Socket

Collect logs using the socket client

status: stable role: aggregator role: sidecar delivery: best effort acknowledgements: no egress: stream state: stateless output: log
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Configuration

Example configurations 

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "socket",
      "address": "0.0.0.0:9000",
      "mode": "tcp",
      "path": "/path/to/socket"
    }
  }
}
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "socket"
address = "0.0.0.0:9000"
mode = "tcp"
path = "/path/to/socket"

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: socket
    address: 0.0.0.0:9000
    mode: tcp
    path: /path/to/socket

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "socket",
      "address": "0.0.0.0:9000",
      "host_key": "host",
      "mode": "tcp",
      "path": "/path/to/socket",
      "port_key": "port",
      "shutdown_timeout_secs": 30,
      "socket_file_mode": 511
    }
  }
}
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "socket"
address = "0.0.0.0:9000"
host_key = "host"
mode = "tcp"
path = "/path/to/socket"
port_key = "port"
shutdown_timeout_secs = 30
socket_file_mode = 511

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: socket
    address: 0.0.0.0:9000
    host_key: host
    mode: tcp
    path: /path/to/socket
    port_key: port
    shutdown_timeout_secs: 30
    socket_file_mode: 511

address

required string literal

The socket address to listen for connections on, or systemd{#N} to use the Nth socket passed by systemd socket activation.

If a socket address is used, it must include a port.

Examples 
"0.0.0.0:9000"
"systemd"
"systemd#3"
Relevant when: mode = "tcp" or mode = "udp"

connection_limit

optional uint
The maximum number of TCP connections that will be allowed at any given time.
Relevant when: mode = "tcp"

decoding

optional object
Configures how events are decoded from raw bytes.

decoding.codec

optional string literal enum
The codec to use for decoding events.
Enum options
OptionDescription
bytesUses the raw bytes as-is.
gelfDecodes the raw bytes as a GELF message.
jsonDecodes the raw bytes as JSON.
native

Decodes the raw bytes as Vector’s native Protocol Buffers format.

This codec is experimental.

native_json

Decodes the raw bytes as Vector’s native JSON format.

This codec is experimental.

syslog

Decodes the raw bytes as a Syslog message.

Will decode either as the RFC 3164-style format (“old” style) or the more modern RFC 5424-style format (“new” style, includes structured data).

default: bytes

framing

optional object

Framing configuration.

Framing deals with how events are separated when encoded in a raw byte form, where each event is a “frame” that must be prefixed, or delimited, in a way that marks where an event begins and ends within the byte stream.

framing.character_delimited

required object
Options for the character delimited decoder.
Relevant when: method = "character_delimited"
framing.character_delimited.delimiter
required uint
The character that delimits byte sequences.
framing.character_delimited.max_length
optional uint

The maximum length of the byte buffer.

This length does not include the trailing delimiter.

By default, there is no maximum length enforced. If events are malformed, this can lead to additional resource usage as events continue to be buffered in memory, and can potentially lead to memory exhaustion in extreme cases.

If there is a risk of processing malformed data, such as logs with user-controlled input, consider setting the maximum length to a reasonably large value as a safety net. This will ensure that processing is not truly unbounded.

framing.method

required string literal enum
The framing method.
Enum options
OptionDescription
bytesByte frames are passed through as-is according to the underlying I/O boundaries (e.g. split between messages or stream segments).
character_delimitedByte frames which are delimited by a chosen character.
length_delimitedByte frames which are prefixed by an unsigned big-endian 32-bit integer indicating the length.
newline_delimitedByte frames which are delimited by a newline character.
octet_countingByte frames according to the octet counting format.
Examples 
"bytes"
"character_delimited"
"length_delimited"
"newline_delimited"
"octet_counting"

framing.newline_delimited

optional object
Options for the newline delimited decoder.
Relevant when: method = "newline_delimited"
framing.newline_delimited.max_length
optional uint

The maximum length of the byte buffer.

This length does not include the trailing delimiter.

By default, there is no maximum length enforced. If events are malformed, this can lead to additional resource usage as events continue to be buffered in memory, and can potentially lead to memory exhaustion in extreme cases.

If there is a risk of processing malformed data, such as logs with user-controlled input, consider setting the maximum length to a reasonably large value as a safety net. This will ensure that processing is not truly unbounded.

framing.octet_counting

optional object
Options for the octet counting decoder.
Relevant when: method = "octet_counting"
framing.octet_counting.max_length
optional uint
The maximum length of the byte buffer.

host_key

optional string literal

Overrides the name of the log field used to add the peer host to each event.

The value will be the peer host’s address, including the port i.e. 1.2.3.4:9000.

