Introduction / Issue:
Monitoring Linux servers without real-time metrics and logs can delay issue detection. The challenge is setting up the Datadog Agent correctly to capture server and application logs via the console.
Why we need to do / Cause of the issue:
In production environments, logs provide crucial insights. Without them, root cause analysis becomes difficult. By default, log collection is disabled after installing the Datadog Agent. Enabling it ensures visibility into app behavior, system performance, and troubleshooting.
How do we solve:
Step 1: Install Datadog Agent
- Get API Key: Log in to Datadog → Integrations → APIs → Create API Key
DD_API_KEY= bash -c “$(curl -L https://s3.amazonaws.com/dd-agent/scripts/install_script.sh)”
Step 2: Enable Log Collection
- Edit Config File:
sudo nano /etc/datadog-agent/datadog.yaml
Uncomment and set:
logs_enabled: true
- Create Log Source Config:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/datadog-agent/conf.d/myapp.d
sudo nano /etc/datadog-agent/conf.d/myapp.d/conf.yaml
Add:
logs:
– type: file
path: /var/log/myapp.log
service: myapp
source: custom
Step 3: Start and Verify Agent
sudo systemctl restart datadog-agent
sudo systemctl enable datadog-agent
sudo datadog-agent status
Conclusion:
By installing the Datadog Agent and configuring it for log collection, we achieved end-to-end visibility into server and application activity. This setup provides real-time monitoring, aiding in faster issue resolution and system reliability.
