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Tail and Sensu Integration

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This is not the recommended configuration for real-time query at scale. For query and compression optimization, high-speed ingest, and high availability, you may want to consider <a href="/integrations/tail-influxdb/">Tail and InfluxDB</a>.

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Infrastructure Monitoring with Telegraf

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Input and output integration overview

<p>The Tail Telegraf plugin collects metrics by tailing specified log files, capturing new log entries in real-time for further analysis.</p>

<p>This plugin writes metrics events to Sensu via its HTTP events API, enabling seamless integration with the Sensu monitoring platform.</p>

Integration details

Tail

<p>The tail plugin is designed to continuously monitor and parse log files, making it ideal for real-time log analysis and monitoring. It mimics the functionality of the Unix <code>tail</code> command, allowing users to specify a file or pattern and begin reading new lines as they are added. Key features include the ability to follow log-rotated files, start reading from the end of a file, and support various parsing formats for the log messages. Users can customize the plugin through various configuration options, such as specifying file encoding, the method for watching file updates, and filter settings for processing log data. This plugin is particularly valuable in environments where log data is critical for monitoring application performance and diagnosing issues.</p>

Sensu

<p>This plugin writes metrics events to Sensu via its HTTP events API. Sensu is a monitoring system that enables users to collect, analyze, and manage metrics from various components in their infrastructure. The plugin facilitates the integration of Telegraf, a server agent for collecting and reporting metrics, with the Sensu monitoring platform. Users can configure settings such as backend and agent API URLs, API keys for authentication, and optional TLS settings. The plugin’s core functionality is centered around sending metric events, including check and entity specifications, to Sensu, allowing for comprehensive monitoring and alerting. The API reference provides extensive details about the events and metrics structure, ensuring users can efficiently leverage Sensu’s capabilities for observability and incident response.</p>

Configuration

Tail

<pre><code class="language-toml">[[inputs.tail]] ## File names or a pattern to tail. ## These accept standard unix glob matching rules, but with the addition of ## ** as a "super asterisk". ie: ## "/var/log/**.log" -&gt; recursively find all .log files in /var/log ## "/var/log/*/*.log" -&gt; find all .log files with a parent dir in /var/log ## "/var/log/apache.log" -&gt; just tail the apache log file ## "/var/log/log[!1-2]* -&gt; tail files without 1-2 ## "/var/log/log[^1-2]* -&gt; identical behavior as above ## See https://github.com/gobwas/glob for more examples ## files = ["/var/mymetrics.out"] ## Read file from beginning. # from_beginning = false ## Whether file is a named pipe # pipe = false ## Method used to watch for file updates. Can be either "inotify" or "poll". ## inotify is supported on linux, *bsd, and macOS, while Windows requires ## using poll. Poll checks for changes every 250ms. # watch_method = "inotify" ## Maximum lines of the file to process that have not yet be written by the ## output. For best throughput set based on the number of metrics on each ## line and the size of the output's metric_batch_size. # max_undelivered_lines = 1000 ## Character encoding to use when interpreting the file contents. Invalid ## characters are replaced using the unicode replacement character. When set ## to the empty string the data is not decoded to text. ## ex: character_encoding = "utf-8" ## character_encoding = "utf-16le" ## character_encoding = "utf-16be" ## character_encoding = "" # character_encoding = "" ## Data format to consume. ## Each data format has its own unique set of configuration options, read ## more about them here: ## https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/blob/master/docs/DATA_FORMATS_INPUT.md data_format = "influx" ## Set the tag that will contain the path of the tailed file. If you don't want this tag, set it to an empty string. # path_tag = "path" ## Filters to apply to files before generating metrics ## "ansi_color" removes ANSI colors # filters = [] ## multiline parser/codec ## https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/2.4/plugins-filters-multiline.html #[inputs.tail.multiline] ## The pattern should be a regexp which matches what you believe to be an indicator that the field is part of an event consisting of multiple lines of log data. #pattern = "^\s" ## The field's value must be previous or next and indicates the relation to the ## multi-line event. #match_which_line = "previous" ## The invert_match can be true or false (defaults to false). ## If true, a message not matching the pattern will constitute a match of the multiline filter and the what will be applied. (vice-versa is also true) #invert_match = false ## The handling method for quoted text (defaults to 'ignore'). ## The following methods are available: ## ignore -- do not consider quotation (default) ## single-quotes -- consider text quoted by single quotes (') ## double-quotes -- consider text quoted by double quotes (") ## backticks -- consider text quoted by backticks (`) ## When handling quotes, escaped quotes (e.g. \") are handled correctly. #quotation = "ignore" ## The preserve_newline option can be true or false (defaults to false). ## If true, the newline character is preserved for multiline elements, ## this is useful to preserve message-structure e.g. for logging outputs. #preserve_newline = false #After the specified timeout, this plugin sends the multiline event even if no new pattern is found to start a new event. The default is 5s. #timeout = 5s </code></pre>

