diff --git a/src/borg/archive.py b/src/borg/archive.py
index 20746aa0f..1ac2133e7 100644
--- a/src/borg/archive.py
+++ b/src/borg/archive.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import errno
+import json
 import os
 import socket
 import stat
@@ -49,7 +50,8 @@
 
 class Statistics:
 
-    def __init__(self):
+    def __init__(self, output_json=False):
+        self.output_json = output_json
         self.osize = self.csize = self.usize = self.nfiles = 0
         self.last_progress = 0  # timestamp when last progress was shown
 
@@ -92,19 +94,29 @@ def show_progress(self, item=None, final=False, stream=None, dt=None):
         now = time.monotonic()
         if dt is None or now - self.last_progress > dt:
             self.last_progress = now
-            columns, lines = get_terminal_size()
-            if not final:
-                msg = '{0.osize_fmt} O {0.csize_fmt} C {0.usize_fmt} D {0.nfiles} N '.format(self)
-                path = remove_surrogates(item.path) if item else ''
-                space = columns - swidth(msg)
-                if space < 12:
-                    msg = ''
-                    space = columns - swidth(msg)
-                if space >= 8:
-                    msg += ellipsis_truncate(path, space)
+            if self.output_json:
+                data = self.as_dict()
+                data.update({
+                    'type': 'archive_progress',
+                    'path': remove_surrogates(item.path if item else ''),
+                })
+                msg = json.dumps(data)
+                end = '\n'
             else:
-                msg = ' ' * columns
-            print(msg, file=stream or sys.stderr, end="\r", flush=True)
+                columns, lines = get_terminal_size()
+                if not final:
+                    msg = '{0.osize_fmt} O {0.csize_fmt} C {0.usize_fmt} D {0.nfiles} N '.format(self)
+                    path = remove_surrogates(item.path) if item else ''
+                    space = columns - swidth(msg)
+                    if space < 12:
+                        msg = ''
+                        space = columns - swidth(msg)
+                    if space >= 8:
+                        msg += ellipsis_truncate(path, space)
+                else:
+                    msg = ' ' * columns
+                end = '\r'
+            print(msg, end=end, file=stream or sys.stderr, flush=True)
 
 
 def is_special(mode):
@@ -264,14 +276,14 @@ class IncompatibleFilesystemEncodingError(Error):
     def __init__(self, repository, key, manifest, name, cache=None, create=False,
                  checkpoint_interval=300, numeric_owner=False, noatime=False, noctime=False, progress=False,
                  chunker_params=CHUNKER_PARAMS, start=None, start_monotonic=None, end=None, compression=None, compression_files=None,
-                 consider_part_files=False):
+                 consider_part_files=False, log_json=False):
         self.cwd = os.getcwd()
         self.key = key
         self.repository = repository
         self.cache = cache
         self.manifest = manifest
         self.hard_links = {}
-        self.stats = Statistics()
+        self.stats = Statistics(output_json=log_json)
         self.show_progress = progress
         self.name = name
         self.checkpoint_interval = checkpoint_interval
diff --git a/src/borg/archiver.py b/src/borg/archiver.py
index 8ecba523f..aa8d37bf1 100644
--- a/src/borg/archiver.py
+++ b/src/borg/archiver.py
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def with_archive(method):
     def wrapper(self, args, repository, key, manifest, **kwargs):
         archive = Archive(repository, key, manifest, args.location.archive,
                           numeric_owner=getattr(args, 'numeric_owner', False), cache=kwargs.get('cache'),
-                          consider_part_files=args.consider_part_files)
+                          consider_part_files=args.consider_part_files, log_json=args.log_json)
         return method(self, args, repository=repository, manifest=manifest, key=key, archive=archive, **kwargs)
     return wrapper
 
@@ -145,7 +145,14 @@ def print_warning(self, msg, *args):
 
     def print_file_status(self, status, path):
         if self.output_list and (self.output_filter is None or status in self.output_filter):
-            logging.getLogger('borg.output.list').info("%1s %s", status, remove_surrogates(path))
+            if self.log_json:
+                print(json.dumps({
+                    'type': 'file_status',
+                    'status': status,
+                    'path': remove_surrogates(path),
+                }), file=sys.stderr)
+            else:
+                logging.getLogger('borg.output.list').info("%1s %s", status, remove_surrogates(path))
 
