Rewrite Timestamp (Deprecated)

NOTE

This processor has been deprecated and replaced with a new Rewrite Timestamp processor. While it will continue to function, it will no longer receive enhancements and you should migrate to the new processor.

Reads the timestamp from a record's time field, formats it as a string using a ctime layout, and writes that string into a target field you choose. This is the inverse of parsing: where Parse Timestamp reads a string and sets the record's time field, Rewrite Timestamp takes the existing time field and renders it back out as a formatted string.

Supported Telemetry Types

Logs	Metrics	Traces
✓	✓	✓

Choose Telemetry Type picks one signal per processor instance. Add another instance to handle a second signal.

Configuration

Basic Configuration

When to apply

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Choose Telemetry Type	Telemetry Selector	Yes	Logs	The signal this instance runs on: Logs, Metrics, or Traces (one at a time).
Condition	OTTL Condition	No	(empty)	Rewrite only the records that match. Empty runs on every record.

Target field

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Target Field Type	Enum: Attributes, Body	Yes	Attributes	Where the formatted timestamp string is written. Body is logs-only. For Metrics and Traces, only Attributes is available.
Target Field	OTTL Field	Yes	(empty)	The field in which to store the formatted timestamp string.
Timestamp Format	String	Yes	%b %e %Y %H:%M:%S	The ctime layout used to format the timestamp (for example Jun 18 2026 14:30:00).

Examples

Render a parsed timestamp back into a string attribute

A common pattern is to parse a raw log line, extract its timestamp into the record's time field, and then write that time back out as a formatted string. After Parse Timestamp has populated the time field, add Rewrite Timestamp for Logs with Target Field Type Attributes, Target Field new_ts, and a ctime format such as %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S.

For a record whose time field holds 2026-06-18T14:30:00Z, the processor adds an attribute:

attributes:
  new_ts: "2026-06-18 14:30:00"

The original time field is left unchanged; only the new string field is added.

Configuration Tips

• Timestamp Format uses ctime directives, not Go layout strings. See the layout reference linked below for the supported directives.
• Rewrite Timestamp does not change the record's time field. It only writes a formatted string copy to the target field.
• Body as a target field type is available for Logs only. Metrics and Traces can only write the result to Attributes.

Troubleshooting

The target field is empty or missing

Symptoms: no formatted timestamp string appears at the target field after the processor runs.

Solutions:

1. Confirm the record's time field is actually set. Rewrite Timestamp formats the existing time field, so an unset time produces no useful result.
2. Verify the Condition evaluates true for the records you expect to rewrite.

The formatted string looks wrong

Symptoms: the output string is in an unexpected format.

Solutions:

1. Check the Timestamp Format against the supported ctime directives. A mismatched directive renders unexpected output.

Standalone Processor

apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Processor
metadata:
  name: rewrite-timestamp
spec:
  type: rewrite-timestamp
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value: Logs
    - name: log_condition
      value: ""
    - name: log_target_field_type
      value: Attributes
    - name: log_target_field
      value: new_ts
    - name: log_timestamp_format
      value: "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"

Related Resources

• FormatTime — OTTL function reference
• Supported ctime layout directives

Bindplane Resources

• Parse Timestamp