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# Apache Combined
Collects logs from Apache HTTP Server access log files written in the "combined" log format. The source reads the configured log file path(s) and optionally parses each line into structured fields.
### Supported Telemetry
| Platform | Metrics | Logs | Traces |
| -------- | ------- | ---- | ------ |
| Linux | | ✓ | |
| Windows | | ✓ | |
| macOS | | ✓ | |
### Prerequisites
* Apache HTTP Server must be writing access logs in the combined log format. The combined format is the standard Apache `LogFormat` string `%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b \"%{Referer}i\" \"%{User-agent}i\"`, typically applied with a `CustomLog` directive. See the Apache [Log Files](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/logs.html) and [mod\_log\_config](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_log_config.html) documentation for configuring it.
* You must know the path(s) to the access log file(s). The source default is `/var/log/apache_combined.log`; common real-world locations include `/var/log/apache2/access.log` (Debian/Ubuntu) and `/var/log/httpd/access_log` (RHEL/CentOS).
* The collector must run on a host where it can read those log file paths, or the files must be shipped to a host the collector can read.
### Configuration
**Logs**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| ------------------------- | ------- | -------- | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Combined Log File Path(s) | Strings | No | `["/var/log/apache_combined.log"]` | Paths to Apache combined formatted log files. |
**Advanced**
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --------- | ---------------------- | -------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Parse To | Enum: body, attributes | No | body | Parse structured log parts to either body or attributes. |
| Start At | Enum: beginning, end | No | end | Start reading logs from `beginning` or `end` of the file. |
| Parse | Boolean | No | true | Parses the log fields into structured data. When disabled, the raw log line is collected without field extraction. |
### Examples
#### Collect access logs from a Debian/Ubuntu host
Read the standard Apache access log on a Debian-family system and parse the combined fields into the log body.
```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
name: apache-combined
spec:
type: apache_combined
parameters:
- name: file_path
value:
- /var/log/apache2/access.log
- name: parse
value: true
- name: parse_to
value: body
```
### Configuration Tips
* Set the log file path(s) to match your distribution's Apache layout (`/var/log/apache2/access.log` on Debian/Ubuntu, `/var/log/httpd/access_log` on RHEL/CentOS), not just the default.
* Choose **Parse To** `attributes` when you want the parsed fields kept separate from the log body, or `body` to replace the body with the structured map.
* Set **Start At** to `beginning` to backfill existing log content on first run; leave it at `end` to collect only new lines.
### Troubleshooting
#### No logs are collected
Symptoms: the source produces no log records.
Solutions:
1. Verify the configured file path(s) point to real, actively written access logs. Confirm Apache is logging to that location via its `CustomLog` directive.
2. Confirm the collector process has read permission on the log files and their parent directories.
3. If you only expect new entries, remember **Start At** defaults to `end`; set it to `beginning` to read pre-existing content.
#### Logs are collected but fields are not parsed
Symptoms: records arrive but contain only the raw log line.
Solutions:
1. Confirm Apache is writing the combined log format. A common or custom format will not match the combined parser.
2. Ensure **Parse** is enabled (`true`); when disabled the raw line is kept without field extraction.
### Standalone Source
```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Source
metadata:
name: apache-combined
spec:
type: apache_combined
parameters:
- name: file_path
value:
- /var/log/apache2/access.log
- name: parse_to
value: body
- name: start_at
value: end
- name: parse
value: true
```
### Related Resources
* [Apache HTTP Server — Log Files](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/logs.html)
* [Apache HTTP Server — mod\_log\_config](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_log_config.html)
* [filelogreceiver — OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/blob/main/receiver/filelogreceiver/README.md)
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