Confusion about logs persistence/storage

[einarpersson]

Hi!

I have so far only used docker and docker compose without any additional logging. I see the output in docker logs etc. I have not configured my containers at all when it comes to logging. I know there is something called log rotation but that is about it.

I am considering upgrading to dozzle in order to centralize and get better capabilities, and as a part of that also get a better understanding of how to do logging properly.

I am lacking understanding regarding where/if logs are stored. Does dozzle maintain any own copy/db of all logs? Or is it only a 'view' into docker containers? Is dozzle a UI only?

Would be grateful for a brief explanation of how these pieces fit together. I also think this topic would be great to mention in the docs (didn't see it) as Dozzle seems to be a beginner friendly logging alternative, and all new users may not have a full understanding of how to think about logs, persistence, rotation etc.

[amir20]

Hi @einarpersson. The documentation has been a community effort so I would greatly appreciate PRs.

Dozzle leverages the APIs exposed by Docker. Its strength relies on this simplicity. There is no persistence because Docker already stores everything on disk. Docker logger services can be configured but it won't effect Dozzle because it still uses the API to access the logs.

I think you got it right. It is only a "view" into the logs. There is no "upgrade" because nothing is stored anywhere.

I won't have a lot of time to go in details. The documentation has some of this covered but there isn't a dedicated documentation on logging works.

[einarpersson]

Ok, thanks!

1. Dozzle is only a view into docker logs
2. Docker stores on disk, unlimited by default.

(However, If I were to change the docker log driver options, surely it would potentially affect what I see in Dozzle? As for example, older logs may no longer be visible as they have been purged due to maximal file size on logfile etc.)