Kubernetes Logs

📊 Container Logging

Kubernetes Logging Patterns

Centralized logging architectures for debugging microservices in containerized environments.

Logging Fundamentals

Understand the different logging architectures and when to use them in Kubernetes environments.

Sidecar Pattern

Attach a logging sidecar container to each application container for centralized log collection.

spec:
  containers:
  - name: app-container
    image: my-app
  - name: log-sidecar
    image: fluentd
    volumeMounts:
    - name: logs
      mountPath: /var/log

DaemonSet Approach

Deploy logging agents as DaemonSets to collect logs from all nodes in the cluster.

spec:
  replicas: 1
  containers:
  - name: fluentd
    volumeMounts:
    - name: varlog
      mountPath: /var/log
    env:
    - name: FLUENTD_ARGS
      value: -q

Cluster-Wide Aggregation

Use Elasticsearch+Fluentd+Kibana stack for centralized log management across clusters.

helm upgrade elasticsearch elastic/elasticsearch \
  --set cluster.name=elasticsearch \
  --set service.type=ClusterIP \
  --set esJavaOpts=-Xms1g -Xmx1g \
  --set persistentVolume.size=10Gi

Why Container Logging Matters

Effective logging helps identify performance bottlenecks and debug issues across microservices.

1

Centralized Visibility

Aggregate logs from all containers, nodes, and services into a single interface.

  • Search across all your logs
  • Correlate service events
2

Anomaly Detection

Identify performance issues through pattern recognition in container logs.

  • Set up real-time alerts
  • Detect abnormal patterns

Getting Started with Logging

Step-by-step implementation of a centralized logging solution using EFK stack.

Install EFK Stack

Use Helm charts to deploy Elasticsearch, Fluentd, and Kibana in your cluster.

Helm Installation

Deploy a complete monitoring stack with one command using Helm.

helm repo add elastic https://helm.elastic.co
helm repo update
helm install elasticsearch elastic/elasticsearch \
  --namespace=logging \
  --set cluster.name=quick-start \
  --set elasticsearchJavaOptions=-Xms3g -Xmx3g \
  --set systemRequirements.memoryLimit=8g

Fluentd Configuration

Configure logging forwarder to capture and ship logs to Elasticsearch.

apiVersion: logging.banzaicloud.io/v1beta1
kind: Output
metadata:
  name: my-output
spec:
  elasticsearch:
    hosts:
      - "http://elasticsearch.logging.svc.cluster.local:9200"

Recommended Learning Resources

EFK Stack Guide

Complete guide to Elasticsearch, Fluentd, and Kibana integration

Read Docs

Kubernetes Logs Course

Hands-on training for monitoring and debugging microservices

Practice Now

Log Analysis Patterns

Common architectures and optimization techniques

Explore Patterns
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