def assertWarnings(self, caplog):
+        warnings = [rec for rec in caplog.records if rec.levelno == logging.WARNING]
+        assert warnings
+        caplog.clear()
 
     def test_glob_to_re(self):
         sep = os.sep
@@ -180,7 +183,7 @@ def test_include_pattern(self):
         file_list.include_pattern('*')
         assert file_list.allfiles == ['a.py', 'b.txt']
 
-    def test_process_template(self, logs):
+    def test_process_template(self, caplog):
         mlp = make_local_path
         # invalid lines
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -204,11 +207,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('include *.py')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py']
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('include *.rb')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py']
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # exclude
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -216,11 +219,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('exclude *.py')
         assert file_list.files == ['b.txt', mlp('d/c.py')]
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('exclude *.rb')
         assert file_list.files == ['b.txt', mlp('d/c.py')]
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # global-include
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -228,11 +231,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('global-include *.py')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py', mlp('d/c.py')]
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('global-include *.rb')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py', mlp('d/c.py')]
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # global-exclude
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -240,11 +243,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('global-exclude *.py')
         assert file_list.files == ['b.txt']
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('global-exclude *.rb')
         assert file_list.files == ['b.txt']
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # recursive-include
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -252,11 +255,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('recursive-include d *.py')
         assert file_list.files == [mlp('d/b.py'), mlp('d/d/e.py')]
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('recursive-include e *.py')
         assert file_list.files == [mlp('d/b.py'), mlp('d/d/e.py')]
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # recursive-exclude
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -264,11 +267,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('recursive-exclude d *.py')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py', mlp('d/c.txt')]
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('recursive-exclude e *.py')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py', mlp('d/c.txt')]
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # graft
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -276,11 +279,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('graft d')
         assert file_list.files == [mlp('d/b.py'), mlp('d/d/e.py')]
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('graft e')
         assert file_list.files == [mlp('d/b.py'), mlp('d/d/e.py')]
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
         # prune
         file_list = FileList()
@@ -288,11 +291,11 @@ def test_process_template(self, logs):
 
         file_list.process_template_line('prune d')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py', mlp('f/f.py')]
-        self.assertNoWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertNoWarnings(caplog)
 
         file_list.process_template_line('prune e')
         assert file_list.files == ['a.py', mlp('f/f.py')]
-        self.assertWarnings(logs)
+        self.assertWarnings(caplog)
 
 
 class TestFindAll:
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_install.py b/distutils/tests/test_install.py
index e240b156f6..102218bc00 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_install.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_install.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import sys
 import site
 import pathlib
+import logging
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -15,7 +16,6 @@
 from distutils.core import Distribution
 from distutils.errors import DistutilsOptionError
 from distutils.extension import Extension
-from distutils.log import DEBUG
 
 from distutils.tests import support
 from test import support as test_support
@@ -244,8 +244,9 @@ def test_record_extensions(self):
         ]
         assert found == expected
 
-    def test_debug_mode(self, logs, monkeypatch):
+    def test_debug_mode(self, caplog, monkeypatch):
         # this covers the code called when DEBUG is set
         monkeypatch.setattr(install_module, 'DEBUG', True)
+        caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
         self.test_record()
-        assert logs.render(DEBUG)
+        assert any(rec for rec in caplog.records if rec.levelno == logging.DEBUG)
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_install_lib.py b/distutils/tests/test_install_lib.py
index cdf3fc977e..0bd67cd04d 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_install_lib.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_install_lib.py
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def test_get_inputs(self):
         inputs = cmd.get_inputs()
         assert len(inputs) == 2, inputs
 
-    def test_dont_write_bytecode(self, logs):
+    def test_dont_write_bytecode(self, caplog):
         # makes sure byte_compile is not used
         dist = self.create_dist()[1]
         cmd = install_lib(dist)
@@ -107,4 +107,4 @@ def test_dont_write_bytecode(self, logs):
         finally:
             sys.dont_write_bytecode = old_dont_write_bytecode
 
-        assert 'byte-compiling is disabled' in logs.render()[0]
+        assert 'byte-compiling is disabled' in caplog.messages[0]
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_log.py b/distutils/tests/test_log.py
index 7aeee4057f..ec6a0c8051 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_log.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_log.py
@@ -1,52 +1,13 @@
 """Tests for distutils.log"""
 
