IBM Cloud Object Storage
Synopsis
Creates a target that writes log messages to IBM Cloud Object Storage buckets 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. IBM Cloud Object Storage provides enterprise-grade durability, security, and global availability.
Schema
- name: <string>
description: <string>
type: ibmcos
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 ibmcos | |
pipelines | N | - | Optional post-processor pipelines |
status | N | true | Enable/disable the target |
IBM Cloud Object Storage Credentials
| Field | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
key | Y | - | IBM Cloud Object Storage HMAC access key ID |
secret | Y | - | IBM Cloud Object Storage HMAC secret access key |
region | Y | - | IBM Cloud region (e.g., us-south, eu-gb, jp-tok) |
endpoint | Y | - | IBM COS endpoint URL (e.g., https://s3.us-south.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud) |
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 IBM COS bucket name (used if buckets not specified) |
buckets | N* | - | Array of bucket configurations for file distribution |
buckets.bucket | Y | - | IBM COS 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.
When max_size is reached, the current file is uploaded to IBM COS 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 IBM Cloud Object Storage target provides enterprise-grade cloud storage integration with comprehensive file format support. IBM COS offers high durability (99.999999999%), security features, and flexible storage classes for cost optimization.
Authentication
Requires IBM Cloud Object Storage HMAC credentials. HMAC credentials can be created through the IBM Cloud console and provide programmatic access to COS buckets.
Endpoint Configuration
IBM Cloud Object Storage uses region-specific endpoints. The endpoint format is typically https://s3.<region>.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud where <region> corresponds to your chosen IBM Cloud region.
Available Regions
IBM Cloud Object Storage is available in multiple regions worldwide:
| Region Code | Location |
|---|---|
us-south | Dallas, USA |
us-east | Washington DC, USA |
eu-gb | London, UK |
eu-de | Frankfurt, Germany |
jp-tok | Tokyo, Japan |
au-syd | Sydney, Australia |
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.
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 | ibmcos |
{{.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 IBM COS 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
IBM Cloud Object Storage supports multiple storage classes for cost optimization. Choose the appropriate class based on data access patterns and retention requirements.
Examples
Basic Configuration
The minimum configuration for a JSON IBM COS target:
targets:
- name: basic_ibm_cos
type: ibmcos
properties:
key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
secret: "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
region: "us-south"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-south.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud"
bucket: "datastream-logs"
Multiple Buckets
Configuration for distributing data across multiple IBM COS buckets with different formats:
targets:
- name: multi_bucket_export
type: ibmcos
properties:
key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
secret: "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
region: "eu-gb"
endpoint: "https://s3.eu-gb.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud"
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"
Parquet Format
Configuration for daily partitioned Parquet files:
targets:
- name: parquet_analytics
type: ibmcos
properties:
key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
secret: "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
region: "jp-tok"
endpoint: "https://s3.jp-tok.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud"
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_ibm_cos
type: ibmcos
pipelines:
- checkpoint
properties:
key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
secret: "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
region: "us-east"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-east.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud"
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_ibm_cos
type: ibmcos
properties:
key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
secret: "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
region: "eu-de"
endpoint: "https://s3.eu-de.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud"
bucket: "normalized-logs"
name: "logs-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
format: "json"
field_format: "cim"
Debug Configuration
Configuration with debugging enabled:
targets:
- name: debug_ibm_cos
type: ibmcos
properties:
key: "0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
secret: "fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98"
region: "au-syd"
endpoint: "https://s3.au-syd.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud"
bucket: "test-logs"
name: "test-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
format: "json"
debug:
status: true
dont_send_logs: true