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GCP Cloud Logging data source

How it works

GCP Cloud Logging data source: Query GCP logs directly from Grafana

What you get

CapabilitiesLimitations
All GCP service logsCloud Logging query syntax
Visual query builderAPI latency
Filter by resource, severitySeparate from metrics data source
Template variablesPer-project auth typically
Log context and detailsAlert evaluation calls API.

Authentication options

Service account JSON key or workload identity (same as Cloud Monitoring)

Documentation

View the full documentation. Learning path coming soon!

Cloud Logging data source

Script

For GCP logs, there’s a separate data source, Google Cloud Logging. This connects directly to Cloud Logging, letting you query logs from all your GCP services without storing them in Loki.

Authentication works the same as Cloud Monitoring, service account JSON key or workload identity if you’re running in GKE.

You write queries using Cloud Logging’s query language, which is similar to what you’d use in the GCP console. Filter by resource type, severity, timestamp, or any log field. The visual query builder helps if you’re not familiar with the syntax.

One thing to note: unlike AWS and Azure where one plugin handles both metrics and logs, GCP requires two separate data sources. You’ll configure Cloud Monitoring for metrics and Cloud Logging for logs.

Same authentication can work for both. Just grant your service account the appropriate roles.