-import io
-import sys
-from test.support import swap_attr
+import logging
 
-import pytest
-
-from distutils import log
+from distutils._log import log
 
 
 class TestLog:
-    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-        'errors',
-        (
-            'strict',
-            'backslashreplace',
-            'surrogateescape',
-            'replace',
-            'ignore',
-        ),
-    )
-    def test_non_ascii(self, errors):
-        # Issues #8663, #34421: test that non-encodable text is escaped with
-        # backslashreplace error handler and encodable non-ASCII text is
-        # output as is.
-        stdout = io.TextIOWrapper(io.BytesIO(), encoding='cp437', errors=errors)
-        stderr = io.TextIOWrapper(io.BytesIO(), encoding='cp437', errors=errors)
-        old_threshold = log.set_threshold(log.DEBUG)
-        try:
-            with swap_attr(sys, 'stdout', stdout), swap_attr(sys, 'stderr', stderr):
-                log.debug('Dεbug\tMėssãge')
-                log.fatal('Fαtal\tÈrrōr')
-        finally:
-            log.set_threshold(old_threshold)
-
-        stdout.seek(0)
-        assert stdout.read().rstrip() == (
-            'Dεbug\tM?ss?ge'
-            if errors == 'replace'
-            else 'Dεbug\tMssge'
-            if errors == 'ignore'
-            else 'Dεbug\tM\\u0117ss\\xe3ge'
-        )
-        stderr.seek(0)
-        assert stderr.read().rstrip() == (
-            'Fαtal\t?rr?r'
-            if errors == 'replace'
-            else 'Fαtal\trrr'
-            if errors == 'ignore'
-            else 'Fαtal\t\\xc8rr\\u014dr'
-        )
+    def test_non_ascii(self, caplog):
+        caplog.set_level(logging.DEBUG)
+        log.debug('Dεbug\tMėssãge')
+        log.fatal('Fαtal\tÈrrōr')
+        assert caplog.messages == ['Dεbug\tMėssãge', 'Fαtal\tÈrrōr']
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_register.py b/distutils/tests/test_register.py
index d0b4cc7cc1..a10393b5e6 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_register.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_register.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 from distutils.command import register as register_module
 from distutils.command.register import register
 from distutils.errors import DistutilsSetupError
-from distutils.log import INFO
 
 from distutils.tests.test_config import BasePyPIRCCommandTestCase
 import pytest
@@ -303,13 +302,13 @@ def test_register_invalid_long_description(self, monkeypatch):
         with pytest.raises(DistutilsSetupError):
             cmd.run()
 
-    def test_list_classifiers(self, logs):
+    def test_list_classifiers(self, caplog):
         cmd = self._get_cmd()
         cmd.list_classifiers = 1
         cmd.run()
-        assert logs.render(INFO) == ['running check', 'xxx']
+        assert caplog.messages == ['running check', 'xxx']
 
-    def test_show_response(self, logs):
+    def test_show_response(self, caplog):
         # test that the --show-response option return a well formatted response
         cmd = self._get_cmd()
         inputs = Inputs('1', 'tarek', 'y')
@@ -320,5 +319,4 @@ def test_show_response(self, logs):
         finally:
             del register_module.input
 
-        results = logs.render(INFO)
-        assert results[3] == 75 * '-' + '\nxxx\n' + 75 * '-'
+        assert caplog.messages[3] == 75 * '-' + '\nxxx\n' + 75 * '-'
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_sdist.py b/distutils/tests/test_sdist.py
index bc535f38a8..97504722ac 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_sdist.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_sdist.py
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 from distutils.tests.test_config import BasePyPIRCCommandTestCase
 from distutils.errors import DistutilsOptionError
 from distutils.spawn import find_executable  # noqa: F401
-from distutils.log import WARN
 from distutils.filelist import FileList
 from distutils.archive_util import ARCHIVE_FORMATS
 
@@ -251,8 +250,12 @@ def test_add_defaults(self):
             f.close()
         assert manifest == MANIFEST % {'sep': os.sep}
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def warnings(messages, prefix='warning: '):
+        return [msg for msg in messages if msg.startswith(prefix)]
+
     @pytest.mark.usefixtures('needs_zlib')
-    def test_metadata_check_option(self, logs):
+    def test_metadata_check_option(self, caplog):
         # testing the `medata-check` option
         dist, cmd = self.get_cmd(metadata={})
 
@@ -260,21 +263,15 @@ def test_metadata_check_option(self, logs):
         # with the `check` subcommand
         cmd.ensure_finalized()
         cmd.run()
-        warnings = [
-            msg for msg in logs.render(WARN) if msg.startswith('warning: check:')
-        ]
-        assert len(warnings) == 1
+        assert len(self.warnings(caplog.messages, 'warning: check: ')) == 1
 
         # trying with a complete set of metadata
-        logs.clear()
+        caplog.clear()
         dist, cmd = self.get_cmd()
         cmd.ensure_finalized()
         cmd.metadata_check = 0
         cmd.run()
-        warnings = [
-            msg for msg in logs.render(WARN) if msg.startswith('warning: check:')
-        ]
-        assert len(warnings) == 0
+        assert len(self.warnings(caplog.messages, 'warning: check: ')) == 0
 
     def test_check_metadata_deprecated(self):
         # makes sure make_metadata is deprecated
@@ -321,28 +318,27 @@ def test_finalize_options(self):
     # the following tests make sure there is a nice error message instead
     # of a traceback when parsing an invalid manifest template
 
