GCP Chronicle Unstructured

Store unstructured log events in Google Chronicle

status: beta delivery: at-least-once acknowledgements: yes egress: batch state: stateless
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Configuration

Example configurations 

{
  "sinks": {
    "my_sink_id": {
      "type": "gcp_chronicle_unstructured",
      "inputs": [
        "my-source-or-transform-id"
      ],
      "credentials_path": "/path/to/credentials.json",
      "customer_id": "c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c",
      "acknowledgements": null,
      "encoding": {
        "codec": "json"
      },
      "log_type": "WINDOWS_DNS"
    }
  }
}
[sinks.my_sink_id]
type = "gcp_chronicle_unstructured"
inputs = [ "my-source-or-transform-id" ]
credentials_path = "/path/to/credentials.json"
customer_id = "c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c"
log_type = "WINDOWS_DNS"

  [sinks.my_sink_id.encoding]
  codec = "json"

---
sinks:
  my_sink_id:
    type: gcp_chronicle_unstructured
    inputs:
      - my-source-or-transform-id
    credentials_path: /path/to/credentials.json
    customer_id: c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c
    acknowledgements: null
    encoding:
      codec: json
    log_type: WINDOWS_DNS

{
  "sinks": {
    "my_sink_id": {
      "type": "gcp_chronicle_unstructured",
      "inputs": [
        "my-source-or-transform-id"
      ],
      "api_key": "${GCP_API_KEY}",
      "credentials_path": "/path/to/credentials.json",
      "endpoint": "127.0.0.1:8080",
      "region": "us",
      "customer_id": "c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c",
      "buffer": null,
      "acknowledgements": null,
      "batch": null,
      "encoding": {
        "codec": "json"
      },
      "request": null,
      "tls": null,
      "proxy": null,
      "framing": null,
      "log_type": "WINDOWS_DNS",
      "healthcheck": null
    }
  }
}
[sinks.my_sink_id]
type = "gcp_chronicle_unstructured"
inputs = [ "my-source-or-transform-id" ]
api_key = "${GCP_API_KEY}"
credentials_path = "/path/to/credentials.json"
endpoint = "127.0.0.1:8080"
region = "us"
customer_id = "c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c"
log_type = "WINDOWS_DNS"

  [sinks.my_sink_id.encoding]
  codec = "json"

---
sinks:
  my_sink_id:
    type: gcp_chronicle_unstructured
    inputs:
      - my-source-or-transform-id
    api_key: ${GCP_API_KEY}
    credentials_path: /path/to/credentials.json
    endpoint: 127.0.0.1:8080
    region: us
    customer_id: c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c
    buffer: null
    acknowledgements: null
    batch: null
    encoding:
      codec: json
    request: null
    tls: null
    proxy: null
    framing: null
    log_type: WINDOWS_DNS
    healthcheck: null

acknowledgements

common optional object
Controls how acknowledgements are handled by this sink. When enabled, all connected sources that support end-to-end acknowledgements will wait for the destination of this sink to acknowledge receipt of events before providing acknowledgement to the sending source. These settings override the global acknowledgement settings.

acknowledgements.enabled

common optional bool
Controls if all connected sources will wait for this sink to deliver the events before acknowledging receipt.
default: false

api_key

optional string literal
A Google Cloud API key used to authenticate access the pubsub project and topic. Either this or credentials_path must be set.
Examples 
"${GCP_API_KEY}"
"ef8d5de700e7989468166c40fc8a0ccd"

batch

optional object
Configures the sink batching behavior.

batch.max_bytes

common optional uint
The maximum size of a batch that will be processed by a sink. This is based on the uncompressed size of the batched events, before they are serialized / compressed.

batch.max_events

common optional uint
The maximum size of a batch, in events, before it is flushed.

batch.timeout_secs

common optional float
The maximum age of a batch before it is flushed.
default: 300 (seconds)

buffer

optional object

Configures the buffering behavior for this sink.

More information about the individual buffer types, and buffer behavior, can be found in the Buffering Model section.

buffer.max_events

optional uint
The maximum number of events allowed in the buffer.
Relevant when: type = "memory"
default: 500

buffer.max_size

required uint

The maximum size of the buffer on disk.

Must be at least ~256 megabytes (268435488 bytes).

Relevant when: type = "disk_v1" or type = "disk"

buffer.type

optional string literal enum
The type of buffer to use.
Enum options
OptionDescription
disk

Events are buffered on disk. (version 2)

This is less performant, but more durable. Data that has been synchronized to disk will not be lost if Vector is restarted forcefully or crashes.

