Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Logging

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Logging is a managed log service for collecting and analyzing OCI, audit and custom application data. It suits teams operating in Oracle Cloud that need to investigate across several log sources; its strongest case is broad collection and routing with free ingestion and search, while retained storage is metered.

Overview

Logging combines audit logs, OCI service logs and custom application logs in a distributed service. SQL-like queries, filters, aggregations and visualizations help teams examine infrastructure, application, audit and database events together, which is more useful for troubleshooting than collection alone.

Custom logs can originate on OCI instances, Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes, on-premises systems and other cloud providers. Supported OCI sources include Network Flow Logs, Load Balancer, Object Storage, Functions, API Gateway and Events. This makes the service a practical hub for mixed OCI and application telemetry, although it remains a cloud-only choice.

Key features

Structured parsing and log pipelines support analysis and movement of events beyond basic ingestion. Connector Hub can route logs to Monitoring, Notifications, Streaming, Object Storage or third-party destinations such as Splunk. Teams can therefore connect log handling to follow-up services or preserve data elsewhere, rather than treating the logging console as the only endpoint.

Fluentd is used for ingestion, and events are normalized to CloudEvents 1.0. Access controls use log groups and Oracle Identity and Access Management policies; unauthorized requests are denied and audited. Logs can also be exported through Service Connector Hub to Object Storage buckets for indefinite retention, a useful option when the service's 30-day retention window is not enough.

Users can work through the OCI console, SDK, command-line interface, REST API or Terraform. Logging is available in commercial regions; government regions are described as coming soon.

Pricing

The Always Free tier costs nothing and remains available for an unlimited time. It includes the first 10 GB of log storage per month, with log ingestion and search free. This is a sensible starting point for modest workloads and evaluation, but the storage allowance is the key constraint for teams retaining larger volumes.

Pay as you go costs $0.05 a month, billed at $0.05 per GB stored per month. Ingestion and search remain free, so storage volume—not the act of sending or querying logs—is the stated cost driver. Readers should account for retained data when estimating ongoing spend. A separate Free allowance is also described as free, billed monthly, with 10 GB log storage per month; the Usage plan costs $0.05 a month with monthly storage-based pricing.

Platforms

Listed platforms are API, Linux, web and Windows. The available deployment option is cloud, which fits organizations comfortable running logging within OCI but excludes teams requiring a self-hosted installation.

Who it's for

Oracle recommends the service for OCI customers seeking diagnostic and troubleshooting information or wanting to ingest application logs. It is particularly apt when a team needs OCI service and custom sources in one searchable place, and when routing or Object Storage archival is part of its workflow. Organizations that need non-cloud deployment should choose another approach.

Pros and cons

• Broad log coverage: OCI service, audit and custom logs—including sources beyond OCI—can be analyzed together.
• Useful routing and retention options: Connector Hub supports several Oracle destinations, Splunk and Object Storage, with archival there available for indefinite retention.
• Free ingestion and search: The Always Free tier covers up to 10 GB of monthly storage, while those operations remain free on the paid usage plan.
• Storage drives ongoing cost: Pay-as-you-go storage is priced per GB per month, so larger retained volumes increase the bill.
• Cloud-only deployment: There is no self-hosted option for teams that require control outside a cloud service.

Alternatives

Browse Log Management Software for more options. Choose ELK Stack if self-managed Elastic Stack features or a self-hosted platform are more important than a managed OCI service. Google Cloud Logging is another freemium cloud logging option, with a stated first 50 GiB per project per month free for non-vended network log storage. Consider Amazon CloudWatch Logs for a paid service with a free plan and region-dependent, pay-as-you-go ingestion pricing.

Oracle Log Analytics is a related freemium Oracle option with a first 10 gigabytes of log storage free. Sumo Logic may suit teams whose needs fit its free allowance of 20 daily credits, seven-day log retention and up to three users. Choose Fluentd if you want a free, open-source data collector rather than this managed logging service. Grafana Loki offers a free self-hosted Loki option or a cloud free tier with 50 GB ingested monthly and 14-day retention. Logstash is a free alternative with a default distribution governed by the Elastic License.

Verdict

Choose Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Logging if you run OCI workloads and want one managed service for operational, audit and custom logs, with search, routing and archival pathways. Its free ingestion and search lower the barrier to use, but storage charges scale with retained volume, and its cloud-only deployment rules it out for teams that must host logging themselves.