Envoy Envoy Not Logging Access

What is Envoy Envoy Not Logging Access

Understanding Envoy and Its Purpose

Envoy is a high-performance, open-source edge and service proxy designed for cloud-native applications. It is used to manage network traffic, providing features like load balancing, service discovery, and observability. One of its key functionalities is logging, which helps in monitoring and debugging network traffic.

Identifying the Symptom: Envoy Not Logging Access

When Envoy is not logging access, it can be challenging to track requests and responses passing through the proxy. This issue manifests as missing or incomplete access logs, which are crucial for auditing and troubleshooting network issues.

Exploring the Issue: Misconfiguration of Access Logs

The root cause of Envoy not logging access is often a misconfiguration in the access log settings. This can occur if the log path is incorrect or if Envoy lacks the necessary permissions to write to the specified log file. Without proper configuration, Envoy cannot generate the expected access logs.

Common Misconfigurations

Incorrect log path specified in the configuration file. Insufficient permissions for Envoy to write to the log directory. Missing or incorrect access log format settings.

Steps to Fix the Issue

To resolve the issue of Envoy not logging access, follow these steps:

1. Verify Access Log Configuration

Check the Envoy configuration file (usually in YAML format) to ensure that the access log settings are correctly specified. Look for the access_log field under the http_filters section. Ensure the path is correct and the format is specified.

http_filters:- name: envoy.filters.http.router typed_config: "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.filters.http.router.v3.Router access_log: - name: envoy.access_loggers.file typed_config: "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.access_loggers.file.v3.FileAccessLog path: "/var/log/envoy/access.log" format: "%START_TIME% %REQ(:METHOD)% %REQ(X-ENVOY-ORIGINAL-PATH?:PATH)% %PROTOCOL% %RESPONSE_CODE% %RESPONSE_FLAGS% %BYTES_RECEIVED% %BYTES_SENT% %DURATION% %RESP(X-ENVOY-UPSTREAM-SERVICE-TIME)% %UPSTREAM_HOST%\n"

2. Check File Permissions

Ensure that the directory and file specified in the path field are writable by the Envoy process. You can use the following command to change the ownership and permissions:

sudo chown envoy:envoy /var/log/envoysudo chmod 755 /var/log/envoy

3. Restart Envoy

After making changes to the configuration or permissions, restart the Envoy service to apply the changes. Use the following command:

sudo systemctl restart envoy

Additional Resources

For more information on configuring Envoy access logs, refer to the Envoy Access Log Documentation. If you encounter further issues, consider visiting the Envoy Community Forum for support.