Data is synchronized to disk every 500ms.

disk_v1

Events are buffered on disk. (version 1)

This is less performant, but more durable. Data that has been synchronized to disk will not be lost if Vector is restarted forcefully or crashes.

memory

Events are buffered in memory.

This is more performant, but less durable. Data will be lost if Vector is restarted forcefully or crashes.

default: memory

buffer.when_full

optional string literal enum
Event handling behavior when a buffer is full.
Enum options
OptionDescription
block

Wait for free space in the buffer.

This applies backpressure up the topology, signalling that sources should slow down the acceptance/consumption of events. This means that while no data is lost, data will pile up at the edge.

drop_newest

Drops the event instead of waiting for free space in buffer.

The event will be intentionally dropped. This mode is typically used when performance is the highest priority, and it is preferable to temporarily lose events rather than cause a slowdown in the acceptance/consumption of events.

default: block

credentials_path

common optional string literal

The filename for a Google Cloud service account credentials JSON file used to authenticate access to the Cloud Storage API. If this is unset, Vector checks the GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable for a filename.

If no filename is named, Vector will attempt to fetch an instance service account for the compute instance the program is running on. If Vector is not running on a GCE instance, you must define a credentials file as above.

Examples 
"/path/to/credentials.json"

customer_id

required string literal
The Unique identifier (UUID) corresponding to the Chronicle instance.
Examples 
"c8c65bfa-5f2c-42d4-9189-64bb7b939f2c"

encoding

required object
Configures how events are encoded into raw bytes.

encoding.codec

required string literal enum
The codec to use for encoding events.
Enum options
OptionDescription
jsonEncodes an event as JSON.
text

Plaintext encoding.

This “encoding” simply uses the message field of a log event.

Users should take care if they’re modifying their log events (such as by using a remap transform, etc) and removing the message field while doing additional parsing on it, as this could lead to the encoding emitting empty strings for the given event.

Examples 
"json"
"text"

encoding.except_fields

optional [string]
Prevent the sink from encoding the specified fields.

encoding.only_fields

optional [string]
Makes the sink encode only the specified fields.

encoding.timestamp_format

optional string literal enum
How to format event timestamps.
Enum options
OptionDescription
rfc3339Formats as a RFC3339 string
unixFormats as a unix timestamp
default: rfc3339

endpoint

optional string literal
The endpoint to send data to.
Examples 
"127.0.0.1:8080"
"example.com:12345"
Relevant when: region is not set

framing

optional object
Configures in which way events encoded as byte frames should be separated in a payload.

framing.character_delimited

required object
Options for character_delimited framing.
Relevant when: method = `character_delimited`
framing.character_delimited.delimiter
required ascii_char
The character used to separate frames.
Examples 
"\n"
"\t"

framing.method

common optional string literal enum
The framing method.
Enum options
OptionDescription
bytesByte frames are concatenated.
character_delimitedByte frames are delimited by a chosen character.
length_delimitedByte frames are prefixed by an unsigned big-endian 32-bit integer indicating the length.
newline_delimitedByte frames are delimited by a newline character.
default: A suitable default is chosen depending on the sink type and the selected codec.

healthcheck

optional object
Healthcheck configuration.

healthcheck.enabled

optional bool
Whether or not to check the health of the sink when Vector starts up.
default: true

inputs

required [string]

A list of upstream source or transform IDs.

Wildcards (*) are supported.

See configuration for more info.

Array string literal
Examples 
[
  "my-source-or-transform-id",
  "prefix-*"
]

log_type

required string template
Identifies the log entry. This must be one of the supported log types, otherwise Chronicle will reject the entry with an error.
Note: This parameter supports Vector's template syntax, which enables you to use dynamic per-event values.
Examples 
"WINDOWS_DNS"
"{{ log_type }}"

proxy

optional object
Configures an HTTP(S) proxy for Vector to use. By default, the globally configured proxy is used.

proxy.enabled

optional bool
If false the proxy will be disabled.
default: true

proxy.http

optional string literal
The URL to proxy HTTP requests through.
Examples 
"http://foo.bar:3128"

proxy.https

optional string literal
The URL to proxy HTTPS requests through.
Examples 
"http://foo.bar:3128"

proxy.no_proxy

optional [string]

A list of hosts to avoid proxying. Allowed patterns here include:

PatternExample match
Domain namesexample.com matches requests to example.com
Wildcard domains.example.com matches requests to example.com and its subdomains
IP addresses127.0.0.1 matches requests to 127.0.0.1
CIDR blocks192.168.0.0./16 matches requests to any IP addresses in this range
Splat* matches all hosts

region

optional string literal enum
The region to send data to.
Enum options string literal
OptionDescription
asiaAsia
euEurope
usUnited States
Relevant when: endpoint is not set

request

optional object
Configures the sink request behavior.

