HTTP Server

Receive observability data from an HTTP client request

status: stable role: aggregator role: sidecar delivery: at-least-once acknowledgements: yes egress: batch state: stateless output: log previously known as: http
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Alias

This component was previously called the http source. Make sure to update your Vector configuration to accommodate the name change:

[sources.my_http_server_source]
+type = "http_server"
-type = "http"

Configuration

Example configurations 

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "http_server",
      "address": "0.0.0.0:80"
    }
  }
}
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "http_server"
address = "0.0.0.0:80"

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: http_server
    address: 0.0.0.0:80

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "http_server",
      "address": "0.0.0.0:80",
      "encoding": "binary",
      "headers": [
        "User-Agent"
      ],
      "method": "POST",
      "path": "/",
      "path_key": "path",
      "query_parameters": [
        "application"
      ],
      "strict_path": true
    }
  }
}
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "http_server"
address = "0.0.0.0:80"
encoding = "binary"
headers = [ "User-Agent" ]
method = "POST"
path = "/"
path_key = "path"
query_parameters = [ "application" ]
strict_path = true

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: http_server
    address: 0.0.0.0:80
    encoding: binary
    headers:
      - User-Agent
    method: POST
    path: /
    path_key: path
    query_parameters:
      - application
    strict_path: true

acknowledgements

optional object

Deprecated

This field is deprecated.

Controls how acknowledgements are handled by this source.

This setting is deprecated in favor of enabling acknowledgements at the global or sink level.

Enabling or disabling acknowledgements at the source level has no effect on acknowledgement behavior.

See End-to-end Acknowledgements for more information on how event acknowledgement is handled.

acknowledgements.enabled

optional bool
Whether or not end-to-end acknowledgements are enabled for this source.

address

required string literal

The socket address to listen for connections on.

It must include a port.

Examples 
"0.0.0.0:80"
"localhost:80"

auth

optional object
HTTP Basic authentication configuration.

auth.password

required string literal
The password for basic authentication.
Examples 
"hunter2"
"${PASSWORD}"

auth.username

required string literal
The username for basic authentication.
Examples 
"AzureDiamond"
"admin"

decoding

optional object
Configures how events are decoded from raw bytes.

decoding.codec

required string literal enum
The codec to use for decoding events.
Enum options
OptionDescription
bytesUses the raw bytes as-is.
gelfDecodes the raw bytes as a GELF message.
jsonDecodes the raw bytes as JSON.
native

Decodes the raw bytes as Vector’s native Protocol Buffers format.

This codec is experimental.

native_json

Decodes the raw bytes as Vector’s native JSON format.

This codec is experimental.

syslog

Decodes the raw bytes as a Syslog message.

Decodes either as the RFC 3164-style format (“old” style) or the RFC 5424-style format (“new” style, includes structured data).

Examples 
"bytes"
"gelf"
"json"
"native"
"native_json"
"syslog"

decoding.json

optional object
Options for the JSON deserializer.
Relevant when: codec = "json"
decoding.json.lossy
optional bool

Determines whether or not to replace invalid UTF-8 sequences instead of returning an error.

When true, invalid UTF-8 sequences are replaced with the U+FFFD REPLACEMENT CHARACTER.

default: true

encoding

optional string literal enum

The expected encoding of received data.

For json and ndjson encodings, the fields of the JSON objects are output as separate fields.

Enum options string literal
OptionDescription
binaryBinary.
jsonJSON.
ndjsonNewline-delimited JSON.
textPlaintext.

framing

optional object

Framing configuration.

Framing handles how events are separated when encoded in a raw byte form, where each event is a frame that must be prefixed, or delimited, in a way that marks where an event begins and ends within the byte stream.

framing.character_delimited

required object
Options for the character delimited decoder.
Relevant when: method = "character_delimited"
framing.character_delimited.delimiter
required uint
The character that delimits byte sequences.
framing.character_delimited.max_length
optional uint

The maximum length of the byte buffer.

This length does not include the trailing delimiter.

By default, there is no maximum length enforced. If events are malformed, this can lead to additional resource usage as events continue to be buffered in memory, and can potentially lead to memory exhaustion in extreme cases.

If there is a risk of processing malformed data, such as logs with user-controlled input, consider setting the maximum length to a reasonably large value as a safety net. This ensures that processing is not actually unbounded.

framing.method

required string literal enum
The framing method.
Enum options
OptionDescription
bytesByte frames are passed through as-is according to the underlying I/O boundaries (for example, split between messages or stream segments).
character_delimitedByte frames which are delimited by a chosen character.
length_delimitedByte frames which are prefixed by an unsigned big-endian 32-bit integer indicating the length.
newline_delimitedByte frames which are delimited by a newline character.
octet_countingByte frames according to the octet counting format.
Examples 
"bytes"
"character_delimited"
"length_delimited"
"newline_delimited"
"octet_counting"

framing.newline_delimited

optional object
Options for the newline delimited decoder.
Relevant when: method = "newline_delimited"
framing.newline_delimited.max_length
optional uint

The maximum length of the byte buffer.

