Weaviate produces structured logs that provide visibility into system operations, help with troubleshooting, and support security auditing. Logs can be used to debug issues, monitor operational health, track authorization decisions, identify slow queries, and understand system behavior. For example, the following logs showing system initialization: ```json {"action":"startup","build_git_commit":"5f0048c","build_go_version":"go1.25.5","build_image_tag":"v1.35.1","build_wv_version":"1.35.1","default_vectorizer_module":"none","level":"info","msg":"the default vectorizer modules is set to \"none\", as a result all new schema classes without an explicit vectorizer setting, will use this vectorizer","time":"2026-01-06T15:51:32Z"} {"action":"grpc_startup","build_git_commit":"5f0048c","build_go_version":"go1.25.5","build_image_tag":"v1.35.1","build_wv_version":"1.35.1","level":"info","msg":"grpc server listening at [::]:50051","time":"2026-01-06T15:51:34Z"} {"action":"restapi_management","build_git_commit":"5f0048c","build_go_version":"go1.25.5","build_image_tag":"v1.35.1","build_wv_version":"1.35.1","level":"info","msg":"Serving weaviate at http://[::]:8080","time":"2026-01-06T15:51:34Z","version":"1.35.1"} ``` The "Serving weaviate at" message indicates the server is ready to accept requests. If there were issues during startup, error logs would provide details to help diagnose the problem. ## Configure Logging Logging can be configured using [environment variables](../database-configuration/overview.md). Many of these environment variables can also be configured with [runtime configuration overrides](../database-configuration/runtime-config.md), which allow you to change settings without restarting Weaviate. ### Log Level The `LOG_LEVEL` [environment variable](../database-configuration/overview.md#LOG_LEVEL) controls the verbosity of Weaviate's logging output. The following log levels are available (from least to most verbose), corresponding to levels defined by the [logrus](https://github.com/sirupsen/logrus/tree/master) logging library: | Level | Description | | --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `panic` | Highest level of severity. Logs and then calls panic with the message passed to Debug, Info, ... | | `fatal` | Logs and then calls `logger.Exit(1)`. It will exit even if the logging level is set to Panic. | | `error` | Used for errors that should definitely be noted. Commonly used for hooks to send errors to an error tracking service. | | `warning` | Non-critical entries that deserve eyes. | | `info` | General operational entries about what's going on inside the application. | | `debug` | Usually only enabled when debugging. Very verbose logging. | | `trace` | Designates finer-grained informational events than the Debug. | :::callout{intent="warning" title="Performance impact"} The `trace` and `debug` log levels can generate significant log volume and may impact performance. Use them judiciously in production environments. ::: ### Log Format The `LOG_FORMAT` [environment variable](../database-configuration/overview.md#LOG_FORMAT) controls how log entries are formatted. Weaviate supports two formats, `json` and `text`: ```sh LOG_FORMAT=json ``` #### JSON format (default) JSON format produces structured logs that are ideal for parsing by log aggregation systems: ```json {"action":"startup","build_git_commit":"5f0048c","build_go_version":"go1.25.5","build_image_tag":"v1.35.1","build_wv_version":"1.35.1","default_vectorizer_module":"none","level":"info","msg":"the default vectorizer modules is set to \"none\", as a result all new schema classes without an explicit vectorizer setting, will use this vectorizer","time":"2026-01-06T15:51:32Z"} {"action":"authorize","build_git_commit":"5f0048c","build_go_version":"go1.25.5","build_image_tag":"v1.35.1","build_wv_version":"1.35.1","component":"RBAC","level":"info","msg":"","permissions":[{"resource":"[Domain: collections, Collection: TempCollection]","results":"success"}],"rbac_log_version":2,"request_action":"D","source_ip":"192.168.65.1","time":"2026-01-06T15:51:36Z","user":"root-user"} ``` **Use JSON format when:** - Using log aggregation tools (Elasticsearch, Loki, CloudWatch, etc.) - Automating log analysis or alerting - Running in production environments #### Text format Text format produces human-readable logs suitable for direct viewing: ```text time="2026-01-06T15:54:58Z" level=info msg="the default vectorizer modules is set to \"none\", as a result all new schema classes without an explicit vectorizer setting, will use this vectorizer" action=startup build_git_commit=5f0048c build_go_version=go1.25.5 build_image_tag=v1.35.1 build_wv_version=1.35.1 default_vectorizer_module=none time="2026-01-06T15:55:01Z" level=info