request.adaptive_concurrency

optional object
Configure the adaptive concurrency algorithms. These values have been tuned by optimizing simulated results. In general you should not need to adjust these.
request.adaptive_concurrency.decrease_ratio
optional float
The fraction of the current value to set the new concurrency limit when decreasing the limit. Valid values are greater than 0 and less than 1. Smaller values cause the algorithm to scale back rapidly when latency increases. Note that the new limit is rounded down after applying this ratio.
default: 0.9
request.adaptive_concurrency.ewma_alpha
optional float
The adaptive concurrency algorithm uses an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) of past RTT measurements as a reference to compare with the current RTT. This value controls how heavily new measurements are weighted compared to older ones. Valid values are greater than 0 and less than 1. Smaller values cause this reference to adjust more slowly, which may be useful if a service has unusually high response variability.
default: 0.7
request.adaptive_concurrency.rtt_deviation_scale
optional float
When calculating the past RTT average, we also compute a secondary “deviation” value that indicates how variable those values are. We use that deviation when comparing the past RTT average to the current measurements, so we can ignore increases in RTT that are within an expected range. This factor is used to scale up the deviation to an appropriate range. Valid values are greater than or equal to 0, and we expect reasonable values to range from 1.0 to 3.0. Larger values cause the algorithm to ignore larger increases in the RTT.
default: 2

request.concurrency

common optional uint
The maximum number of in-flight requests allowed at any given time, or “adaptive” to allow Vector to automatically set the limit based on current network and service conditions.

request.rate_limit_duration_secs

common optional uint
The time window, in seconds, used for the rate_limit_num option.
default: 1 (seconds)

request.rate_limit_num

common optional uint
The maximum number of requests allowed within the rate_limit_duration_secs time window.
default: 1000

request.retry_attempts

optional uint
The maximum number of retries to make for failed requests. The default, for all intents and purposes, represents an infinite number of retries.
default: 1.8446744073709552e+19

request.retry_initial_backoff_secs

optional uint
The amount of time to wait before attempting the first retry for a failed request. Once, the first retry has failed the fibonacci sequence will be used to select future backoffs.
default: 1 (seconds)

request.retry_max_duration_secs

optional uint
The maximum amount of time, in seconds, to wait between retries.
default: 3600 (seconds)

request.timeout_secs

common optional uint
The maximum time a request can take before being aborted. It is highly recommended that you do not lower this value below the service’s internal timeout, as this could create orphaned requests, pile on retries, and result in duplicate data downstream.
default: 60 (seconds)

tls

optional object
Configures the TLS options for incoming/outgoing connections.

tls.alpn_protocols

optional [string]

Sets the list of supported ALPN protocols.

Declare the supported ALPN protocols, which are used during negotiation with peer. Prioritized in the order they are defined.

tls.ca_file

optional string literal

Absolute path to an additional CA certificate file.

The certificate must be in the DER or PEM (X.509) format. Additionally, the certificate can be provided as an inline string in PEM format.

Examples 
"/path/to/certificate_authority.crt"

tls.crt_file

common optional string literal

Absolute path to a certificate file used to identify this server.

The certificate must be in DER, PEM (X.509), or PKCS#12 format. Additionally, the certificate can be provided as an inline string in PEM format.

If this is set, and is not a PKCS#12 archive, key_file must also be set.

Examples 
"/path/to/host_certificate.crt"

tls.key_file

common optional string literal

Absolute path to a private key file used to identify this server.

The key must be in DER or PEM (PKCS#8) format. Additionally, the key can be provided as an inline string in PEM format.

Examples 
"/path/to/host_certificate.key"

tls.key_pass

optional string literal

Passphrase used to unlock the encrypted key file.

This has no effect unless key_file is set.

Examples 
"${KEY_PASS_ENV_VAR}"
"PassWord1"

tls.verify_certificate

optional bool

Enables certificate verification.

If enabled, certificates must be valid in terms of not being expired, as well as being issued by a trusted issuer. This verification operates in a hierarchical manner, checking that not only the leaf certificate (the certificate presented by the client/server) is valid, but also that the issuer of that certificate is valid, and so on until reaching a root certificate.

Relevant for both incoming and outgoing connections.

Do NOT set this to false unless you understand the risks of not verifying the validity of certificates.

default: true

tls.verify_hostname

optional bool

Enables hostname verification.

If enabled, the hostname used to connect to the remote host must be present in the TLS certificate presented by the remote host, either as the Common Name or as an entry in the Subject Alternative Name extension.

Only relevant for outgoing connections.

