# CloudWatch logging
<a name="cloudwatch-cluster-logging"></a>

This topic explains how to configure Amazon CloudWatch logging for your EKS cluster’s control plane components. CloudWatch logging provides visibility into your cluster’s control plane operations, which is essential for troubleshooting issues, auditing cluster activities, and monitoring the health of your Kubernetes components.

## Enabling CloudWatch logging
<a name="_enabling_cloudwatch_logging"></a>

 [CloudWatch logging](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/control-plane-logs.html) for EKS control plane is not enabled by default due to data ingestion and storage costs.

To enable control plane logging when cluster is created, you will need to define ** `cloudWatch.clusterLogging.enableTypes` ** setting in your `ClusterConfig` (see below for examples).

So if you have a config file with correct ** `cloudWatch.clusterLogging.enableTypes` ** setting, you can create a cluster with `eksctl create cluster --config-file=<path>`.

If you have created a cluster already, you can use `eksctl utils update-cluster-logging`.

**Note**  
this command runs in plan mode by default, you will need to specify `--approve` flag to apply the changes to your cluster.

If you are using a config file, run:

```
eksctl utils update-cluster-logging --config-file=<path>
```

Alternatively, you can use CLI flags.

To enable all types of logs, run:

```
eksctl utils update-cluster-logging --enable-types all
```

To enable `audit` logs, run:

```
eksctl utils update-cluster-logging --enable-types audit
```

To enable all but `controllerManager` logs, run:

```
eksctl utils update-cluster-logging --enable-types=all --disable-types=controllerManager
```

If the `api` and `scheduler` log types were already enabled, to disable `scheduler` and enable `controllerManager` at the same time, run:

```
eksctl utils update-cluster-logging --enable-types=controllerManager --disable-types=scheduler
```

This will leave `api` and `controllerManager` as the only log types enabled.

To disable all types of logs, run:

```
eksctl utils update-cluster-logging --disable-types all
```

## `ClusterConfig` Examples
<a name="_clusterconfig_examples"></a>

In an EKS cluster, the `enableTypes` field under `clusterLogging` can take a list of possible values to enable the different types of logs for the control plane components.

The following are the possible values:
+  `api`: Enables the Kubernetes API server logs.
+  `audit`: Enables the Kubernetes audit logs.
+  `authenticator`: Enables the authenticator logs.
+  `controllerManager`: Enables the Kubernetes controller manager logs.
+  `scheduler`: Enables the Kubernetes scheduler logs.

To learn more, see [EKS documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/control-plane-logs.html).

### Disable all logs
<a name="_disable_all_logs"></a>

To disable all types, use `[]` or remove the `cloudWatch` section completely.

### Enable all logs
<a name="_enable_all_logs"></a>

You can enable all types with `"*"` or `"all"`. For example:

```
cloudWatch:
  clusterLogging:
    enableTypes: ["*"]
```

### Enable one or more logs
<a name="_enable_one_or_more_logs"></a>

You can enable a subset of types by listing the types you want to enable. For example:

```
cloudWatch:
  clusterLogging:
    enableTypes:
      - "audit"
      - "authenticator"
```

### Log retention period
<a name="_log_retention_period"></a>

By default, logs are stored in CloudWatch Logs, indefinitely. You can specify the number of days for which the control plane logs should be retained in CloudWatch Logs. The following example retains logs for 7 days:

```
cloudWatch:
  clusterLogging:
    logRetentionInDays: 7
```

### Complete example
<a name="_complete_example"></a>

```
apiVersion: eksctl.io/v1alpha5
kind: ClusterConfig

metadata:
  name: cluster-11
  region: eu-west-2

nodeGroups:
  - name: ng-1
    instanceType: m5.large
    desiredCapacity: 1

cloudWatch:
  clusterLogging:
    enableTypes: ["audit", "authenticator"]
    logRetentionInDays: 7
```