import logging


def setup_logger(log_file=None, log_level=logging.INFO):
    """
    Simple function to set up a logger with console and optional file output.

    Args:
        log_file: Optional path to a log file
        log_level: Logging level (default: INFO)

    Returns:
        Configured logger instance
    """
    # Create formatter
    formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')

    # Configure root logger
    logger = logging.getLogger()
    logger.setLevel(log_level)

    # Clear any existing handlers to avoid duplicates
    if logger.handlers:
        logger.handlers.clear()

    # Create console handler
    console_handler = logging.StreamHandler()
    console_handler.setFormatter(formatter)
    logger.addHandler(console_handler)

    # Create file handler if log_file is specified
    if log_file:
        file_handler = logging.FileHandler(log_file)
        file_handler.setFormatter(formatter)
        logger.addHandler(file_handler)

    return logger