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Version: 8.8 (unreleased)

Logging

This page explains how to configure, customize, and manage logging in the Camunda 8 Self-Managed Orchestration Cluster.
The Orchestration Cluster includes Tasklist, Operate, Zeebe, and Identity, and uses the Log4j2 framework for logging.

You can configure output formats, logging levels, appenders, and change log levels dynamically at runtime.

Log4j2 configuration​

Each Orchestration Cluster deployment includes a single Log4j2 configuration file (log4j2.xml):

  • Default location: Depends on the deployment type (distribution archive, Docker image, or Kubernetes).
  • Default appender: ConsoleAppender, which writes logs to standard output.
  • Default log level: WARN for most packages, with INFO for:
    • Camunda 8 (io.camunda and io.atomix)
    • Spring and Spring Boot (org.springframework)

You can view the default log4j2.xml in the
GitHub repository.

Example Log4j2 configuration​

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Configuration status="WARN" monitorInterval="30">
  <Properties>
    <Property name="LOG_PATTERN">%clr{%d{yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS}}{faint} %clr{%5p} %clr{${sys:PID}}{magenta} %clr{---}{faint} %clr{[%15.15t]}{faint} %clr{%-40.40c{1.}}{cyan} %clr{:}{faint} %m%n%xwEx</Property>
  </Properties>
  <Appenders>
    <Console name="Console" target="SYSTEM_OUT" follow="true">
      <PatternLayout pattern="${LOG_PATTERN}"/>
    </Console>
    <Console name="Stackdriver" target="SYSTEM_OUT" follow="true">
      <StackdriverJSONLayout/>
    </Console>
  </Appenders>
  <Loggers>
    <Logger name="io.camunda" level="info" />
    <Root level="info">
      <AppenderRef ref="${env:LOG_APPENDER:-Console}"/>
    </Root>
  </Loggers>
</Configuration>

Environment variables for log levels​

You can set log levels globally or per component using environment variables.

  • Global log level
    • CAMUNDA_LOG_LEVEL (e.g., DEBUG, INFO, ERROR)
    • Recommended for most use cases.
  • Component-specific log levels (use only if you need finer control)
    • ZEEBE_LOG_LEVEL – io.camunda.zeebe (Zeebe-related logs)
    • ATOMIX_LOG_LEVEL – Clustering and Raft logs
    • ES_LOG_LEVEL – org.elasticsearch logs

Appenders (output formats)​

Log4j2 appenders define how logs are output. The Orchestration Cluster supports:

  1. Console - Default. Outputs formatted text logs to standard out. Select with ZEEBE_LOG_APPENDER=Console.
  2. Stackdriver (JSON format) - Outputs logs in JSON format compatible with Google Cloud Logging/Stackdriver. Select with ZEEBE_LOG_APPENDER=Stackdriver.
  3. Rolling file - Writes logs to a file that rotates and compresses old logs. Enabled by default; disable with CAMUNDA_LOG_FILE_APPENDER_ENABLED=false.

JSON logging​

To enable JSON logging (Stackdriver format) for any component:

LOG_APPENDER=Stackdriver

Set this variable for each component’s environment as needed.

Changing log levels at runtime​

The Orchestration Cluster supports dynamic log level changes via the Spring Boot Actuator loggers endpoint.

Example for a local component:

curl 'http://localhost:9600/actuator/loggers/io.camunda' \
  -i -X POST \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"configuredLevel":"debug"}'

Replace io.camunda with the logger name you want to adjust.

Notes​

  • Learn more about log levels.
  • The Orchestration Cluster uses Log4j2 by default in both distributions and Docker images.
  • Adjusting logging can help with troubleshooting, performance optimization, and integration with external monitoring systems.