Alibaba Cloud OSS

Alibaba Cloud Long Term Storage

Synopsis

Creates a target that writes log messages to Alibaba Cloud Object Storage Service (OSS) with support for various file formats and authentication methods. The target handles large file uploads efficiently with configurable rotation based on size or event count. Alibaba Cloud OSS provides secure, cost-effective, and high-durability object storage with strong presence in Asia-Pacific regions.

Schema

- name: <string>
  description: <string>
  type: alibabas3
  pipelines: <pipeline[]>
  status: <boolean>
  properties:
    key: <string>
    secret: <string>
    region: <string>
    endpoint: <string>
    part_size: <numeric>
    bucket: <string>
    buckets:
      - bucket: <string>
        name: <string>
        format: <string>
        compression: <string>
        extension: <string>
        schema: <string>
    name: <string>
    format: <string>
    compression: <string>
    extension: <string>
    schema: <string>
    max_size: <numeric>
    batch_size: <numeric>
    timeout: <numeric>
    field_format: <string>
    interval: <string|numeric>
    cron: <string>
    debug:
      status: <boolean>
      dont_send_logs: <boolean>

Configuration

The following fields are used to define the target:

Field	Required	Default	Description
name	Y		Target name
description	N	-	Optional description
type	Y		Must be alibabas3
pipelines	N	-	Optional post-processor pipelines
status	N	true	Enable/disable the target

Alibaba Cloud OSS Credentials

Field	Required	Default	Description
key	Y	-	Alibaba Cloud OSS access key ID
secret	Y	-	Alibaba Cloud OSS access key secret
region	Y	-	Alibaba Cloud region (e.g., oss-cn-hangzhou, oss-us-west-1, oss-ap-southeast-1)
endpoint	Y	-	OSS endpoint URL (format: https://oss-<region>.aliyuncs.com)

Connection

Field	Required	Default	Description
part_size	N	5	Multipart upload part size in megabytes (minimum 5MB)
timeout	N	30	Connection timeout in seconds
field_format	N	-	Data normalization format. See applicable Normalization section

Files

Field	Required	Default	Description
bucket	N*	-	Default OSS bucket name (used if buckets not specified)
buckets	N*	-	Array of bucket configurations for file distribution
buckets.bucket	Y	-	OSS bucket name
buckets.name	Y	-	File name template
buckets.format	N	"json"	Output format: json, multijson, avro, parquet
buckets.compression	N	-	Compression algorithm. See Compression below
buckets.extension	N	Matches format	File extension override
buckets.schema	N*	-	Schema definition file path (required for Avro and Parquet formats)
name	N	"vmetric.{{.Timestamp}}.{{.Extension}}"	Default file name template when buckets not used
format	N	"json"	Default output format when buckets not used
compression	N	-	Default compression when buckets not used
extension	N	Matches format	Default file extension when buckets not used
schema	N	-	Default schema path when buckets not used
max_size	N	0	Maximum file size in bytes before rotation
batch_size	N	100000	Maximum number of messages per file

* = Either bucket or buckets must be specified. When using buckets, schema is conditionally required for Avro and Parquet formats.

note

When max_size is reached, the current file is uploaded to OSS and a new file is created. For unlimited file size, set the field to 0.

Scheduler

Field	Required	Default	Description
interval	N	realtime	Execution frequency. See Interval for details
cron	N	-	Cron expression for scheduled execution. See Cron for details

Debug Options

Field	Required	Default	Description
debug.status	N	false	Enable debug logging
debug.dont_send_logs	N	false	Process logs but don't send to target (testing)

Details

The Alibaba Cloud OSS target provides enterprise-grade cloud storage integration with comprehensive file format support. OSS offers 99.9999999999% (12 nines) data durability and strong regional coverage across Asia-Pacific, making it ideal for applications serving Asian markets.

Authentication

Requires Alibaba Cloud access credentials. Access keys can be created through the Alibaba Cloud Console under AccessKey Management. RAM (Resource Access Management) users can be created with specific OSS permissions for enhanced security.

Endpoint Configuration

The endpoint URL follows the pattern https://oss-<region>.aliyuncs.com where <region> is your chosen Alibaba Cloud region identifier. Internal endpoints are also available for ECS instances in the same region using https://oss-<region>-internal.aliyuncs.com for cost savings.

Available Regions

Alibaba Cloud OSS is available in numerous regions worldwide:

Region Code	Location
oss-cn-hangzhou	China (Hangzhou)
oss-cn-shanghai	China (Shanghai)
oss-cn-beijing	China (Beijing)
oss-cn-shenzhen	China (Shenzhen)
oss-cn-hongkong	China (Hong Kong)
oss-us-west-1	US (Silicon Valley)
oss-us-east-1	US (Virginia)
oss-ap-southeast-1	Singapore
oss-ap-southeast-2	Australia (Sydney)
oss-ap-southeast-3	Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
oss-ap-southeast-5	Indonesia (Jakarta)
oss-ap-northeast-1	Japan (Tokyo)
oss-ap-south-1	India (Mumbai)
oss-eu-central-1	Germany (Frankfurt)
oss-eu-west-1	UK (London)
oss-me-east-1	UAE (Dubai)

File Formats

Format	Description
json	Each log entry is written as a separate JSON line (JSONL format)
multijson	All log entries are written as a single JSON array
avro	Apache Avro format with schema
parquet	Apache Parquet columnar format with schema

Compression

Some formats support built-in compression to reduce storage costs and transfer times. When supported, compression is applied at the file/block level before upload.