     @staticmethod
     def compare_chunk_contents(chunks1, chunks2):
@@ -395,7 +402,8 @@ def create_inner(archive, cache):
                                   numeric_owner=args.numeric_owner, noatime=args.noatime, noctime=args.noctime,
                                   progress=args.progress,
                                   chunker_params=args.chunker_params, start=t0, start_monotonic=t0_monotonic,
-                                  compression=args.compression, compression_files=args.compression_files)
+                                  compression=args.compression, compression_files=args.compression_files,
+                                  log_json=args.log_json)
                 create_inner(archive, cache)
         else:
             create_inner(None, None)
@@ -1776,6 +1784,8 @@ def process_epilog(epilog):
                                   action='append', metavar='TOPIC', default=[],
                                   help='enable TOPIC debugging (can be specified multiple times). '
                                        'The logger path is borg.debug.<TOPIC> if TOPIC is not fully qualified.')
+        common_group.add_argument('--log-json', dest='log_json', action='store_true',
+                                  help='Output one JSON object per log line instead of formatted text.')
         common_group.add_argument('--lock-wait', dest='lock_wait', type=int, metavar='N', default=1,
                                   help='wait for the lock, but max. N seconds (default: %(default)d).')
         common_group.add_argument('--show-version', dest='show_version', action='store_true', default=False,
@@ -3176,7 +3186,9 @@ def run(self, args):
         self.lock_wait = args.lock_wait
         # This works around http://bugs.python.org/issue9351
         func = getattr(args, 'func', None) or getattr(args, 'fallback_func')
-        setup_logging(level=args.log_level, is_serve=func == self.do_serve)  # do not use loggers before this!
+        # do not use loggers before this!
+        setup_logging(level=args.log_level, is_serve=func == self.do_serve, json=args.log_json)
+        self.log_json = args.log_json
         self._setup_implied_logging(vars(args))
         self._setup_topic_debugging(args)
         if args.show_version:
diff --git a/src/borg/helpers.py b/src/borg/helpers.py
index f3f97f24a..0e6ecbb47 100644
--- a/src/borg/helpers.py
+++ b/src/borg/helpers.py
@@ -1388,7 +1388,17 @@ def __init__(self):
         if not self.logger.handlers:
             self.handler = logging.StreamHandler(stream=sys.stderr)
             self.handler.setLevel(logging.INFO)
-            self.handler.terminator = '\r'
+            logger = logging.getLogger('borg')
+            # Some special attributes on the borg logger, created by setup_logging
+            # But also be able to work without that
+            try:
+                formatter = logger.formatter
+                terminator = '\n' if logger.json else '\r'
+            except AttributeError:
+                terminator = '\r'
+            else:
+                self.handler.setFormatter(formatter)
+            self.handler.terminator = terminator
 
             self.logger.addHandler(self.handler)
             if self.logger.level == logging.NOTSET:
diff --git a/src/borg/logger.py b/src/borg/logger.py
index 20510bb2e..8bf0098c9 100644
--- a/src/borg/logger.py
+++ b/src/borg/logger.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 """
 
 import inspect
+import json
 import logging
 import logging.config
 import logging.handlers  # needed for handlers defined there being configurable in logging.conf file
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ def _log_warning(message, category, filename, lineno, file=None, line=None):
     logger.warning(msg)
 
 
-def setup_logging(stream=None, conf_fname=None, env_var='BORG_LOGGING_CONF', level='info', is_serve=False):
+def setup_logging(stream=None, conf_fname=None, env_var='BORG_LOGGING_CONF', level='info', is_serve=False, json=False):
     """setup logging module according to the arguments provided
 
     if conf_fname is given (or the config file name can be determined via
@@ -91,7 +92,11 @@ def setup_logging(stream=None, conf_fname=None, env_var='BORG_LOGGING_CONF', lev
         fmt = '$LOG %(levelname)s %(name)s Remote: %(message)s'
     else:
         fmt = '%(message)s'
-    handler.setFormatter(logging.Formatter(fmt))
+    formatter = JsonFormatter(fmt) if json else logging.Formatter(fmt)
+    handler.setFormatter(formatter)
+    borg_logger = logging.getLogger('borg')
+    borg_logger.formatter = formatter
+    borg_logger.json = json
     logger.addHandler(handler)
     logger.setLevel(level.upper())
     configured = True
@@ -181,3 +186,31 @@ def critical(self, *args, **kw):
             return self.__logger.critical(*args, **kw)
 
     return LazyLogger(name)
+
+
+class JsonFormatter(logging.Formatter):
+    RECORD_ATTRIBUTES = (
+        'created',
+        'levelname',
+        'name',
+        'message',
+    )
+
+    # Other attributes that are not very useful but do exist:
+    # processName, process, relativeCreated, stack_info, thread, threadName
+    # msg == message
+    # *args* are the unformatted arguments passed to the logger function, not useful now,
+    # become useful if sanitized properly (must be JSON serializable) in the code +
+    # fixed message IDs are assigned.
+    # exc_info, exc_text are generally uninteresting because the message will have that
+
+    def format(self, record):
+        super().format(record)
+        data = {
+            'type': 'log_message',
+        }
+        for attr in self.RECORD_ATTRIBUTES:
+            value = getattr(record, attr, None)
+            if value:
+                data[attr] = value
+        return json.dumps(data)