When you’re running apps in production on OpenShift, logs are your best friend. They help you understand what’s working, what’s failing, and how to fix issues fast. But going through logs manually on each pod or node? That’s a nightmare.
That’s where log forwarding to Azure Monitor comes in. With just a few configuration steps (no scripting or coding needed), you can send all your OpenShift logs directly to Azure Monitor, where they’re easier to manage, search, and store long-term.
🧠 What Is Log Forwarding?
Log forwarding means automatically sending logs (from your applications and the cluster itself) to a centralized system. In this case, we’re sending OpenShift logs to Azure Monitor, Microsoft’s monitoring platform.
💡 Why Use Azure Monitor?
One dashboard for everything – apps, infra, and network
Smart alerting when something goes wrong
Better visibility for developers and ops teams
Long-term storage without cluttering your OpenShift cluster
Integrates well with tools like Power BI, Logic Apps, and Azure Sentinel
🔧 What You Need Before You Start
Here’s what to make sure is ready:
✅ OpenShift Cluster (version 4.x)
✅ Cluster Logging Operator installed (can be done from OperatorHub)
✅ Azure Log Analytics Workspace (in Azure Monitor)
✅ Access to the Azure Portal (to get workspace ID and key)
✅ OpenShift Web Console access (with admin privileges)
🪜 Steps to Set It Up (No Coding)
1️⃣ Install the Cluster Logging Operator
Log into your OpenShift Web Console
Go to Operators → OperatorHub
Search for "Cluster Logging"
Click Install, then follow the prompts
It will install everything needed for log collection
2️⃣ Get Your Azure Monitor Details
In your Azure Portal:
Go to Azure Monitor → Logs
Click on your Log Analytics Workspace
Note down the Workspace ID and Primary Key (you’ll need both)
3️⃣ Create a Secret (Via Web Console)
Go to Workloads → Secrets in openshift-logging project
Click Create → Key/Value Secret
Name it: azure-monitor-secret
Add two keys:
customer_id → your Workspace ID
shared_key → your Primary Key
Click Create
4️⃣ Set Up Log Forwarding
Go to Administration → Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)
Search for: ClusterLogForwarder
Click Create instance
Use the form to define:
Output name: azure-monitor
Type: azure-monitor
Reference the secret you just created
Choose which logs to forward (application, infrastructure, audit)
There’s no code here – it’s a guided form in the console.
5️⃣ Check That Logs Are Reaching Azure
After a few minutes:
Go back to your Azure Monitor
Click on Logs under your workspace
Use the search bar to explore logs using queries like:
nginx
OpenShiftLogs_CL
🔄 Ongoing Benefits
Once set up:
You don’t have to touch it again
Logs will flow automatically
You’ll have full visibility across all your apps and infrastructure
✅ Summary
You just connected OpenShift to Azure Monitor – without writing a single line of code.
📦 All your app and cluster logs are now centralized
📊 You can set up dashboards, alerts, and reports in Azure
💼 Great for compliance, audits, and performance tracking
For more info, Kindly follow: Hawkstack Technologies
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