Sensu

<pre><code class="language-toml">[[outputs.sensu]] ## BACKEND API URL is the Sensu Backend API root URL to send metrics to ## (protocol, host, and port only). The output plugin will automatically ## append the corresponding backend API path ## /api/core/v2/namespaces/:entity_namespace/events/:entity_name/:check_name). ## ## Backend Events API reference: ## https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/api/events/ ## ## AGENT API URL is the Sensu Agent API root URL to send metrics to ## (protocol, host, and port only). The output plugin will automatically ## append the correspeonding agent API path (/events). ## ## Agent API Events API reference: ## https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/api/events/ ## ## NOTE: if backend_api_url and agent_api_url and api_key are set, the output ## plugin will use backend_api_url. If backend_api_url and agent_api_url are ## not provided, the output plugin will default to use an agent_api_url of ## http://127.0.0.1:3031 ## # backend_api_url = "http://127.0.0.1:8080" # agent_api_url = "http://127.0.0.1:3031" ## API KEY is the Sensu Backend API token ## Generate a new API token via: ## ## $ sensuctl cluster-role create telegraf --verb create --resource events,entities ## $ sensuctl cluster-role-binding create telegraf --cluster-role telegraf --group telegraf ## $ sensuctl user create telegraf --group telegraf --password REDACTED ## $ sensuctl api-key grant telegraf ## ## For more information on Sensu RBAC profiles &amp; API tokens, please visit: ## - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/rbac/ ## - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/apikeys/ ## # api_key = "${SENSU_API_KEY}" ## Optional TLS Config # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem" # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem" # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem" ## Use TLS but skip chain &amp; host verification # insecure_skip_verify = false ## Timeout for HTTP message # timeout = "5s" ## HTTP Content-Encoding for write request body, can be set to "gzip" to ## compress body or "identity" to apply no encoding. # content_encoding = "identity" ## NOTE: Due to the way TOML is parsed, tables must be at the END of the ## plugin definition, otherwise additional config options are read as part of ## the table ## Sensu Event details ## ## Below are the event details to be sent to Sensu. The main portions of the ## event are the check, entity, and metrics specifications. For more information ## on Sensu events and its components, please visit: ## - Events - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/events ## - Checks - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/checks ## - Entities - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/entities ## - Metrics - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/events#metrics ## ## Check specification ## The check name is the name to give the Sensu check associated with the event ## created. This maps to check.metadata.name in the event. [outputs.sensu.check] name = "telegraf" ## Entity specification ## Configure the entity name and namespace, if necessary. This will be part of ## the entity.metadata in the event. ## ## NOTE: if the output plugin is configured to send events to a ## backend_api_url and entity_name is not set, the value returned by ## os.Hostname() will be used; if the output plugin is configured to send ## events to an agent_api_url, entity_name and entity_namespace are not used. # [outputs.sensu.entity] # name = "server-01" # namespace = "default" ## Metrics specification ## Configure the tags for the metrics that are sent as part of the Sensu event # [outputs.sensu.tags] # source = "telegraf" ## Configure the handler(s) for processing the provided metrics # [outputs.sensu.metrics] # handlers = ["influxdb","elasticsearch"] </code></pre>

Input and output integration examples

Tail

<ol> <li> <p><strong>Real-Time Server Health Monitoring</strong>: Implement the Tail plugin to parse web server access logs in real-time, providing immediate visibility into user activity, error rates, and performance metrics. By visualizing this log data, operations teams can quickly identify and respond to spikes in traffic or errors, enhancing system reliability and user experience.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Centralized Log Management</strong>: Utilize the Tail plugin to aggregate logs from multiple sources across a distributed system. By configuring each service to send its logs to a centralized location via the Tail plugin, teams can simplify log analysis and ensure that all relevant data is accessible from a single interface, streamlining troubleshooting processes.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Security Incident Detection</strong>: Use this plugin to monitor authentication logs for unauthorized access attempts or suspicious activity. By setting up alerts on certain log messages, teams can leverage this plugin to enhance security postures and respond promptly to potential security threats, reducing the risk of breaches and increasing overall system integrity.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Dynamic Application Performance Insights</strong>: Integrate with analytics tools to create real-time dashboards that display application performance metrics based on log data. This setup not only helps developers diagnose bottlenecks and inefficiencies but also allows for proactive performance tuning and resource allocation, optimizing application behavior under varying loads.</p> </li> </ol>

Sensu

<ol> <li> <p><strong>Real-Time Infrastructure Monitoring</strong>: Utilize the Sensu plugin to send performance metrics from various servers and services directly to Sensu. This real-time data flow enables teams to visualize infrastructure health, track resource usage, and receive immediate alerts for any anomalies detected. By centralizing monitoring through Sensu, organizations can create a holistic view of their systems and respond swiftly to issues.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Automated Incident Response Workflows</strong>: Leverage the plugin to automatically trigger incident response workflows based on the metrics events sent to Sensu. For example, if CPU usage exceeds a defined threshold, the Sensu system can be configured to alert the operations team, which can then initiate automated remediation processes, reducing downtime and maintaining system reliability. This integration allows for proactive management of system resources.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Dynamic Scaling of Resources</strong>: Use the Sensu plugin to feed metrics into an auto-scaling system that adjusts resources based on demand. By tracking metrics like request load and resource utilization, organizations can automatically scale their infrastructure up or down, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency without manual intervention.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Centralized Logging and Monitoring</strong>: Combine the Sensu with logging tools to send logs and performance metrics to a centralized monitoring system. This comprehensive approach allows teams to correlate logs with metric events, providing deeper insights into system behavior and performance, which aids in troubleshooting and performance optimization over time.</p> </li> </ol>

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Useful Links

Documentation

Telegraf Quickstart Training

Infrastructure Monitoring with Telegraf

Powerful Performance, Limitless Scale

Collect, organize, and act on massive volumes of high-velocity data. Any data is more valuable when you think of it as time series data. with InfluxDB, the #1 time series platform built to scale with Telegraf.

See Ways to Get Started

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