Format	Default	Compression Codecs
JSON	-	Not supported
MultiJSON	-	Not supported
Avro	zstd	deflate, snappy, zstd
Parquet	zstd	gzip, snappy, zstd, brotli, lz4

File Management

Files are rotated based on size (max_size parameter) or event count (batch_size parameter), whichever limit is reached first. Template variables in file names enable dynamic file naming for time-based partitioning.

Bucket Routing

The target supports flexible bucket routing through pipeline configuration or explicit bucket settings:

Configuration-based routing: Define multiple buckets in the target configuration, each with its own format, compression, and schema settings. Logs are routed to specific buckets based on configuration.

Pipeline-based routing: Use the bucket field in pipeline processors to dynamically route logs to different buckets at runtime. This enables conditional routing based on log content, source, or other attributes.

Catch-all routing: When a log doesn't match any specific bucket configuration or when no bucket field is set in the pipeline, logs are routed to the catch-all bucket (configured via the bucket field in target properties).

Routing priority:

1. Pipeline bucket field (highest priority)
2. Configured buckets in buckets array (if bucket name matches)
3. Default bucket field (catch-all, lowest priority)

This multi-level routing enables flexible data distribution strategies, such as routing different log types to different buckets based on content analysis, source system, severity level, or any other runtime decision.

Templates

The following template variables can be used in file names:

Variable	Description	Example
{{.Year}}	Current year	2024
{{.Month}}	Current month	01
{{.Day}}	Current day	15
{{.Timestamp}}	Current timestamp in nanoseconds	1703688533123456789
{{.Format}}	File format	json
{{.Extension}}	File extension	json
{{.Compression}}	Compression type	zstd
{{.TargetName}}	Target name	my_logs
{{.TargetType}}	Target type	alibabas3
{{.Table}}	Bucket name	logs

Multipart Upload

Large files automatically use multipart upload protocol with configurable part size (part_size parameter). Default 5MB part size balances upload efficiency and memory usage.

Multiple Buckets

Single target can write to multiple OSS buckets with different configurations, enabling data distribution strategies (e.g., raw data to one bucket, processed data to another).

Schema Requirements

Avro and Parquet formats require schema definition files. Schema files must be accessible at the path specified in the schema parameter during target initialization.

Storage Classes

Alibaba Cloud OSS supports multiple storage classes including Standard, Infrequent Access, Archive, and Cold Archive for cost optimization based on access patterns.

Regional Performance

OSS provides excellent performance for applications serving Asian markets with extensive regional presence across China, Southeast Asia, and other Asia-Pacific regions.

Examples

Basic Configuration

The minimum configuration for a JSON OSS target:

targets:
  - name: basic_oss
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-cn-hangzhou"
      endpoint: "https://oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com"
      bucket: "datastream-logs"

Multiple Buckets

Configuration for distributing data across multiple OSS buckets with different formats:

targets:
  - name: multi_bucket_export
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-ap-southeast-1"
      endpoint: "https://oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com"
      buckets:
        - bucket: "raw-data-archive"
          name: "raw-{{.Year}}-{{.Month}}-{{.Day}}.json"
          format: "multijson"
          compression: "gzip"
        - bucket: "analytics-data"
          name: "analytics-{{.Year}}/{{.Month}}/{{.Day}}/data_{{.Timestamp}}.parquet"
          format: "parquet"
          schema: "<schema definition>"
          compression: "snappy"

Multiple Buckets with Catch-All

Configuration for routing different log types to specific buckets with a catch-all for unmatched logs:

targets:
  - name: multi_bucket_routing
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-cn-shanghai"
      endpoint: "https://oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com"
      buckets:
        - bucket: "security-logs"
          name: "security-{{.Year}}-{{.Month}}-{{.Day}}.json"
          format: "json"
        - bucket: "application-logs"
          name: "app-{{.Year}}-{{.Month}}-{{.Day}}.json"
          format: "json"
      bucket: "general-logs"
      name: "general-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
      format: "json"

Parquet Format

Configuration for daily partitioned Parquet files:

targets:
  - name: parquet_analytics
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-cn-shanghai"
      endpoint: "https://oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com"
      bucket: "analytics-lake"
      name: "events/year={{.Year}}/month={{.Month}}/day={{.Day}}/part-{{.Timestamp}}.parquet"
      format: "parquet"
      schema: "<schema definition>"
      compression: "snappy"
      max_size: 536870912

High Reliability

Configuration with enhanced settings:

targets:
  - name: reliable_oss
    type: alibabas3
    pipelines:
      - checkpoint
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-cn-beijing"
      endpoint: "https://oss-cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com"
      bucket: "critical-logs"
      name: "logs-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
      format: "json"
      timeout: 60
      part_size: 10

With Field Normalization

Using field normalization for standard format:

targets:
  - name: normalized_oss
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-ap-northeast-1"
      endpoint: "https://oss-ap-northeast-1.aliyuncs.com"
      bucket: "normalized-logs"
      name: "logs-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
      format: "json"
      field_format: "cim"

Debug Configuration

Configuration with debugging enabled:

targets:
  - name: debug_oss
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-cn-hangzhou"
      endpoint: "https://oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com"
      bucket: "test-logs"
      name: "test-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
      format: "json"
      debug:
        status: true
        dont_send_logs: true

Internal Endpoint

Configuration using internal endpoint for ECS instances in the same region:

targets:
  - name: internal_oss
    type: alibabas3
    properties:
      key: "LTAI5tAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQr"
      secret: "aBcDeFgHiJkLmNoPqRsTuVwXyZ0123456789"
      region: "oss-cn-shanghai"
      endpoint: "https://oss-cn-shanghai-internal.aliyuncs.com"
      bucket: "application-logs"
      name: "logs/{{.Year}}/{{.Month}}/{{.Day}}/{{.Timestamp}}.json"
      format: "json"
      compression: "zstd"