Docker Encourages Container Log Analysis for Insights

Article courtesy of theWHIR

In an effort to recognize companies that provide a comprehensive view of distributed containerized applications, application containerization platform Docker this week announced its Ecosystem Technology Partners for log management of Dockerized applications.

The first set of partners to demonstrate their logging expertise include Amazon CloudWatch, elastic.co, Graylog, Rapid7/Logentries, Loggly, Papertrail, Sematext Logsene, Sumo Logic and Treasure Data.

Docker’s ETP program ensures that log management solutions not only integrate with a Docker environment, but also extend application portability across the platform.

The streams of log data produced by distributed applications can be analyzed to provide operations teams insight into application health and help resolve issues. Operations teams need tools for collecting and interpreting log data to render an accurate picture of the availability and performance of these applications.

Docker ETPs employ different methods to help collect this data. Some, like Amazon CloudWatch, contribute logging drivers directly to the Docker Engine (enabled in the 1.6 release), while others providing containerized agents that let Docker APIs connect to external collection systems.

David Messina, Docker’s VP of enterprise marketing, said that monitoring and logging are crucial for supporting applications, but are often considered an afterthought. “Things like monitoring and logging tend to get overshaddowed by other technologies.”

He said that the focus in recent years has shifted from data centers and IT infrastructure to applications, which are seen as making the most impact for businesses. Yet, it’s important not to forget about the underlying infrastructure especially when it comes to Docker business-critical applications running in production.

“Things like logging and monitoring are, in effect, at the heart of making sure your solutions are up and running to your expectations,” Messina said. “They’re also at the heart of providing what you need to know to resolve issues.”

The integrations will also allow many organizations to integrate Docker logs into their existing logging solutions, making it less risky for organizations to experiment with containerization and microservice-based architectures.

Messina notes ETPs will position themselves well among the “large number of vendors who are now coming out that are Docker-optimized or microservices-optimized.”

The ETP program for logging is just one of the initiatives to make Docker containers easier for organizations to adopt. Just months ago, there were several announcements made during Dockercon EU aimed at making it easier for hosts and cloud providers to provide Docker-based services, which is significant because service providers can make it easier for developers to experiment with containers.

This first ran at http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/new-docker-program-recognizes-organizations-that-turn-container-logs-into-valuable-insights