Fluentd and Azure Data Explorer Integration

Input and output integration overview

The Fluentd Input Plugin gathers metrics from Fluentd’s in_monitor plugin endpoint. It provides insights into various plugin metrics while allowing for custom configurations to reduce series cardinality.

The Azure Data Explorer plugin allows integration of metrics collection with Azure Data Explorer, enabling users to analyze and query their telemetry data efficiently. With this plugin, users can configure ingestion settings to suit their needs and leverage Azure’s powerful analytical capabilities.

Integration details

Fluentd

This plugin gathers metrics from the Fluentd plugin endpoint provided by the in_monitor plugin. It reads data from the /api/plugin.json resource and allows exclusion of specific plugins based on their type.

Azure Data Explorer

The Azure Data Explorer plugin allows users to write metrics, logs, and time series data collected from various Telegraf input plugins into Azure Data Explorer, Azure Synapse, and Real-Time Analytics in Fabric. This integration serves as a bridge, allowing applications and services to monitor their performance metrics or logs efficiently. Azure Data Explorer is optimized for analytics over large volumes of diverse data types, making it an excellent choice for real-time analytics and monitoring solutions in cloud environments. The plugin empowers users to configure metrics ingestion based on their requirements, define table schemas dynamically, and set various ingestion methods while retaining flexibility regarding roles and permissions needed for database operations. This supports scalable and secure monitoring setups for modern applications that utilize cloud services.

Configuration

Fluentd

[[inputs.fluentd]]
  ## This plugin reads information exposed by fluentd (using /api/plugins.json endpoint).
  ##
  ## Endpoint:
  ## - only one URI is allowed
  ## - https is not supported
  endpoint = "http://localhost:24220/api/plugins.json"

  ## Define which plugins have to be excluded (based on "type" field - e.g. monitor_agent)
  exclude = [
    "monitor_agent",
    "dummy",
  ]

Azure Data Explorer

[[outputs.azure_data_explorer]]
  ## The URI property of the Azure Data Explorer resource on Azure
  ## ex: endpoint_url = https://myadxresource.australiasoutheast.kusto.windows.net
  endpoint_url = ""

  ## The Azure Data Explorer database that the metrics will be ingested into.
  ## The plugin will NOT generate this database automatically, it's expected that this database already exists before ingestion.
  ## ex: "exampledatabase"
  database = ""

  ## Timeout for Azure Data Explorer operations
  # timeout = "20s"

  ## Type of metrics grouping used when pushing to Azure Data Explorer.
  ## Default is "TablePerMetric" for one table per different metric.
  ## For more information, please check the plugin README.
  # metrics_grouping_type = "TablePerMetric"

  ## Name of the single table to store all the metrics (Only needed if metrics_grouping_type is "SingleTable").
  # table_name = ""

  ## Creates tables and relevant mapping if set to true(default).
  ## Skips table and mapping creation if set to false, this is useful for running Telegraf with the lowest possible permissions i.e. table ingestor role.
  # create_tables = true

  ##  Ingestion method to use.
  ##  Available options are
  ##    - managed  --  streaming ingestion with fallback to batched ingestion or the "queued" method below
  ##    - queued   --  queue up metrics data and process sequentially
  # ingestion_type = "queued"

Input and output integration examples

Fluentd

1. Basic Configuration: Set up the Fluentd Input Plugin to gather metrics from your Fluentd instance’s monitoring endpoint, ensuring you are able to track performance and usage statistics.
2. Excluding Plugins: Use the exclude option to ignore specific plugins’ metrics that are not necessary for your monitoring needs, streamlining data collection and focusing on what matters.
3. Custom Plugin ID: Implement the @id parameter in your Fluentd configuration to maintain a consistent plugin_id, which helps avoid issues with high series cardinality during frequent restarts.

Azure Data Explorer

1. Real-Time Monitoring Dashboard: By integrating metrics from various services into Azure Data Explorer using this plugin, organizations can build comprehensive dashboards that reflect real-time performance metrics. This allows teams to respond proactively to performance issues and optimize system health without delay.

2. Centralized Log Management: Utilize Azure Data Explorer to consolidate logs from multiple applications and services. By utilizing the plugin, organizations can streamline their log analysis processes, making it easier to search, filter, and derive insights from historical data accumulated over time.

3. Data-Driven Alerting Systems: Enhance monitoring capabilities by configuring alerts based on metrics sent via this plugin. Organizations can set thresholds and automate incident responses, significantly reducing downtime and improving the reliability of critical operations.

4. Machine Learning Model Training: By leveraging the data sent to Azure Data Explorer, organizations can perform large-scale analytics and prepare the data for feeding into machine learning models. This plugin enables the structuring of data that can subsequently be used for predictive analytics, leading to enhanced decision-making capabilities.

Feedback

Thank you for being part of our community! If you have any general feedback or found any bugs on these pages, we welcome and encourage your input. Please submit your feedback in the InfluxDB community Slack.