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Version: 1.5.1

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:

FieldRequiredDefaultDescription
nameYTarget name
descriptionN-Optional description
typeYMust be alibabas3
pipelinesN-Optional post-processor pipelines
statusNtrueEnable/disable the target

Alibaba Cloud OSS Credentials​

FieldRequiredDefaultDescription
keyY-Alibaba Cloud OSS access key ID
secretY-Alibaba Cloud OSS access key secret
regionY-Alibaba Cloud region (e.g., oss-cn-hangzhou, oss-us-west-1, oss-ap-southeast-1)
endpointY-OSS endpoint URL (format: https://oss-<region>.aliyuncs.com)

Connection​

FieldRequiredDefaultDescription
part_sizeN5Multipart upload part size in megabytes (minimum 5MB)
timeoutN30Connection timeout in seconds
field_formatN-Data normalization format. See applicable Normalization section

Files​

FieldRequiredDefaultDescription
bucketN*-Default OSS bucket name (used if buckets not specified)
bucketsN*-Array of bucket configurations for file distribution
buckets.bucketY-OSS bucket name
buckets.nameY-File name template
buckets.formatN"json"Output format: json, multijson, avro, parquet
buckets.compressionN-Compression algorithm. See Compression below
buckets.extensionNMatches formatFile extension override
buckets.schemaN*-Schema definition file path (required for Avro and Parquet formats)
nameN"vmetric.{{.Timestamp}}.{{.Extension}}"Default file name template when buckets not used
formatN"json"Default output format when buckets not used
compressionN-Default compression when buckets not used
extensionNMatches formatDefault file extension when buckets not used
schemaN-Default schema path when buckets not used
max_sizeN0Maximum file size in bytes before rotation
batch_sizeN100000Maximum 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​

FieldRequiredDefaultDescription
intervalNrealtimeExecution frequency. See Interval for details
cronN-Cron expression for scheduled execution. See Cron for details

Debug Options​

FieldRequiredDefaultDescription
debug.statusNfalseEnable debug logging
debug.dont_send_logsNfalseProcess 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 CodeLocation
oss-cn-hangzhouChina (Hangzhou)
oss-cn-shanghaiChina (Shanghai)
oss-cn-beijingChina (Beijing)
oss-cn-shenzhenChina (Shenzhen)
oss-cn-hongkongChina (Hong Kong)
oss-us-west-1US (Silicon Valley)
oss-us-east-1US (Virginia)
oss-ap-southeast-1Singapore
oss-ap-southeast-2Australia (Sydney)
oss-ap-southeast-3Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
oss-ap-southeast-5Indonesia (Jakarta)
oss-ap-northeast-1Japan (Tokyo)
oss-ap-south-1India (Mumbai)
oss-eu-central-1Germany (Frankfurt)
oss-eu-west-1UK (London)
oss-me-east-1UAE (Dubai)

File Formats​

FormatDescription
jsonEach log entry is written as a separate JSON line (JSONL format)
multijsonAll log entries are written as a single JSON array
avroApache Avro format with schema
parquetApache 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.

FormatDefaultCompression Codecs
JSON-Not supported
MultiJSON-Not supported
Avrozstddeflate, snappy, zstd
Parquetzstdgzip, 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:

VariableDescriptionExample
{{.Year}}Current year2024
{{.Month}}Current month01
{{.Day}}Current day15
{{.Timestamp}}Current timestamp in nanoseconds1703688533123456789
{{.Format}}File formatjson
{{.Extension}}File extensionjson
{{.Compression}}Compression typezstd
{{.TargetName}}Target namemy_logs
{{.TargetType}}Target typealibabas3
{{.Table}}Bucket namelogs

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"

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"