destination: Forward, send, and store log messages

A destination is where a log message is sent if the filtering rules match. Similarly to sources, destinations consist of one or more drivers, each defining where and how messages are sent.

TIP: If no drivers are defined for a destination, all messages sent to the destination are discarded. This is equivalent to omitting the destination from the log statement.

To define a destination, add a destination statement to the syslog-ng configuration file using the following syntax:

destination <identifier> {
    destination-driver(params); destination-driver(params); ...
};

Example: A simple destination statement

The following destination statement sends messages to the TCP port 1999 of the 10.1.2.3 host.

destination d_demo_tcp {
    network("10.1.2.3" port(1999));
};

If name resolution is configured, you can use the hostname of the target server as well.

destination d_tcp {
    network("target_host" port(1999));
};

• CAUTION:
• Do not define the same drivers with the same parameters more than once, because it will cause problems. For example, do not open the same file in multiple destinations.
• Do not use the same destination in different log paths, because it can cause problems with most destination types. Instead, use filters and log paths to avoid such situations.
• Sources and destinations are initialized only when they are used in a log statement. For example, syslog-ng OSE starts listening on a port or starts polling a file only if the source is used in a log statement. For details on creating log statements, see log: Filter and route log messages using log paths, flags, and filters

The following section lists the destination drivers available in syslog-ng OSE. If these destinations do not satisfy your needs, you can extend syslog-ng OSE and write your own destination, for example, in C, Java, or Python. For details, see Write your own custom destination in Java or Python.