Step-by-Step Guide to Visualizing AKS Logs with Grafana and Azure Monitor

You can visualize AKS logs in Grafana using Azure Monitor, which helps you gain deeper insights into your Kubernetes clusters. Azure Monitor and Container Insights collect and store log data for you, while Grafana enables you to create dashboards to quickly identify trends and issues. Before you start, make sure you have the right tools and permissions. By visualizing AKS logs, you improve your ability to track and manage your containers effectively.

Key Takeaways

• Get your AKS cluster, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics workspace, and Grafana set up before you begin.

• Turn on Container Insights and link your AKS cluster to Azure Monitor. This helps you collect logs and metrics well.

• Pick managed or self-hosted Grafana. Your choice depends on how much control, upkeep, and growth you want.

• Keep your setup safe by using role-based access control and strong sign-in methods. Watch what users do to keep your data safe.

• Use ready-made dashboards or make your own in Grafana to watch AKS logs. Set alerts so you can find problems early.

Prerequisites

Tools and Services Needed

You need some things before you start. You must have an AKS cluster in your Azure account. You also need Azure Monitor and a Log Analytics workspace. Grafana is needed to make dashboards. You can use the free version or a managed Grafana service.

Tip: Grafana is free and open source. Some features or managed services may cost money. Azure Monitor may charge for how much data you use. Always check your usage so you do not get surprised.

Here is a simple checklist:

• AKS cluster is running

• Azure Monitor is turned on

• Log Analytics workspace is ready

• Grafana is set up (self-hosted or managed)

• Web browser to see dashboards

Permissions and Access

You need the right permissions to connect Grafana to Azure Monitor and see AKS logs. The identity for Grafana, like an Azure AD app registration or managed identity, must have at least the Reader role at the subscription or resource level. This lets Grafana look at logs and metrics.

Note: Grafana roles decide what you can do in Grafana. They do not give you access to Azure Monitor data. You must set Azure permissions too.

Network and Security

You need to keep your environment safe to protect your data. If you show AKS logs and metrics to Grafana, it can be risky if not done right. Attackers could use open endpoints to learn about your system or move around your network.

Follow these best practices:

• Turn on Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Kubernetes to limit access.

• Protect ETCD with TLS and firewall rules.

• Scan container images for problems and fix them.

• Use authentication on metrics endpoints and do not make them public.

• Change default ports and turn off extra metrics.

Security Reminder: Always use strong access controls and watch for strange activity. This helps keep your AKS logs and dashboards safe.

Enable Monitoring

Container Insights Setup

You must turn on Container Insights to get logs and metrics from your AKS cluster. Here are the steps to set up monitoring:

1. First, find your Log Analytics workspace resource ID and region. Use Azure CLI to list your subscriptions and workspaces.

2. Next, deploy the Azure Monitor Containers solution. You can use Azure CLI or PowerShell for this step. Give the workspace details when you deploy.

3. Wait until the deployment is done. Make sure the provisioning state says "Succeeded."

4. Now, get your Log Analytics workspace ID and main key with Azure CLI.

5. Add the Azure Helm charts repository.

6. Install the Container Insights Helm chart agent on your AKS cluster. Use the workspace ID and key as parameters.

7. If your cluster uses a proxy server, set up the proxy settings.

8. After you finish, check the Azure portal. It may take 5-15 minutes for data to show up.

Tip: You can also turn on monitoring when you make your AKS cluster. Use the --enable-addons monitoring flag and give your workspace resource ID.

Log Analytics Workspace

A Log Analytics workspace keeps your AKS logs and metrics. You can pick different ways to collect data:

1. Open the Monitor blade in the Azure portal.

2. Click "Monitor Settings" and choose the "Standard" option from the Logs Preset. This collects all logs and metrics.

3. Change the collection settings to make sure "All" logs are picked. This includes logs from pods you made.

4. If you want only logs and events, pick the "Logs and Events" option. This changes how you see data and may use Managed Prometheus for metrics.

