Skip to main content

Unlocking Observability: Revolutionizing Log Collection with eBPF

Aviv Zohari
groundcover

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development and infrastructure management, observability stands as a crucial pillar. Among its fundamental components lies log collection, a process integral to understanding system behavior and diagnosing issues. However, traditional methods of log collection have faced challenges, especially in high-volume and dynamic environments. Enter eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter), a groundbreaking technology that promises to revolutionize the way we gather observability data, particularly logs.

Challenges in Traditional Log Collection

Logs are ubiquitous in the world of software. Every application, service, and system generates logs, resulting in a vast and often unpredictable volume of data. Traditional log collection methods rely heavily on file-based approaches, where logs are written to files and subsequently collected by dedicated log collectors. While effective to some extent, this approach suffers from inefficiencies, especially at scale.

As the volume of logs increases, so does the burden on system resources. Collectors running as daemon sets, particularly in containerized environments like Kubernetes, incur significant CPU overhead, leading to scalability and cost challenges. Furthermore, the file-based approach necessitates frequent file I/O operations, contributing to increased CPU utilization and storage requirements.

The Promise of eBPF in Log Collection

eBPF offers a paradigm shift in log collection by enabling custom code execution within the kernel in a safe and efficient manner. Unlike traditional kernel modules, eBPF programs are rigorously controlled to prevent system instability and excessive resource consumption. This opens up new possibilities for observing and intercepting system events, including log writes, directly within the kernel space.

By leveraging eBPF, log collection transcends the limitations of file-based approaches. Instead of relying on files as intermediaries, logs are captured at the kernel level as they are written, eliminating the need for file I/O operations. This synchronous, event-driven approach to log collection significantly reduces CPU overhead and streamlines the process of data acquisition.

Reimagining Log Collection with eBPF

With eBPF, log collection becomes a seamless and resource-efficient process. eBPF programs intercept log writes at their source, within the kernel. This eliminates the need for file-based storage and retrieval mechanisms, resulting in a leaner collection pipeline.

Moreover, eBPF further improves collection efficiency with the aggregation of logs across containers. As logs flow through the kernel, they are easily assigned to the container or process who generated them, and logs from different sources are then easily batched across multiple containers, optimizing data transfer and reducing CPU overhead.

Realizing the Potential: Benchmarking eBPF

To validate the efficacy of eBPF in log collection, benchmarks were conducted comparing traditional log collectors with eBPF-based solutions. The results were compelling, showcasing significant reductions in CPU utilization with eBPF, especially at high log volumes. eBPF-based log collectors demonstrated superior performance and scalability, reaffirming the transformative potential of this technology.

Looking Ahead

As organizations strive for greater observability and efficiency in their systems, eBPF emerges as a beacon of innovation in log collection. While still in its nascent stages, the adoption of eBPF for observability purposes is poised to accelerate rapidly. With its ability to reshape log collection paradigms and deliver tangible performance benefits, eBPF represents a paradigm shift that promises to redefine the future of observability. As more developers and organizations embrace this technology, we can expect to see a wave of innovation and refinement in log collection practices. The era of eBPF-driven observability is upon us, offering unprecedented insights and efficiencies in managing complex distributed systems.

Aviv Zohari is the Founding Engineer of groundcover

Hot Topics

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...

Unlocking Observability: Revolutionizing Log Collection with eBPF

Aviv Zohari
groundcover

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development and infrastructure management, observability stands as a crucial pillar. Among its fundamental components lies log collection, a process integral to understanding system behavior and diagnosing issues. However, traditional methods of log collection have faced challenges, especially in high-volume and dynamic environments. Enter eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter), a groundbreaking technology that promises to revolutionize the way we gather observability data, particularly logs.

Challenges in Traditional Log Collection

Logs are ubiquitous in the world of software. Every application, service, and system generates logs, resulting in a vast and often unpredictable volume of data. Traditional log collection methods rely heavily on file-based approaches, where logs are written to files and subsequently collected by dedicated log collectors. While effective to some extent, this approach suffers from inefficiencies, especially at scale.

As the volume of logs increases, so does the burden on system resources. Collectors running as daemon sets, particularly in containerized environments like Kubernetes, incur significant CPU overhead, leading to scalability and cost challenges. Furthermore, the file-based approach necessitates frequent file I/O operations, contributing to increased CPU utilization and storage requirements.

The Promise of eBPF in Log Collection

eBPF offers a paradigm shift in log collection by enabling custom code execution within the kernel in a safe and efficient manner. Unlike traditional kernel modules, eBPF programs are rigorously controlled to prevent system instability and excessive resource consumption. This opens up new possibilities for observing and intercepting system events, including log writes, directly within the kernel space.

By leveraging eBPF, log collection transcends the limitations of file-based approaches. Instead of relying on files as intermediaries, logs are captured at the kernel level as they are written, eliminating the need for file I/O operations. This synchronous, event-driven approach to log collection significantly reduces CPU overhead and streamlines the process of data acquisition.

Reimagining Log Collection with eBPF

With eBPF, log collection becomes a seamless and resource-efficient process. eBPF programs intercept log writes at their source, within the kernel. This eliminates the need for file-based storage and retrieval mechanisms, resulting in a leaner collection pipeline.

Moreover, eBPF further improves collection efficiency with the aggregation of logs across containers. As logs flow through the kernel, they are easily assigned to the container or process who generated them, and logs from different sources are then easily batched across multiple containers, optimizing data transfer and reducing CPU overhead.

Realizing the Potential: Benchmarking eBPF

To validate the efficacy of eBPF in log collection, benchmarks were conducted comparing traditional log collectors with eBPF-based solutions. The results were compelling, showcasing significant reductions in CPU utilization with eBPF, especially at high log volumes. eBPF-based log collectors demonstrated superior performance and scalability, reaffirming the transformative potential of this technology.

Looking Ahead

As organizations strive for greater observability and efficiency in their systems, eBPF emerges as a beacon of innovation in log collection. While still in its nascent stages, the adoption of eBPF for observability purposes is poised to accelerate rapidly. With its ability to reshape log collection paradigms and deliver tangible performance benefits, eBPF represents a paradigm shift that promises to redefine the future of observability. As more developers and organizations embrace this technology, we can expect to see a wave of innovation and refinement in log collection practices. The era of eBPF-driven observability is upon us, offering unprecedented insights and efficiencies in managing complex distributed systems.

Aviv Zohari is the Founding Engineer of groundcover

Hot Topics

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...