Function Compute Release Log Keyword Second Search Function

I heard that you have also encountered this problem?

Xiao Wang is a programmer who recently encountered a headache when using the FaaS (Function as a Service) service: His FaaS application reported many errors, but there were too many requests to call the log page, making it impossible to easily and quickly find the cause of the bug.

For Xiao Wang, it was originally a common matter to check for errors in his own application during development and operation and maintenance. Previously, Xiao Wang could view keywords in the locally printed log of the server, check whether the logic was correct, and then check the error message in the execution environment. The root cause of the error was basically discovered. Now, when Xiaowang deploys an application to the cloud and delivers the business to a FaaS service provider for execution, he can only rely on the log solution provided by the FaaS service provider to query relevant debug information. There is no way to directly investigate the cause of the relevant error and repair it, like debugging on the server.

Due to this problem, Xiao Wang has to search through dozens or hundreds of request lists in the call log every day with his eyes, and his eyes are almost gone. Therefore, Xiao Wang, who can't bear it anymore, starts the self-help mode

How do mainstream functional computing products respond?

Xiao Wang compared the current mainstream functional computing products in China and found that these products have three common points at the log level:

A. All rely on their own log service system for log storage;

B. Expose the request list page to the user, including all logs of the request under each request;

C. Both support jumping to the log service for autonomous query, and support multiple functions to write to the same log warehouse

The above three common points seem to be in order. They all use their own mature log service as a log storage system, which ensures log security while providing a good query experience; Request level oriented logs also naturally isolate users, and are consistent with FaaS's event-driven tonality; However, the practice of supporting jumping to the bound log service product may be mixed. There are no issues with comprehensiveness and accuracy. The bound log service can serve as a source of trust for user business logs.

The disadvantage is that when users are faced with a vast amount of log information, which is mixed with information about multiple applications and cloud service configuration information, it undoubtedly increases the cost of use, and it requires a long learning cycle to make good use of the self-service query function. When debugging, developers are most concerned about errorStack, but in the log service, more useless information comes to their attention.

What you need and what you see

Alibaba Cloud function computing helps you locate problems at a glance

Optimize the user's log query experience - text oriented logging

In order to make users more comfortable to use, Alibaba Cloud Functional Computing (FC) launched a new log keyword search function in February this year, which is currently available online. Next, let's use a few examples to illustrate how Xiao Wang quickly located request logs through this function to keep his eyes open.

(1) Text oriented logging

On the Call Log - Keyword Search page, developers can see a complete and detailed business log of the current function

(Including function initialization and call logs). Here, developers only focus on text, and function calculations help you eliminate other useless information from the log service page.

(2) Support for query and highlighting

When developers use keyword search, they can customize the text they type. Like the user in the header image, you can directly type in characteristic information such as the order number in the search box to query the desired log information.

Here is the Yuque video card. Click the link to view it: Screen Recording 2022-03-03 at 7.25.06 PM.mov

(3) Support simple query statement association operations

The keyword query search box supports the use of AND, OR, NOT, and other fields to link text (consistent with the log service syntax), making it possible for users to perform fine searches.

Click on the link to view: Screen Recording 2022-03-03 at 7.20.55 PM.mov

(4) More user-friendly for custom runtimes

For runtimes such as custom runtime and custom container that require user customization, text-oriented log display and keyword search are also supported, so that the container initiated logs are naturally displayed to users.

Alibaba Cloud Functional Computing (FC) takes the classic python flange framework of custom container as an example. You can see the container startup, and the logs of the python flange server startup can also be displayed on the console. Similarly, logs from initializers and custom runtimes can be collected.

Open it and try it

On the Alibaba Cloud Function Computing (FC) function details page, click Call Log to query the call record of the current function. The keyword search tab allows you to view the content of the function call log.

Alibaba Cloud Functional Computing (FC) not only focuses on providing users with extremely high engineering efficiency and helping them reduce costs and improve efficiency, but also cares about whether users experience smoothness when using our products.

With the increase in business volume, users' demands for logs are also increasing. The combination of request lists and keyword queries in the function computing console can easily cover 100% of the log requirements from developers, allowing you to quickly locate issues and directly retrieve business logs.