5. For advanced setups, turn on Managed Prometheus and Managed Grafana. This lets you see AKS logs and metrics in Grafana with ready dashboards.

Note: The workspace you pick changes what data you can see and how you look at AKS logs later.

Data Collection Verification

You should check if your AKS cluster sends data to Azure Monitor:

• Go to the Azure portal and open your Log Analytics workspace.

• Look for new log entries and metrics from your AKS cluster.

• Use the "Logs" section to run a simple query like KubePodInventory | take 5 to see recent data.

• In Container Insights, check the cluster health and see if metrics update every few minutes.

If you do not see data, check your agent installation and workspace settings. Make sure your AKS cluster connects to the workspace and you have the right permissions.

Set Up Grafana

Managed vs. Self-Hosted

You can pick managed Grafana or self-hosted Grafana for AKS monitoring. Managed Grafana, like Grafana Cloud or Azure Managed Grafana, does upgrades and backups for you. It also handles scaling. Self-hosted Grafana gives you more control. But you must do all the work yourself. The table below shows how they are different:

Tip: Managed Grafana is good if you want less work. If you want full control, self-hosted Grafana may be better.

Installation Steps

Follow these steps to set up Grafana in Azure:

1. Log in to Azure CLI with az login.

2. (Optional) Add the Azure Managed Grafana extension:
   az extension add --name amg

3. Make a resource group:
   az group create --location <location> --name <resource-group-name>

4. Create a Managed Grafana workspace:
   az grafana create --name <grafana-name> --resource-group <resource-group-name>

5. When it is ready, write down the workspace URL.

6. Open the URL in your browser and log in with your Azure account.

For real use, use more than one node and a managed database like Azure Database for MySQL. This gives you better security and keeps things running if one part fails. One VM is okay for testing but not for real work.

If you see errors like "workspace not found," check your permissions and resource names. Missing authentication options can also cause problems.

Secure Access

You need to keep your Grafana dashboards safe to protect AKS data. Use these tips:

1. Give user roles with Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).

2. Only give users the access they need.

3. Use Teams to help manage who can do what.

4. Limit who can see sensitive data sources.

5. Put dashboards in folders and set folder permissions.

6. Check user roles often and remove users who do not need access.

7. Set up Single Sign-On (SSO) for easy and safe logins.

8. Watch what users do with audit logs.

9. Use API keys carefully and change them often.

10. Teach your team how to use Grafana safely.

Note: Strong access controls and checking them often help keep your dashboards and AKS logs safe.

Connect Data Source

Add Azure Monitor Plugin

You do not need to install extra plugins for Azure Monitor. Grafana already has the Azure Monitor plugin. To connect your AKS logs, follow these steps: First, open your Azure Managed Grafana workspace in the Azure portal. Go to the Overview and find the Endpoint link. Click it to open the Grafana UI. In Grafana, use the left menu and pick Connections > Data sources. Click Add new data source. Choose Azure Monitor from the list. In the Settings tab, you will set up how you log in.

You can also use Azure CLI to update the data source. This helps if you want to automate the setup.

Configure Credentials

Grafana lets you connect to Azure Monitor in different ways. The safest way is to use Azure's managed identity. This way does not need passwords or secrets. It works like a digital fingerprint for your Grafana workspace. You do not have to worry about secrets leaking or changing passwords.

Here is a table to help you compare ways to log in:

Most people should use managed identity. It keeps your data safe and makes setup simple.

Test Connection

After you add the data source, you need to test it. In Grafana, click Save & Test. Grafana will try to connect to Azure Monitor. If you see a green message, your setup works.

If you see an error, check these things: Make sure your Grafana workspace has the right permissions in Azure. Check that you picked the correct way to log in. Look for mistakes in your settings. Make sure your AKS cluster sends data to the Log Analytics workspace.

If you use the "Current User" way, alerts and reports may not work when no one is logged in. For background jobs, use managed identity or app registration.

Now you can use Grafana to see AKS logs and metrics from Azure Monitor.