action=authorize build_git_commit=5f0048c build_go_version=go1.25.5 build_image_tag=v1.35.1 build_wv_version=1.35.1 component=RBAC permissions="[map[resource:[Domain: collections, Collection: TempCollection] results:success]]" rbac_log_version=2 request_action=D source_ip=192.168.65.1 user=root-user ``` **Use text format when:** - Viewing logs directly in the terminal during development - Debugging issues locally - Easier visual scanning is preferred over machine parsing ### Messages with a docs link A log entry whose cause has a documented fix carries a `docs_url` field. The link is a stable short id, `https://docs.weaviate.io/e/`, that resolves to the entry for that message in the [error message reference](../errors/errors.md), where the cause and the fix are on one page: ```json {"action":"tenant_activation_lazy_load_shard","docs_url":"https://docs.weaviate.io/e/core-mem001","level":"error","msg":"loading shard \"t1\" failed: memory pressure: cannot init shard: not enough memory mappings","shard":"t1","time":"2026-08-25T09:53:26Z"} ``` The field is separate from the message, so alerts and filters that match on message text keep working, and in JSON logs you can select on it directly. The error returned to the client for the same failure carries the same link at the end of its message, as `(see https://docs.weaviate.io/e/core-mem001)`. Added in `v1.40`. When telemetry is enabled, the link also carries the cluster id as `?clusterid=`, the same id telemetry reports. The docs page shows it back to you so you can quote it to support, and does nothing else with it. With `DISABLE_TELEMETRY=true` the link is bare. Weaviate also logs a banner with the version, a link to [Improve your cluster](../errors/improve-your-cluster.md) and this node's `/v1/meta` URL shortly after startup, and again every [`BANNER_INTERVAL`](../database-configuration/overview.md#BANNER_INTERVAL) (24 hours by default). The art is fetched from `https://weaviate.io/banner/v1.json` when it can be, and when that file carries a `message`, such as a release announcement, the banner prints it as a `► News:` line (at most three lines). The banner runs only while telemetry is enabled, because it fetches its art from weaviate.io, so a cluster with `DISABLE_TELEMETRY=true` never logs one. Set [`DISABLE_STARTUP_BANNER`](../database-configuration/overview.md#DISABLE_STARTUP_BANNER) to turn it off on a cluster that would. ## Accessing Logs Weaviate logs can be accessed using standard container logging commands. For example: **Docker:** ```bash # View logs docker logs # Follow logs in real-time docker logs -f ``` For more Docker logging options, see the [Docker logs documentation](https://docs.docker.com/reference/cli/docker/container/logs/). **Kubernetes:** ```bash # View logs kubectl logs # Follow logs in real-time kubectl logs -f ``` For more Kubernetes logging options, see the [kubectl logs documentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/generated/kubectl_logs/). ## Special-Purpose Logging ### Slow Query Logging Weaviate can log queries that exceed a specified duration threshold. This is useful for identifying performance bottlenecks. To enable slow query logging, set these [environment variables](../database-configuration/overview.md): ```sh QUERY_SLOW_LOG_ENABLED=true QUERY_SLOW_LOG_THRESHOLD=2s ``` When enabled, queries exceeding the threshold will be logged at the configured log level, allowing you to identify and optimize slow operations. For per-query timing breakdowns on demand (without configuring log thresholds), see [Query profiling](../how-to-query-search/query-profile.md). ### Tenant Activity Logging For multi-tenant collections, you can configure the log level for tenant read and write activity. ```sh TENANT_ACTIVITY_READ_LOG_LEVEL=info TENANT_ACTIVITY_WRITE_LOG_LEVEL=info ``` ### Authorization Audit Logging When [RBAC authorization](../authorization-and-authentication/deploy-configuration-configuring-rbac.md) is enabled, Weaviate automatically logs authorization decisions and role management operations for audit purposes. These logs capture: - User making the request - Action being authorized or performed - Authorization decision (allowed or denied) - User groups (if applicable) - Source IP address (optional) - Resource being accessed #### Authorization decision logs Authorization decision logs are generated for RBAC-based authorization evaluations. These logs record both successful and denied authorization attempts, making them valuable for security auditing and troubleshooting access issues. **Key fields:** - `user` - The user making the request - `request_action` - The action being attempted (see action codes below) - `permissions.resource` - The resource being accessed - `permissions.results` - Authorization outcome (`success` or `denied`) - `source_ip` - IP address of the client (if available, configurable via `AUTHORIZATION_RBAC_IP_IN_AUDIT_LOG_DISABLED` env var) **Example successful authorization:** In this example, user `root-user` successfully deleted the `TempCollection`: ```json { "action": "authorize", "build_git_commit": "5f0048c", "build_go_version": "go1.25.5", "build_image_tag": "v1.35.1", "build_wv_version": "1.35.1", "component": "RBAC", "level": "info", "msg": "", "permissions": [ { "resource": "[Domain: collections, Collection: TempCollection]", "results": "success" } ], "rbac_log_version": 2, "request_action": "D", "source_ip": "192.168.65.1", "time": "2026-01-06T15:51:36Z", "user": "root-user" } ``` The `request_action: "D"` indicates a Delete operation, and `results: "success"` confirms the user had the necessary permissions. See [this page more information on how to manage RBAC permissions](../authorization-and-authentication/weaviate-configuration-rbac-manage-roles.md#role-management). **Example denied authorization:** When authorization is denied, the log entry differs in several ways. Here is a denied authorization example: ```json { "action": "authorize", "build_git_commit": "5f0048c", "build_go_version": "go1.25.5", "build_image_tag": "v1.35.1", "build_wv_version": "1.35.1", "component": "RBAC", "level": "error", "msg": "authorization denied", "permissions": [], "rbac_log_version": 2, "request_action": "D", "source_ip": "192.168.65.1", "time": "2026-01-08T16:17:47Z", "user": "readonly-user" } ``` In this example, user `readonly-user` attempted to delete a collection but lacked the necessary permissions. :::callout{intent="note" title="Request action codes"} The `request_action` field uses single-letter codes for compactness: - `C` - Create - `R` - Read - `U` - Update - `D` - Delete - `A` - Assign/Revoke (for user and group assignments) - `C_ALL`, `R_ALL`, `U_ALL`, `D_ALL` - Role actions on all resources of a type - `C_MATCH`, `R_MATCH`, `U_MATCH`, `D_MATCH` - Role actions on resources matching a pattern ::: #### Role management logs RBAC role creation and deletion operations are also logged for audit purposes: Example role creation: ```json { "action": "create_role", "build_git_commit": "5f0048c", "build_go_version": "go1.25.5", "build_image_tag": "v1.35.1", "build_wv_version": "1.35.1", "component": "RBAC", "level": "info", "msg": "role created", "permissions": [ { "action": "read_collections", "collections": {"collection": "*"} }, { "action": "read_data", "data": {"collection": "*", "tenant": "*"} } ], "roleName": "ReaderRole", "time": "2026-01-06T15:52:58Z", "user": "root-user" } ``` Example role deletion: ```json { "action": "delete_role", "build_git_commit": "5f0048c", "build_go_version": "go1.25.5", "build_image_tag": "v1.35.1", "build_wv_version": "1.35.1", "component": "RBAC", "level": "info", "msg": "role deleted", "roleName": "ReaderRole", "time": "2026-01-06T15:53:31Z", "user": "root-user" } ``` These audit logs are automatically generated when RBAC is enabled - no additional configuration is required. ## Further resources - [Configuration: Monitoring (Prometheus metrics)](monitoring.md) - [Configuration: Environment variables](../database-configuration/overview.md) - [Configuration: RBAC](../authorization-and-authentication/deploy-configuration-configuring-rbac.md) - [Troubleshooting](../deploy-faqs/troubleshooting.md) ## Questions and feedback Have a question or feedback? Here's how to reach us. ::::card-grid :::card{title="Community Forum" href="https://forum.weaviate.io/c/support" icon="messages-square"} Ask questions and connect with other developers on our **Community forum**. ::: :::card{title="Support" href="/guides/support-overview" icon="life-buoy"} Weaviate Cloud user or customer? Find the right channel on the **Support page**. ::: :::: ## Related pages - [Agents](./agents-index.md) - [AI-assisted Weaviate code generation](./ai-assisted-vibe-coding-index.md) - [APIs](./apis-index.md) - [Authorization and authentication](./authorization-and-authentication-index.md) - [Benchmarks](./benchmarks-index.md) - [Best practices](./best-practices-index.md) - [Client libraries](./clients-index.md) - [Client Libraries / SDKs](./client-libraries-index.md) - [Cloud](./cloud-index.md) - [Cloud account management](./cloud-account-management-index.md) # Agent Instructions This portal answers questions programmatically. To receive a synthesized, source-cited answer instead of crawling page by page, append the `?ask=` query parameter to any page URL on this site: /guides/quickstart?ask=how+do+I+authenticate Optional parameters: - `&goal=` steers the answer toward your objective (e.g. `&goal=write+a+python+client`). - `&version=