Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage
Synopsis
Creates a target that writes log messages to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage 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. Backblaze B2 provides cost-effective, reliable cloud storage with simple pricing and no egress fees for many use cases.
Schema
- name: <string>
description: <string>
type: backblazes3
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 backblazes3 | |
pipelines | N | - | Optional post-processor pipelines |
status | N | true | Enable/disable the target |
Backblaze B2 Credentials
| Field | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
key | Y | - | Backblaze B2 application key ID |
secret | Y | - | Backblaze B2 application key |
region | Y | - | B2 region (e.g., us-west-004, eu-central-003) |
endpoint | Y | - | B2 S3-compatible endpoint (format: https://s3.<region>.backblazeb2.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 B2 bucket name (used if buckets not specified) |
buckets | N* | - | Array of bucket configurations for file distribution |
buckets.bucket | Y | - | B2 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 B2 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 Backblaze B2 target provides cost-effective cloud storage integration with comprehensive file format support. B2 is known for its transparent, simple pricing model with storage at a fraction of the cost of major cloud providers and free egress through Bandwidth Alliance partners.
Authentication
Requires Backblaze B2 application keys. Application keys can be created through the Backblaze web interface under App Keys. Keys can be scoped to specific buckets and operations for enhanced security.
Endpoint Configuration
The endpoint URL follows the pattern https://s3.<region>.backblazeb2.com where <region> is your B2 region identifier. Each bucket is associated with a specific region during creation.
Available Regions
Backblaze B2 is available in the following regions:
| Region Code | Location |
|---|---|
us-west-001 | US West (Sacramento) |
us-west-002 | US West (Sacramento) |
us-west-004 | US West (Phoenix) |
us-east-005 | US East (Miami) |
eu-central-003 | Europe (Amsterdam) |
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 | backblazes3 |
{{.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 B2 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.
Cost Advantages
Backblaze B2 offers highly competitive pricing with storage costs significantly lower than AWS S3, Azure, or Google Cloud. The Bandwidth Alliance provides free egress when downloading to Cloudflare and other partner networks.
Pricing Model
B2 uses a simple pricing structure with no hidden fees, no API request charges, and the first 10GB of storage free. Download fees apply only when exceeding daily free allowances.
Examples
Basic Configuration
The minimum configuration for a JSON B2 target:
targets:
- name: basic_b2
type: backblazes3
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "us-west-004"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com"
bucket: "datastream-logs"
Multiple Buckets
Configuration for distributing data across multiple B2 buckets with different formats:
targets:
- name: multi_bucket_export
type: backblazes3
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "eu-central-003"
endpoint: "https://s3.eu-central-003.backblazeb2.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: backblazes3
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "us-west-002"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-west-002.backblazeb2.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_b2
type: backblazes3
pipelines:
- checkpoint
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "us-east-005"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-east-005.backblazeb2.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_b2
type: backblazes3
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "us-west-004"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-west-004.backblazeb2.com"
bucket: "normalized-logs"
name: "logs-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
format: "json"
field_format: "cim"
Debug Configuration
Configuration with debugging enabled:
targets:
- name: debug_b2
type: backblazes3
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "us-west-001"
endpoint: "https://s3.us-west-001.backblazeb2.com"
bucket: "test-logs"
name: "test-{{.Timestamp}}.json"
format: "json"
debug:
status: true
dont_send_logs: true
Cost-Optimized Archive
Configuration optimized for long-term storage with high compression:
targets:
- name: archive_b2
type: backblazes3
properties:
key: "0012a3b4c5d6e7f8901234"
secret: "K001abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789"
region: "eu-central-003"
endpoint: "https://s3.eu-central-003.backblazeb2.com"
bucket: "log-archive"
name: "archive/{{.Year}}/{{.Month}}/logs-{{.Day}}.json"
format: "json"
compression: "zstd"
max_size: 1073741824