By default, the global log_schema.host_key option is used.

Set to "" to suppress this key.

default: host

keepalive

optional object
TCP keepalive settings for socket-based components.

keepalive.time_secs

optional uint
The time to wait before starting to send TCP keepalive probes on an idle connection.
Relevant when: mode = "tcp"

max_length

optional uint

Deprecated

This option has been deprecated. Configure max_length on the framing config instead.

The maximum buffer size of incoming messages.

Messages larger than this are truncated.

mode

required string literal enum
The type of socket to use.
Examples 
"tcp"
"udp"
"unix_datagram"
"unix_stream"
Enum options string literal
OptionDescription
tcpListen on TCP.
udpListen on UDP.
unix_datagramListen on a Unix domain socket (UDS), in datagram mode.
unix_streamListen on a Unix domain socket (UDS), in stream mode.

path

required string literal

The Unix socket path.

This should be an absolute path.

Examples 
"/path/to/socket"
Relevant when: mode = "unix_datagram" or mode = "unix_stream"

port_key

optional string literal

Overrides the name of the log field used to add the peer host’s port to each event.

The value will be the peer host’s port i.e. 9000.

By default, "port" is used.

Set to "" to suppress this key.

default: port
Relevant when: mode = "tcp" or mode = "udp"

receive_buffer_bytes

optional uint

The size of the receive buffer used for each connection.

Generally this should not need to be configured.

Relevant when: mode = "tcp" or mode = "udp"

shutdown_timeout_secs

optional uint
The timeout before a connection is forcefully closed during shutdown.
default: 30 (seconds)
Relevant when: mode = "tcp"

socket_file_mode

optional uint

Unix file mode bits to be applied to the unix socket file as its designated file permissions.

Note that the file mode value can be specified in any numeric format supported by your configuration language, but it is most intuitive to use an octal number.

Examples 
511
384
508
Relevant when: mode = "unix_datagram" or mode = "unix_stream"

tls

optional object
TlsEnableableConfig for sources, adding metadata from the client certificate

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.client_metadata_key

optional string literal
Event field for client certificate metadata.

tls.crt_file

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.enabled

optional bool

Whether or not to require TLS for incoming/outgoing connections.

When enabled and used for incoming connections, an identity certificate is also required. See tls.crt_file for more information.

tls.key_file

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.

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.

Relevant when: mode = "tcp"

Outputs

<component_id>

Default output stream of the component. Use this component’s ID as an input to downstream transforms and sinks.

Output Data

Logs

Line

A single socket event.
Fields
client_metadata optional object
Client TLS metadata.
host required string literal
The peer host IP address.
Examples
129.21.31.122
message required string literal
The raw line, unparsed.
Examples
2019-02-13T19:48:34+00:00 [info] Started GET "/" for 127.0.0.1
port optional uint
The peer source port.
Examples
2838
source_type required string literal
The name of the source type.
Examples
socket
timestamp required timestamp
The exact time the event was ingested into Vector.
Examples
2020-10-10T17:07:36.452332Z

Telemetry

Metrics

link

component_discarded_events_total

counter
The number of events dropped 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.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

component_errors_total

counter
The total number of errors encountered 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.
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.
stage
The stage within the component at which the error occurred.

component_received_bytes_total

counter
The number of raw bytes accepted by this component from source 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_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_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.

connection_errors_total

counter
The total number of connection errors for this Vector instance.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

connection_established_total

counter
The total number of times a connection has been established.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

connection_failed_total

counter
The total number of times a connection has failed.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

connection_send_ack_errors_total

counter
The total number of protocol acknowledgement errors for this Vector instance for source protocols that support acknowledgements.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

connection_send_errors_total

counter
The total number of errors sending data via the connection.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

connection_shutdown_total

counter
The total number of times the connection has been shut down.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

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.

events_out_total

counter
The total number of events emitted by this component. This metric is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Use component_sent_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.
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.

source_lag_time_seconds

histogram
The difference between the timestamp recorded in each event and the time when it was ingested, expressed as fractional 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.

Examples

Socket line

Given this event...
2019-02-13T19:48:34+00:00 [info] Started GET "/" for 127.0.0.1
...and this configuration...
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "socket"

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: socket

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "socket"
    }
  }
}
...this Vector event is produced:
{
  "host": "my-host.local",
  "message": "2019-02-13T19:48:34+00:00 [info] Started GET \"/\" for 127.0.0.1",
  "source_type": "socket",
  "timestamp": "2020-10-10T17:07:36.452332Z"
}

How it works

Context

By default, the socket source augments events with helpful context keys.

State

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

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Vector uses OpenSSL for TLS protocols. You can adjust TLS behavior via the tls.* options.
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