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SigNoz Cloud - This page applies to SigNoz Cloud editions.
Self-Host - This page applies to self-hosted SigNoz editions.

Collecting Tomcat Access and Garbage Collector Logs

Overview

You can configure OpenTelemetry Collector to read Tomcat Server Access and Garbage Collector logs and push them to SigNoz for analysis.

Steps to Collect Logs in SigNoz Cloud

1. Install OpenTelemetry Collector

The OpenTelemetry Collector provides a vendor-neutral way to collect, process, and export telemetry data (logs, metrics, traces). Follow this installation guide.

2. Configure Filelog Receiver

Modify the config.yaml file from the installation to include the filelog receiver:

config.yaml
receivers:
  filelog/access_logs:
    include: [/<path_to_access_log>/localhost_access_log.*] # Path to access logs
    start_at: end
  filelog/gc_logs:
    include: [/<path_to_gc_log>/garbage-collection.log.*] # Path to garbage collector logs
    start_at: end
  • Use start_at: end to transmit only new logs. Change to beginning to include historical logs.
  • Update log paths using server arguments:
    • Access logs: -Dcatalina.base=<new_access_logs_path>
    • GC logs: -Xloggc:<new_gc_logs_path>

3. Update Pipelines Configuration

In the same config.yaml, add the receivers to the pipeline:

config.yaml
service:
  pipelines:
    logs:
      receivers: [otlp, filelog/access_logs, filelog/gc_logs]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlp]

4. Restart the OTel Collector

Apply changes by restarting the OTel Collector.

5. Verify Export

Check the SigNoz UI for the exported logs.

Access logs in SigNoz
Access logs in SigNoz Logs Explorer
GC logs in SigNoz
GC logs in SigNoz Logs Explorer

Prerequisites

Steps to Collect Logs in Self-Hosted SigNoz

Scenario 1: SigNoz Running on the Same Host

1. Modify Docker Compose File

Update docker-compose-minimal.yaml to mount your log files:

/deploy/docker/docker-compose-minimal.yaml
otel-collector:
  image: signoz/signoz-otel-collector:0.88.11
  command: ["--config=/etc/otel-collector-config.yaml"]
  volumes:
    - ~/<access_logs_path>/:/<access_logs_path>/
    - ~/<gc_logs_path>/:/<gc_logs_path>/
2. Add Filelog Receiver

Update otel-collector-config.yaml to include the filelog receiver:

/deploy/docker/otel-collector-config.yaml
receivers:
  filelog/access_logs:
    include: [/<path>/localhost_access_log.*] # Path to access logs
    start_at: end
  filelog/gc_logs:
    include: [/<path>/garbage-collection.log.*] # Path to GC logs
    start_at: end
3. Update Pipelines Configuration

Modify the pipeline to include the filelog receiver:

:/deploy/docker/otel-collector-config.yaml
service:
  pipelines:
    logs:
      receivers: [otlp, filelog/access_logs, filelog/gc_logs]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [clickhouselogsexporter]
4. Restart the OTel Collector

Restart the OTel Collector to apply changes. Guide here.

5. Verify Export

Check the SigNoz UI for the exported logs.

Access logs in SigNoz
Access logs in SigNoz Logs Explorer
GC logs in SigNoz
GC logs in SigNoz Logs Explorer

Scenario 2: SigNoz Running on a Different Host

1. Create OTel Collector Configuration

Define otel-collector-config.yaml:

receivers:
  filelog/access_logs:
    include: [/<path>/localhost_access_log.*]
    start_at: end
  filelog/gc_logs:
    include: [/<path>/garbage-collection.log.*]
    start_at: end
processors:
  batch:
    send_batch_size: 10000
    send_batch_max_size: 11000
    timeout: 10s
  resource/env:
    attributes:
    - key: deployment.environment
      value: staging
      action: upsert
exporters:
  otlp/log:
    endpoint: http://<host>:<port>
    tls:
      insecure: true
service:
  pipelines:
    logs:
      receivers: [filelog/access_logs, filelog/gc_logs]
      processors: [batch, resource/env]
      exporters: [otlp/log]

For HTTPS, configure certificates as per this guide.

Last updated: May 13, 2026

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