Docker Logs Connector

Overview

The Docker Logs connector collects logs from Docker containers running in non-Kubernetes environments. It streams container logs from Docker hosts, Docker Compose deployments, and standalone containers into Edge Delta Pipelines, making the data available for AI teammates to query through the Edge Delta MCP connector.

When you add this streaming connector, it appears as a Docker Logs source in your selected pipeline. AI teammates access this data by querying the Edge Delta backend with the Edge Delta MCP connector.

Add the Docker Logs Connector

To add the Docker Logs connector, you configure filters to specify which containers to monitor, then deploy to a Docker-type environment.

Prerequisites

Before configuring the connector, ensure you have:

• Edge Delta agent deployed on Docker host
• Docker socket access for Edge Delta agent (/var/run/docker.sock mounted as read-only)
• Docker-type environment configured, or ability to create one

Configuration Steps

1. Navigate to AI Team > Connectors in the Edge Delta application
2. Find the Docker Logs connector in Streaming Connectors
3. Click the connector card
4. Configure container filters (see below)
5. Select a Docker-type environment (or click Docker to create one)
6. Click Save

The connector is now collecting logs from matching containers.

Configuration Options

Connector Name

Name to identify this Docker Logs connector instance.

Docker Include

Filter to specify which containers to monitor. Use regex patterns matching container names, images, or labels.

Format: key=value where key is name, image, or label.* and value is a regex pattern

Examples:

• name=.* - Monitor all containers
• name=^my-app$ - Monitor specific container
• image=nginx:.* - Monitor all nginx containers
• label.com.docker.compose.service=web - Monitor by Compose service label
• label.com.docker.compose.service=(web|api|worker) - Monitor multiple services

Docker Exclude

Optional filter to exclude specific containers even if they match include patterns. Uses same format as Docker Include.

Examples:

• name=.*test.* - Exclude test containers
• label.com.docker.compose.service=db - Exclude database service

Advanced Settings

Metadata Level

This option is used to define which detected resources and attributes to add to each data item as it is ingested by Edge Delta. You can select:

• Required Only: This option includes the minimum required resources and attributes for Edge Delta to operate.
• Default: This option includes the required resources and attributes plus those selected by Edge Delta
• High: This option includes the required resources and attributes along with a larger selection of common optional fields.
• Custom: With this option selected, you can choose which attributes and resources to include. The required fields are selected by default and can’t be unchecked.

Based on your selection in the GUI, the source_metadata YAML is populated as two dictionaries (resource_attributes and attributes) with Boolean values.

See Choose Data Item Metadata for more information on selecting metadata.

Rate Limit

Rate limit configuration to control maximum data ingestion volume and manage processing capacity.

Target Environments

Select a Docker-type environment where you want to deploy this connector. If no Docker environments exist, click Docker to create a new Docker environment.

How to Use the Docker Logs Connector

The Docker Logs connector integrates seamlessly with AI Team, enabling analysis of container logs from Docker environments. AI teammates automatically leverage the ingested data based on the queries they receive and the context of the conversation.

Use Case: Docker Compose Application Monitoring

Monitor all services in a Docker Compose application while excluding infrastructure containers. AI teammates can analyze application logs, identify error patterns, and correlate issues across multiple containers. For example, when investigating checkout failures, teammates analyze logs from frontend, API, and payment containers to identify the failure sequence.

Configuration: Include: label.com.docker.compose.project=myapp, Exclude: label.com.docker.compose.service=db

Use Case: Container Restart Analysis

When containers repeatedly restart, AI teammates can analyze logs immediately before restart events to identify crash patterns. This is valuable when combined with alert connectors like PagerDuty—teammates investigate restart alerts by querying recent container logs to pinpoint root causes like memory exhaustion or unhandled exceptions.

Configuration: Include: image=mycompany/.* (monitor all company containers)

Use Case: Development Environment Debugging

Monitor local development containers to troubleshoot startup issues and configuration problems. AI teammates analyze startup logs to identify missing environment variables, network connectivity issues, or service dependency failures, accelerating developer debugging without manual log inspection.

Configuration: Include: name=^dev-.* (monitor containers with dev- prefix)

Troubleshooting

No logs appearing: Verify Docker socket is mounted (ls -la /var/run/docker.sock inside Edge Delta container). Check that include filters match running containers (docker ps).

Permission denied errors: Ensure Docker socket is mounted with read permissions (:ro flag). Verify Edge Delta container user has docker group access.

Only some containers monitored: Check that exclude filters aren’t too broad. Remember exclude rules apply after include rules.

Missing log entries: Verify containers log to stdout/stderr, not to files. Check container logging driver with docker inspect <container> | grep LogConfig.

High CPU/memory usage: Narrow include filters to monitor only relevant containers. Use exclude filters to remove verbose infrastructure containers. Set appropriate rate limits.

Next Steps

• Learn about creating custom teammates that can use Docker logs
• Explore the Edge Delta MCP connector for querying container logs

For additional help, visit AI Team Support.