Types of cloud logs

Cloud environments generate a lot of logs, way more than you might expect. Let’s break down what’s out there.

Application logs are what your code outputs: debug statements, error messages, and transaction records.

Platform logs come from managed services: what’s happening in your Kubernetes cluster, your App Service, your Cloud Run containers.

Audit logs are the security goldmine: who logged in, who changed what configuration, which API calls were made. These are often required for compliance.

Network logs capture traffic patterns. VPC flow logs show what’s talking to what, which is useful for security analysis and network troubleshooting.

Service logs from load balancers and CDNs show request details, latency breakdowns, error responses.

You probably don’t need all of these immediately. Start with what helps you debug production issues, usually application and platform logs. Add audit logs if you have compliance requirements. Layer in network and service logs as your observability practice matures.