How can you convert unstructured logs from a Cloud Run application to structured JSON logs?

Converting unstructured logs from a Cloud Run application into structured JSON logs can effectively be achieved by configuring a log agent to handle the transformation of text payloads into JSON format. This approach enables the extraction of relevant fields from the unstructured logs and their mapping into a structured format, which is essential for better analysis, querying, and monitoring of logs.

Using a log agent allows for efficient customization without needing to modify the application code itself. By setting up the log agent to monitor the output of the application, it can parse the raw log entries and convert them into a desired structured format, such as JSON. This process enhances log processing and can facilitate better observability within cloud environments.

In contrast, modifying the application to use the Cloud Logging SDK or adding a Fluent Bit sidecar might be valid approaches but would require either code changes or additional resource management, which may not be as straightforward or efficient as simply configuring a log agent. Moreover, while forwarding logs to Cloud Logging is a step for log management, it does not inherently structure unformatted log data into a usable format, which is the core requirement of the question.