By Vishal Basumatary in javascript — Mar 25, 2023

Centralized logging

Centralized Logging

Centralized logging is a process of collecting and storing logs from various sources in a centralized location. This helps in analyzing logs easily and quickly. With centralized logging, you can monitor and troubleshoot systems more effectively.

Why Use Centralized Logging?

Centralized logging provides several benefits:

Easy Access: Logs are stored in a central location, making it easy to access and analyze them.
Faster Troubleshooting: With centralized logging, you can quickly identify and troubleshoot issues.
Improved Security: Centralized logging provides better security by enabling you to monitor and detect security events in real-time.
Cost Savings: Centralized logging reduces the cost of logging by consolidating logs in a single location.

How Does Centralized Logging Work?

Centralized logging works by collecting logs from various sources and storing them in a central location. There are several ways to implement centralized logging:

Log Shipping: In this method, logs are shipped from the source to the central location using various protocols such as Syslog or TCP/UDP.
Agent-Based: In this method, agents are installed on the source systems to collect logs and send them to the central location.
API-Based: In this method, logs are sent to the central location using an API.

Tools for Centralized Logging

There are several tools available for centralized logging:

Logstash: Logstash is an open-source tool for collecting, parsing, and storing logs.
Elasticsearch: Elasticsearch is an open-source search and analytics engine that can be used for storing logs.
Kibana: Kibana is an open-source tool for visualizing and analyzing data stored in Elasticsearch.
Graylog: Graylog is an open-source tool for collecting, indexing, and analyzing logs.


// Example Code for Log Shipping
// Server Side

$server_socket = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, SOL_TCP);
socket_bind($server_socket, $address, $port);
socket_listen($server_socket);

while (true) {
    $client_socket = socket_accept($server_socket);
    $data = socket_read($client_socket, 1024);
    $log_file = fopen("server.log", "a+");
    fwrite($log_file, $data);
    fclose($log_file);
    socket_close($client_socket);
}

// Client Side

$socket = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, SOL_TCP);
socket_connect($socket, $address, $port);
$data = "Log data";
socket_write($socket, $data, strlen($data));
socket_close($socket);

In the above example code, logs are shipped from the client to the server using sockets.