This length does not include the trailing delimiter.

By default, there is no maximum length enforced. If events are malformed, this can lead to additional resource usage as events continue to be buffered in memory, and can potentially lead to memory exhaustion in extreme cases.

If there is a risk of processing malformed data, such as logs with user-controlled input, consider setting the maximum length to a reasonably large value as a safety net. This ensures that processing is not actually unbounded.

framing.octet_counting

optional object
Options for the octet counting decoder.
Relevant when: method = "octet_counting"
framing.octet_counting.max_length
optional uint
The maximum length of the byte buffer.

headers

optional [string]

A list of HTTP headers to include in the log event.

These override any values included in the JSON payload with conflicting names.

Array string literal
Examples 
[
  "User-Agent",
  "X-My-Custom-Header"
]

method

optional string literal enum
Specifies the action of the HTTP request.
Enum options string literal
OptionDescription
DELETEHTTP DELETE method.
GETHTTP GET method.
HEADHTTP HEAD method.
PATCHHTTP PATCH method.
POSTHTTP POST method.
PUTHTTP Put method.
default: POST

path

optional string literal
The URL path on which log event POST requests are sent.
Examples 
"/event/path"
"/logs"
default: /

path_key

optional string literal
The event key in which the requested URL path used to send the request is stored.
Examples 
"vector_http_path"
default: path

query_parameters

optional [string]

A list of URL query parameters to include in the log event.

These override any values included in the body with conflicting names.

Array string literal
Examples 
[
  "application",
  "source"
]

strict_path

optional bool

Whether or not to treat the configured path as an absolute path.

If set to true, only requests using the exact URL path specified in path are accepted. Otherwise, requests sent to a URL path that starts with the value of path are accepted.

With strict_path set to false and path set to "", the configured HTTP source accepts requests from any URL path.

default: true

tls

optional object
Configures the TLS options for incoming/outgoing connections.

tls.alpn_protocols

optional [string]

Sets the list of supported ALPN protocols.

Declare the supported ALPN protocols, which are used during negotiation with peer. They are prioritized in the order that they are defined.

tls.ca_file

optional string literal

Absolute path to an additional CA certificate file.

The certificate must be in the DER or PEM (X.509) format. Additionally, the certificate can be provided as an inline string in PEM format.

Examples 
"/path/to/certificate_authority.crt"

tls.crt_file

optional string literal

Absolute path to a certificate file used to identify this server.

The certificate must be in DER, PEM (X.509), or PKCS#12 format. Additionally, the certificate can be provided as an inline string in PEM format.

If this is set, and is not a PKCS#12 archive, key_file must also be set.

Examples 
"/path/to/host_certificate.crt"

tls.enabled

optional bool

Whether or not to require TLS for incoming or outgoing connections.

When enabled and used for incoming connections, an identity certificate is also required. See tls.crt_file for more information.

tls.key_file

optional string literal

Absolute path to a private key file used to identify this server.

The key must be in DER or PEM (PKCS#8) format. Additionally, the key can be provided as an inline string in PEM format.

Examples 
"/path/to/host_certificate.key"

tls.key_pass

optional string literal

Passphrase used to unlock the encrypted key file.

This has no effect unless key_file is set.

Examples 
"${KEY_PASS_ENV_VAR}"
"PassWord1"

tls.verify_certificate

optional bool

Enables certificate verification.

If enabled, certificates must not be expired and must be issued by a trusted issuer. This verification operates in a hierarchical manner, checking that the leaf certificate (the certificate presented by the client/server) is not only valid, but that the issuer of that certificate is also valid, and so on until the verification process reaches a root certificate.

Relevant for both incoming and outgoing connections.

Do NOT set this to false unless you understand the risks of not verifying the validity of certificates.

tls.verify_hostname

optional bool

Enables hostname verification.

If enabled, the hostname used to connect to the remote host must be present in the TLS certificate presented by the remote host, either as the Common Name or as an entry in the Subject Alternative Name extension.

Only relevant for outgoing connections.

Do NOT set this to false unless you understand the risks of not verifying the remote hostname.

Outputs

<component_id>

Default output stream of the component. Use this component’s ID as an input to downstream transforms and sinks.

