Logs vs. Events: Exploring the Differences in Application Telemetry Data

Events and logs are two types of telemetry data used for different purposes in observability. Logs can be used for troubleshooting and root cause analysis, while events provide deeper application insights via product analytics. Events describe a unit of work, containing all the information about what it took for a service to perform a certain job, whereas logs are usually only portions of events. The key difference lies in their use cases: log analytics are often used for troubleshooting, while event analytics can be leveraged for product and user insights. Organizations can use solutions like ChaosSearch to store logs and events without retention limits, enabling them to examine trends and monitor usage over time. By leveraging event analytics, teams can gain a deeper understanding of applications and user behaviors, such as latency, segments, and user interactions.