VictoriaMetrics/docs/VictoriaLogs/data-ingestion/README.md

# Data ingestion

[VictoriaLogs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/) can accept logs from the following log collectors:

- Filebeat. See [how to setup Filebeat for sending logs to VictoriaLogs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/data-ingestion/Filebeat.html).
- Logstash. See [how to setup Logstash for sending logs to VictoriaLogs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/data-ingestion/Logstash.html).

The ingested logs can be queried according to [these docs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/querying/).

See also [data ingestion troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) docs.

## HTTP APIs

VictoriaLogs supports the following data ingestion HTTP APIs:

- Elasticsearch bulk API. See [these docs](#elasticsearch-bulk-api).
- JSON stream API aka [ndjson](http://ndjson.org/). See [these docs](#json-stream-api).

VictoriaLogs accepts optional [HTTP parameters](#http-parameters) at data ingestion HTTP APIs.

### Elasticsearch bulk API

VictoriaLogs accepts logs in [Elasticsearch bulk API](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/docs-bulk.html)
format at `http://localhost:9428/insert/elasticsearch/_bulk` endpoint.

The following command pushes a single log line to Elasticsearch bulk API at VictoriaLogs:

```bash
echo '{"create":{}}
{"_msg":"cannot open file","_time":"2023-06-21T04:24:24Z","host.name":"host123"}
' | curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data-binary @- http://localhost:9428/insert/elasticsearch/_bulk
```

The following command verifies that the data has been successfully pushed to VictoriaLogs by [querying](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/querying/) it:

```bash
curl http://localhost:9428/select/logsql/query -d 'query=host.name:host123'
```

The command should return the following response:

```bash
{"_msg":"cannot open file","_stream":"{}","_time":"2023-06-21T04:24:24Z","host.name":"host123"}
```

### JSON stream API

TODO: document JSON stream API


### HTTP parameters

VictoriaLogs accepts the following parameters at [data ingestion HTTP APIs](#http-apis):

- `_msg_field` - it must contain the name of the [log field](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#data-model)
  with the [log message](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#message-field) generated by the log shipper.
  This is usually the `message` field for Filebeat and Logstash.
  If the `_msg_field` parameter isn't set, then VictoriaLogs reads the log message from the `_msg` field.

- `_time_field` - it must contain the name of the [log field](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#data-model)
  with the [log timestamp](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#time-field) generated by the log shipper.
  This is usually the `@timestamp` field for Filebeat and Logstash.
  If the `_time_field` parameter isn't set, then VictoriaLogs reads the timestamp from the `_time` field.
  If this field doesn't exist, then the current timestamp is used.

- `_stream_fields` - it should contain comma-separated list of [log field](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#data-model) names,
  which uniquely identify every [log stream](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#stream-fields) collected the log shipper.
  If the `_stream_fields` parameter isn't set, then all the ingested logs are written to default log stream - `{}`.

- `ignore_fields` - this parameter may contain the list of [log field](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#data-model) names,
  which must be ignored during data ingestion.

- `debug` - if this parameter is set to `1`, then the ingested logs aren't stored in VictoriaLogs. Instead,
  the ingested data is logged by VictoriaLogs, so it can be investigated later.

See also [HTTP headers](#http-headers).

### HTTP headers

VictoriaLogs accepts optional `AccountID` and `ProjectID` headers at [data ingestion HTTP APIs](#http-apis).
These headers may contain the needed tenant to ingest data to. See [multitenancy docs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/#multitenancy) for details.

## Troubleshooting

VictoriaLogs provides the following command-line flags, which can help debugging data ingestion issues:

- `-logNewStreams` - if this flag is passed to VictoriaLogs, then it logs all the newly
  registered [log streams](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#stream-fields).
  This may help debugging [high cardinality issues](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#high-cardinality).
- `-logIngestedRows` - if this flag is passed to VictoriaLogs, then it logs all the ingested
  [log entries](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#data-model).
  See also `debug` [parameter](#http-parameters).

VictoriaLogs exposes various [metrics](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/#monitoring), which may help debugging data ingestion issues:

- `vl_rows_ingested_total` - the number of ingested [log entries](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#data-model)
  since the last VictoriaLogs restart. If this number icreases over time, then logs are successfully ingested into VictoriaLogs.
  The ingested logs can be inspected in the following ways:
  - By passing `debug=1` parameter to every request to [data ingestion APIs](#http-apis). The ingested rows aren't stored in VictoriaLogs
    in this case. Instead, they are logged, so they can be investigated later.
    The `vl_rows_dropped_total` [metric](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/#monitoring) is incremented for each logged row.
  - By passing `-logIngestedRows` command-line flag to VictoriaLogs. In this case it logs all the ingested data, so it can be investigated later.
- `vl_streams_created_total` - the number of created [log streams](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#stream-fields)
  since the last VictoriaLogs restart. If this metric grows rapidly during extended periods of time, then this may lead
  to [high cardinality issues](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/VictoriaLogs/keyConcepts.html#high-cardinality).
  The newly created log streams can be inspected in logs by passing `-logNewStreams` command-line flag to VictoriaLogs.