K8s Logging at Scale: From Kubectl Logs Tail to the PLG Stack

Kubernetes logging can be challenging, especially at scale. Traditional solutions like ELK (Elasticsearch Logstash Kibana) have limitations when dealing with large volumes of log data from distributed environments. Loki, a cloud-native log aggregation system, offers a more efficient and cost-effective solution for managing logs in Kubernetes environments. It provides features such as labels, cloud-native backend storage, and a query language called LogQL, which are inspired by Prometheus' PromQL language. Loki's architecture is designed to distribute the load, protect the system from attack, and make use of efficient storage mechanisms. The "PLG" stack, consisting of Loki, Promtail, Grafana, and Tempo, provides a comprehensive observability solution for Kubernetes environments.