Use this processor to set a limit on the number of logs sent within a specific time window. For example, you can set a limit so that only 100 logs are sent per second. Setting a rate limit can help you catch any spikes in log ingestion and prevent unexpected billing costs.

To set up the processor:

1. Define a filter query. Only logs that match the specified filter query are processed. All matched logs get throttled. Logs that are sent within the throttle limit and logs that do not match the filter are sent to the next step. Logs sent after the throttle limit has been reached, are dropped.
2. Set the window threshold. This is the number of events allowed for a given bucket during the set time window.
3. Set the time window.
4. Optionally, click Add Field if you want to group by a field.

Filter query syntax

Each processor has a corresponding filter query in their fields. Processors only process logs that match their filter query. And for all processors except the filter processor, logs that do not match the query are sent to the next step of the pipeline. For the filter processor, logs that do not match the query are dropped.

For any attribute, tag, or key:value pair that is not a reserved attribute, your query must start with @. Conversely, to filter reserved attributes, you do not need to append @ in front of your filter query.

For example, to filter out and drop status:info logs, your filter can be set as NOT (status:info). To filter out and drop system-status:info, your filter must be set as NOT (@system-status:info).

Filter query examples:

• NOT (status:debug): This filters for only logs that do not have the status DEBUG.
• status:ok service:flask-web-app: This filters for all logs with the status OK from your flask-web-app service.
  • This query can also be written as: status:ok AND service:flask-web-app.
• host:COMP-A9JNGYK OR host:COMP-J58KAS: This filter query only matches logs from the labeled hosts.
• @user.status:inactive: This filters for logs with the status inactive nested under the user attribute.

Queries run in the Observability Pipelines Worker are case sensitive. Learn more about writing filter queries in Datadog’s Log Search Syntax.