✅ Setting up centralized logging for desktop apps
I wish to setup centralized logging using OpenTelemetry.
I'm lost on exporting structured logs from a desktop application.
I have a .NET Server managing database access that exposes gRPC endpoints for clients.
I have .NET desktop Clients (specifically WPF, but this should be irrelevant) that connect to the server via gRPC.
The server and clients shall be installed on-premises; serving these as a cloud SaaS is a future prospect.
I've managed to setup opentelemetry logging for my WPF client; however, I'm clueless as to where and how I should export the collected data.
From my understanding, logs from both the server and clients should be exported to a third service specifically for handling logs. Is this a good approach?
My initial idea was to send logs from clients to the server and then have the server handle the dirty work.
It stemmed from the fact that most guides on setting up OT are for ASP.NET Core applications, that just add an endpoint for sending the collected logs and traces.
To what "system" or service should I export my logs to?
I wish to keep it small and simple, handling around 20 clients and a server and storing logs and metrics for 30 days.
11 Replies
To what "system" or service should I export my logs to?You have some options. Seq is very good, but you could also set up your own ELK (Elastic, LogStash, Kibana) stack. Loki could also be an option.
My initial idea was to send logs from clients to the server and then have the server handle the dirty work.Good. Smart thinking. Don't let the clients talk directly to the log service, that way leads madness and security/data authenticity issues.
Won't ELK be overkill for so few clients?
I'd really want an opensource, easy to setup solution. Hopefully that isn't unrealistic
So from what I've read, Seq is not an option due to its commercial licensing
Maybe Loki + Grafana then?
Loki is for logs, prometheus for metrics, right?
correct
And coming back to the clients. You say that sending logs through the server is a better idea. Thus, I do not setup opentelemetry in my clients, and instead log via some API endpoint on the server, right?
Client ---- logs -----> Server ----- logs ----> Loki ----> grafana
well, you have options
you could set up opentelemetry in the client, and set up a "receiver" on your server that just forwards it to Loki
or you write a sink that does the same
I've not used OpenTelemetry myself very much yet, so don't know all the details about it
but for client logging, you normally want to add a bunch of things like auth so you can verify what client sent the logs etc
dunno how easily the default OT stuff handles that
that makes sense... I'm unfamiliar with the term "sink". That would be the output target of my
ILogger? E.g., ConsoleLogger?Yeah, the term comes specifically from Serilog
So much like you do
AddConsole in m.e.l, you could add your own ext method to register your own sink
I dont know what m.e.l calls themAlright, this was very helpful! Thanks a lot
"logging providers" seems to be their term
Not sure i like that, they dont provide, they handle