Output Data

Logs

Structured

An individual line from an application/json request
Fields
* optional *
Any field contained in your JSON payload
path required string literal
The HTTP path the event was received from. The key can be changed using the path_key configuration setting
Examples
/
/logs/event712
timestamp required timestamp
The exact time the event was ingested into Vector.
Examples
2020-10-10T17:07:36.452332Z

Text

An individual line from a text/plain request
Fields
message required string literal
The raw line from the incoming payload.
Examples
Hello world
path required string literal
The HTTP path the event was received from. The key can be changed using the path_key configuration setting
Examples
/
/logs/event712
source_type required string literal
The name of the source type.
Examples
http_server
timestamp required timestamp
The exact time the event was ingested into Vector.
Examples
2020-10-10T17:07:36.452332Z

Telemetry

Metrics

link

component_discarded_events_total

counter
The number of events dropped by this component.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

component_errors_total

counter
The total number of errors encountered by this component.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
error_type
The type of the error
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
stage
The stage within the component at which the error occurred.

component_received_bytes_total

counter
The number of raw bytes accepted by this component from source origins.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_received_event_bytes_total

counter
The number of event bytes accepted by this component either from tagged origins like file and uri, or cumulatively from other origins.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_received_events_count

histogram

A histogram of the number of events passed in each internal batch in Vector’s internal topology.

Note that this is separate than sink-level batching. It is mostly useful for low level debugging performance issues in Vector due to small internal batches.

component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_received_events_total

counter
The number of events accepted by this component either from tagged origins like file and uri, or cumulatively from other origins.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
container_name optional
The name of the container from which the data originated.
file optional
The file from which the data originated.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
mode optional
The connection mode used by the component.
peer_addr optional
The IP from which the data originated.
peer_path optional
The pathname from which the data originated.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.
pod_name optional
The name of the pod from which the data originated.
uri optional
The sanitized URI from which the data originated.

component_sent_event_bytes_total

counter
The total number of event bytes emitted by this component.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
output optional
The specific output of the component.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

component_sent_events_total

counter
The total number of events emitted by this component.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
output optional
The specific output of the component.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

http_bad_requests_total

counter
The total number of HTTP 400 Bad Request errors encountered.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

parse_errors_total

counter
The total number of errors parsing metrics for this component.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

source_lag_time_seconds

histogram
The difference between the timestamp recorded in each event and the time when it was ingested, expressed as fractional seconds.
component_id
The Vector component ID.
component_kind
The Vector component kind.
component_name
Deprecated, use component_id instead. The value is the same as component_id.
component_type
The Vector component type.
host optional
The hostname of the system Vector is running on.
pid optional
The process ID of the Vector instance.

Examples

text/plain

Given this event...
POST / HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: text/plain
User-Agent: my-service/v2.1
X-Forwarded-For: my-host.local

Hello world
...and this configuration...
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "http_server"
address = "0.0.0.0:80"
encoding = "text"
headers = [ "User-Agent" ]

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: http_server
    address: 0.0.0.0:80
    encoding: text
    headers:
      - User-Agent

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "http_server",
      "address": "0.0.0.0:80",
      "encoding": "text",
      "headers": [
        "User-Agent"
      ]
    }
  }
}
...this Vector event is produced:
[{"log":{"User-Agent":"my-service/v2.1","host":"my-host.local","message":"Hello world","path":"/","source_type":"http_server","timestamp":"2020-10-10T17:07:36.452332Z"}}]

application/json

Given this event...
POST /events HTTP/1.1
Content-Type: application/json
User-Agent: my-service/v2.1
X-Forwarded-For: my-host.local
{"key": "val"}
...and this configuration...
[sources.my_source_id]
type = "http_server"
address = "0.0.0.0:80"
encoding = "json"
headers = [ "User-Agent" ]
path_key = "vector_http_path"

---
sources:
  my_source_id:
    type: http_server
    address: 0.0.0.0:80
    encoding: json
    headers:
      - User-Agent
    path_key: vector_http_path

{
  "sources": {
    "my_source_id": {
      "type": "http_server",
      "address": "0.0.0.0:80",
      "encoding": "json",
      "headers": [
        "User-Agent"
      ],
      "path_key": "vector_http_path"
    }
  }
}
...this Vector event is produced:
[{"log":{"User-Agent":"my-service/v2.1","host":"my-host.local","key":"val","source_type":"http_server","timestamp":"2020-10-10T17:07:36.452332Z"}}]

How it works

Context

By default, the http_server source augments events with helpful context keys.

Decompression

Received body is decompressed according to Content-Encoding header. Supported algorithms are gzip, deflate, snappy, and zstd.

State

This component is stateless, meaning its behavior is consistent across each input.

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Vector uses OpenSSL for TLS protocols. You can adjust TLS behavior via the tls.* options.
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