Do NOT set this to false unless you understand the risks of not verifying the remote hostname.

default: true

Environment variables

GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS

common optional string literal
The filename for a Google Cloud service account credentials JSON file used for authentication.
Examples
/path/to/credentials.json

Telemetry

Metrics

link

buffer_byte_size

gauge
The number of bytes current in the buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

buffer_discarded_events_total

counter
The number of events dropped by this non-blocking buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

buffer_events

gauge
The number of events currently in the buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

buffer_received_event_bytes_total

counter
The number of bytes received by this buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

buffer_received_events_total

counter
The number of events received by this buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

buffer_sent_event_bytes_total

counter
The number of bytes sent by this buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

buffer_sent_events_total

counter
The number of events sent by this buffer.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

component_received_event_bytes_total

counter
The number of event bytes accepted by this component either from tagged origins like file and uri, or cumulatively from other origins.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_received_events_count

histogram

A histogram of the number of events passed in each internal batch in Vector’s internal topology.

Note that this is separate than sink-level batching. It is mostly useful for low level debugging performance issues in Vector due to small internal batches.

component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_received_events_total

counter
The number of events accepted by this component either from tagged origins like file and uri, or cumulatively from other origins.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_sent_event_bytes_total

counter
The total number of event bytes emitted by this component.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
output optional
The specific output of the component.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

component_sent_events_total

counter
The total number of events emitted by this component.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
output optional
The specific output of the component.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

events_discarded_total

counter
The total number of events discarded by this component.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
reason
The type of the error

events_in_total

counter
The number of events accepted by this component either from tagged origins like file and uri, or cumulatively from other origins. This metric is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Use component_received_events_total instead.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

processing_errors_total

counter
The total number of processing errors encountered by this component. This metric is deprecated in favor of component_errors_total.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
error_type
The type of the error
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

utilization

gauge
A ratio from 0 to 1 of the load on a component. A value of 0 would indicate a completely idle component that is simply waiting for input. A value of 1 would indicate a that is never idle. This value is updated every 5 seconds.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

How it works

Buffers and batches

This component buffers & batches data as shown in the diagram above. You’ll notice that Vector treats these concepts differently, instead of treating them as global concepts, Vector treats them as sink specific concepts. This isolates sinks, ensuring services disruptions are contained and delivery guarantees are honored.

Batches are flushed when 1 of 2 conditions are met:

  1. The batch age meets or exceeds the configured timeout_secs.
  2. The batch size meets or exceeds the configured max_bytes or max_events.

Buffers are controlled via the buffer.* options.

GCP Authentication

GCP offers a variety of authentication methods and Vector is concerned with the server to server methods and will find credentials in the following order:

  1. If the credentials_path option is set.
  2. If the api_key option is set.
  3. If the GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable is set.
  4. Finally, Vector will check for an instance service account.

If credentials aren’t found, Vector’s health checks fail and an error is logged.

Health checks

Health checks ensure that the downstream service is accessible and ready to accept data. This check is performed upon sink initialization. If the health check fails an error will be logged and Vector will proceed to start.

Require health checks

If you’d like to exit immediately upon a health check failure, you can pass the --require-healthy flag:

vector --config /etc/vector/vector.toml --require-healthy

Disable health checks

If you’d like to disable health checks for this sink you can set the healthcheck option to false.

Rate limits & adaptive concurrency

Adaptive Request Concurrency (ARC)

Adaptive Request Concurrency is a feature of Vector that does away with static concurrency limits and automatically optimizes HTTP concurrency based on downstream service responses. The underlying mechanism is a feedback loop inspired by TCP congestion control algorithms. Checkout the announcement blog post,

We highly recommend enabling this feature as it improves performance and reliability of Vector and the systems it communicates with. As such, we have made it the default, and no further configuration is required.

Static concurrency

If Adaptive Request Concurrency is not for you, you can manually set static concurrency limits by specifying an integer for request.concurrency:

[sinks.my-sink]
  request.concurrency = 10

Rate limits

In addition to limiting request concurrency, you can also limit the overall request throughput via the request.rate_limit_duration_secs and request.rate_limit_num options.

[sinks.my-sink]
  request.rate_limit_duration_secs = 1
  request.rate_limit_num = 10

These will apply to both adaptive and fixed request.concurrency values.

Retry policy

Vector will retry failed requests (status == 429, >= 500, and != 501). Other responses will not be retried. You can control the number of retry attempts and backoff rate with the request.retry_attempts and request.retry_backoff_secs options.

State

This component is stateless, meaning its behavior is consistent across each input.

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Vector uses OpenSSL for TLS protocols due to OpenSSL’s maturity. You can enable and adjust TLS behavior using the tls.* options.
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