-    def _check_template(self, content, logs):
+    def _check_template(self, content, caplog):
         dist, cmd = self.get_cmd()
         os.chdir(self.tmp_dir)
         self.write_file('MANIFEST.in', content)
         cmd.ensure_finalized()
         cmd.filelist = FileList()
         cmd.read_template()
-        warnings = logs.render(WARN)
-        assert len(warnings) == 1
+        assert len(self.warnings(caplog.messages)) == 1
 
-    def test_invalid_template_unknown_command(self, logs):
-        self._check_template('taunt knights *', logs)
+    def test_invalid_template_unknown_command(self, caplog):
+        self._check_template('taunt knights *', caplog)
 
-    def test_invalid_template_wrong_arguments(self, logs):
+    def test_invalid_template_wrong_arguments(self, caplog):
         # this manifest command takes one argument
-        self._check_template('prune', logs)
+        self._check_template('prune', caplog)
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif("platform.system() != 'Windows'")
-    def test_invalid_template_wrong_path(self, logs):
+    def test_invalid_template_wrong_path(self, caplog):
         # on Windows, trailing slashes are not allowed
         # this used to crash instead of raising a warning: #8286
-        self._check_template('include examples/', logs)
+        self._check_template('include examples/', caplog)
 
     @pytest.mark.usefixtures('needs_zlib')
     def test_get_file_list(self):
diff --git a/distutils/tests/test_upload.py b/distutils/tests/test_upload.py
index efd9e90617..9685c065f5 100644
--- a/distutils/tests/test_upload.py
+++ b/distutils/tests/test_upload.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 from distutils.command.upload import upload
 from distutils.core import Distribution
 from distutils.errors import DistutilsError
-from distutils.log import ERROR, INFO
 
 from distutils.tests.test_config import PYPIRC, BasePyPIRCCommandTestCase
 import pytest
@@ -109,7 +108,7 @@ def test_saved_password(self):
         cmd.finalize_options()
         assert cmd.password == 'xxx'
 
-    def test_upload(self, logs):
+    def test_upload(self, caplog):
         tmp = self.mkdtemp()
         path = os.path.join(tmp, 'xxx')
         self.write_file(path)
@@ -150,7 +149,7 @@ def test_upload(self, logs):
             )
 
         # The PyPI response body was echoed
-        results = logs.render(INFO)
+        results = caplog.messages
         assert results[-1] == 75 * '-' + '\nxyzzy\n' + 75 * '-'
 
     # bpo-32304: archives whose last byte was b'\r' were corrupted due to
@@ -178,11 +177,11 @@ def test_upload_correct_cr(self):
         assert int(headers['Content-length']) >= 2172
         assert b'long description\r' in self.last_open.req.data
 
-    def test_upload_fails(self, logs):
+    def test_upload_fails(self, caplog):
         self.next_msg = "Not Found"
         self.next_code = 404
         with pytest.raises(DistutilsError):
-            self.test_upload(logs)
+            self.test_upload(caplog)
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize(
         'exception,expected,raised_exception',
@@ -196,7 +195,7 @@ def test_upload_fails(self, logs):
             ),
         ],
     )
-    def test_wrong_exception_order(self, exception, expected, raised_exception, logs):
+    def test_wrong_exception_order(self, exception, expected, raised_exception, caplog):
         tmp = self.mkdtemp()
         path = os.path.join(tmp, 'xxx')
         self.write_file(path)
@@ -213,6 +212,6 @@ def test_wrong_exception_order(self, exception, expected, raised_exception, logs
                 cmd = upload(dist)
                 cmd.ensure_finalized()
                 cmd.run()
-            results = logs.render(ERROR)
+            results = caplog.messages
             assert expected in results[-1]
-            logs.clear()
+            caplog.clear()
diff --git a/distutils/unixccompiler.py b/distutils/unixccompiler.py
index 62e34ef521..4bf2e6a681 100644
--- a/distutils/unixccompiler.py
+++ b/distutils/unixccompiler.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 from .dep_util import newer
 from .ccompiler import CCompiler, gen_preprocess_options, gen_lib_options
 from .errors import DistutilsExecError, CompileError, LibError, LinkError
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 from ._macos_compat import compiler_fixup
 
 # XXX Things not currently handled:
diff --git a/distutils/util.py b/distutils/util.py
index f18641762c..8668b43699 100644
--- a/distutils/util.py
+++ b/distutils/util.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 from .errors import DistutilsPlatformError, DistutilsByteCompileError
 from .dep_util import newer
 from .spawn import spawn
-from . import log
+from ._log import log
 
 
 def get_host_platform():