Docker logging

Docker support logging to format or different platforms, such as

• json-file (default)
• syslog
• journald
• gelf
• fluentd
• awslogs
• splunk
• etwlogs
• gcplogs
• logentries

Configuration is done at docker container start time with command docker run -it --log-drive LOG_METHOD CONTAINER_ID

Sending logs to syslog or logstash

docker run --log-driver=syslog --log-opt syslog-address=tcp://<logstash-system-ip>:5000 hello-world

• Check method configured in a running container:

docker inspect -f '{{.HostConfig.LogConfig.Type}}' CONTAINER_ID
docker inspect -f '{{.HostConfig.LogConfig}}' CONTAINER_ID

docker inspect <container_id|container_name> | grep -A 5 LogConfig

"LogConfig": {
  "Type": "syslog"
  "Config": {}
}

• View logs

docker logs CONTAINER_NAME_OR_ID (Docker Community Engine only support: local, json-file and journald)

docker logs CONTAINER_NAME_OR_ID 2>&1 | grep "STRING_TO_SEARCH" (You will need to redirect outputs to be able to grep output)

See https://docs.docker.com/config/containers/logging/ for more information

• docker-compose logs

Related terms

• Container logging
• journalctl -u docker
• aws logs create-log-group
• See also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30969435/where-is-the-docker-daemon-log/30970134#30970134 for further information about docker logs.
• kubectl logs

See also

• Container logging, Docker logging: docker logs, docker-compose logs
• Docker: docker-compose, Docker Desktop, Docker Scout, Docker Swarm, Docker Volumes, Docker images management, docker network, docker inspect, docker volume inspect, Dockerfile, Docker Engine release notes,docker kill, moby, Docker-in-Docker, docker context, buildx, docker tag, docker system prune, Docker Hub, hub-tool, /etc/docker/daemon.json, hostconfig.json, dockerd, logs, Docker logging, Backup, docker service, depends on, --dns, --filter, --mount, docker login, docker build, apt remove docker.io, .dockerignore, docker context ls | docker-machine, .docker/, PWD, $HOME/.docker/config.json, Docker ID, --env-file, docker --help
• Linux logging, Cisco IOS logging

https://docs.docker.com/config/containers/logging/configure/

https://docs.docker.com/config/containers/logging/configure/

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/34724980/finding-a-string-in-docker-logs-of-container