Visualize AKS Logs

Import Pre-Built Dashboards

You can start quickly by importing pre-built dashboards into Grafana. These dashboards help you see AKS logs and metrics without building everything from scratch. Many dashboards are available in the Grafana dashboard library or from the Azure Monitor community.

To import a dashboard:

1. Open your Grafana workspace.

2. Go to the left menu and select Dashboards > Import.

3. Enter the dashboard ID or upload a JSON file.

4. Choose your Azure Monitor data source.

5. Click Import to add the dashboard.

Pre-built dashboards show common AKS metrics like CPU, memory, pod status, and error rates. You can use these as a starting point and change them later.

Create Custom Visuals

You may want to build your own panels to visualize AKS logs in a way that fits your needs. Custom visuals help you focus on the most important data for your team. Follow these steps to create custom visualizations:

1. Set up the Grafana Agent to collect Azure metrics from your AKS cluster.

2. Configure authentication and environment variables for the agent.

3. In Grafana, build queries to get the AKS metrics you want to see.

4. Add each query to a dashboard panel. Use the Add to dashboard button.

5. Customize each panel. Change the visualization type, title, and add notes or annotations.

6. Repeat these steps to add more panels for other metrics or logs.

7. Save your dashboard so you can return to it and monitor your AKS cluster over time.

You can use different panel types like graphs, tables, or heatmaps. Try different options to find what works best for your team.

Set Up Alerts

Alerts help you know when something important happens in your AKS cluster. Grafana lets you set up alerts based on the data you see in your dashboards. You can get alerts by email, Slack, or other tools.

To set up alerts:

• Open a dashboard panel that shows the metric or log you want to watch.

• Click the Alert tab.

• Set the conditions for the alert, such as when CPU usage goes above a certain value.

• Choose how often Grafana should check the data.

• Pick how you want to get the alert (email, webhook, etc.).

• Save the alert.

Good alerts help you react quickly to problems. Avoid too many alerts, or you might miss the important ones.

Verify and Troubleshoot

After you visualize AKS logs in Grafana, you should check that everything works as expected. Sometimes, you may face issues with dashboards or data.

Common issues and solutions:

1. You may have trouble filtering or searching logs. Use labels and filters to narrow down the data.

2. It can be hard to connect logs with metrics. Use tools like Grafana Loki to bring logs and metrics together.

3. Dashboards may load slowly if queries are not efficient. Use aggregation functions like avg or sum to speed up queries.

4. Sometimes, dashboards miss important context. Add annotations to show when deployments or incidents happen.

5. High query frequency can slow down your system. Set proper time ranges and limit data points in your panels.

Label your logs by service, environment, or severity. This makes it easier to find what you need. Design your dashboards to show clear and useful information without overloading the system.

You can now visualize AKS logs, set up alerts, and keep your dashboards running smoothly. This helps you spot issues early and keep your Kubernetes clusters healthy.

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You have learned how to see AKS logs in Grafana with Azure Monitor. This lets you look at logs from every Kubernetes pod and node. You can use tools like quick log searches and see everything in one place to fix problems fast. Try making your own dashboards and set alerts so you find issues early. Next, you can add Prometheus metrics and install Loki to group logs better. Check out MicrosoftDocs and Azure Monitor Metrics guides to learn more and make your monitoring even better.

FAQ

How often does Grafana update AKS log data from Azure Monitor?

Grafana updates data based on the dashboard refresh rate you set. You can pick options like every 5 seconds, 1 minute, or longer. Faster refresh rates use more resources.

Can you use Grafana alerts with AKS logs?

Yes, you can set up alerts in Grafana for AKS logs. You choose the log or metric, set a rule, and pick how you want to get notified. Alerts help you spot problems fast.

What should you do if AKS logs do not show up in Grafana?

First, check your data source settings in Grafana. Make sure your AKS cluster sends logs to the Log Analytics workspace. Test the connection in Grafana. If you still see nothing, check your Azure permissions.

Is it safe to share Grafana dashboards with others?

Always review who can see your dashboards before sharing.