How to Set Up Log Aggregation
Configure centralized log collection, storage, and analysis across all your services and infrastructure.
What You'll Learn
This intermediate-level guide walks you through how to set up log aggregation step by step. Estimated time: 12 min.
Step 1: Choose your log stack
Select the ELK stack for open source, Grafana Loki for lightweight aggregation, or Datadog Logs for managed simplicity.
Step 2: Configure log shipping
Install Fluentd, Filebeat, or Vector on your servers to collect and forward logs to your centralized platform.
Step 3: Standardize log format
Implement structured JSON logging across all services with consistent fields for timestamp, service, level, and correlation IDs.
Step 4: Build search and analysis
Create saved searches, log-based alerts, and analysis dashboards for common operational and debugging scenarios.
Step 5: Set up retention policies
Configure log retention tiers with hot storage for recent logs, warm for searchable archives, and cold for compliance retention.
Frequently Asked Questions
ELK, Loki, or Datadog for logs?▾
Datadog for simplest setup and best correlation with metrics. Loki for cost-effective Grafana-integrated logging. ELK for maximum flexibility and self-hosted control.
How long should I keep logs?▾
Hot storage for 7-14 days, warm for 30-90 days, cold archive for compliance requirements. Balance searchability needs with storage costs.
How do I correlate logs across services?▾
Use correlation IDs generated at the edge and passed through all service calls. Include trace IDs in every log entry for distributed tracing.