🔧 Introducing: LogStreamr
In order to best simulate working with product managers and software engineers to develop documentation for systems or features that I may, or may not, be highly familiar with, I asked a generative AI model to simulate such a situation by referencing a fictitious new software and communicating as an engineer on the project.
What it is:
A lightweight, open-source log forwarding agent written in Go. It tails log files and sends them to a central aggregation service (like Loki, Elasticsearch, etc.) via HTTP or gRPC.
Key Features
- CLI-based install and config
- Runs as a systemd service
- Uses a logstreamr.yml file for configuration
- Supports multiple output targets (HTTP, gRPC)
- Autodetects system timezone
- Written for Linux-first environments
Use case:
Small teams use it to ship logs from individual servers to a central location. It’s meant to be simple to install, configure, and forget about.
Provided Materials
v0.1.0 Release File Structure
logstreamr-v0.1.0-linux-x86_64/
├── logstreamr
├── install.sh
├── logstreamr.yml.example
├── logstreamr.service
└── README.md
install.sh Contents
#!/bin/bash
install -m 0755 logstreamr /usr/local/bin/logstreamr
mkdir -p /etc/logstreamr
cp logstreamr.yml.example /etc/logstreamr/logstreamr.yml
cp logstreamr.service /etc/systemd/system/logstreamr.service
systemctl daemon-reexec
systemctl enable --now logstreamr
Engineer-written README
LogStreamr
LogStreamr is a lightweight, pluggable log shipping agent written in Go. It forwards logs from local files to remote HTTP endpoints for aggregation and analysis.
Features
- Simple YAML-based config
- Native systemd integration
- Auto-detects containerized environments
- Designed for edge/VM deployments
- Small binary footprint
Quick Start
Install (Prebuilt)
Download the latest release from GitHub Releases, extract it, and run:
sudo ./install.sh
Source Repo File Structure
logstreamr/
├── cmd/
│ └── logstreamr/
│ └── main.go
├── internal/
│ ├── config/
│ │ └── parser.go
│ ├── agent/
│ │ ├── log_forwarder.go
│ │ └── detector.go
│ └── platform/
│ └── env_check.go
├── bin/ # (created after make build)
│ └── logstreamr
├── systemd/
│ └── logstreamr.service
├── examples/
│ └── logstreamr.yml
├── Makefile
├── go.mod
├── go.sum
├── README.md
Simulated Discussion
Hey, can you write a basic install guide and config reference for LogStreamr? It’s still early, so this would be our first pass at user-facing docs.
Here’s what you need to know to get started:
- We just released v0.1.0 to GitHub — binary builds for Linux x86_64
- You can download from the releases page or build from source with Go
- Config goes in /etc/logstreamr/logstreamr.yml by default
- It’s just a YAML file — very basic: log_files, output, auth_token
- It runs as a systemd service — install script handles that
- For now we only support HTTP output, gRPC is stubbed but not wired up
- The agent should log to stdout by default unless you override with a log_file path in the YAML
Good morning! I'd be glad to help you out with this! I'll start with the installation portion. To start, could you please clarify for me:
- What is the GitHub repo name so I can grab the URL?
- What are the minimum system requirements for running LogStreamr?
- Since the Linux builds are binary, I'm assuming they can be run on any major distribution. Can you validate this?
- Will there be an install.sh included with the binaries?
- Are there any dependencies that need to be installed prior to running the installer (if install.sh is included) or building the source and installing?
- I am also assuming that, to build the source from Go, it would require running "go build" in the extracted source directory, correct?
- Are there any interactive components to the install process, or will the installation aspect be fairly straightforward once an installer is run or the source is built, assuming all dependencies and requirements are met?
- Does the installation need to be run as root (sudo)?
Morning! Great questions — here's what I’ve got:
- Repo: https://github.com/streamstack/logstreamr (public)
- System requirements:
- Linux (x86_64)
- Kernel 3.10+
- systemd (for service setup)
- Go 1.20+ only if building from source
- Compatibility: Yeah, the binary should work on any modern distro — we've tested on Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11, RHEL 8+, and Arch.
- Install script: Yep, there’s an install.sh in the root of the tarball. It’s optional, but it does the setup.
- Dependencies:
- If you're just using the binary: none
- If you're building: just Go, plus make if you want to use the Makefile (optional)
- Building: You’re correct — go build works fine from the root. The binary will be ./logstreamr.
- Interactive stuff: Nope. The install script is non-interactive. It’ll just install, drop in a config, and enable the systemd unit.
- Permissions: Yes — needs to be run with sudo, since it writes to /usr/local/bin, /etc/, and sets up a systemd service.
Hey, I just got a chance to look at the logstreamr file structure. Just one quick clarification: I'm assuming that, if building from the logstreamr executable, one would have to manually take the steps outlined in the install.sh script. Is that correct?
Engineer — 11:14 AM
Yep, exactly. If someone builds from source (go build), they’ll just get the logstreamr binary in whatever directory they’re in.
- They’d need to manually:
- Copy it to /usr/local/bin
- Create /etc/logstreamr/
- Drop in a config file (they can use the example as a base)
- Optionally set up the systemd service using the logstreamr.service file
- Most folks will just use install.sh, but for devs or people doing custom setups, manual install is totally valid.
Perfect. You also mentioned a Makefile option. What would be the make command for that, and would the steps be the same after that as with Go, or would the differ?
Yeah, the Makefile is super basic — it’s mostly just a wrapper for go build.
You’d run:
make build
That just builds the binary into the ./bin/ directory:
bin/
└── logstreamr
After that, same exact steps as a manual go build:
- Copy it to /usr/local/bin
- Create /etc/logstreamr/
- Add a config
- Enable the systemd service if needed
The Makefile just exists to make the build path consistent for CI and testing.
Sounds good! One more thing, sorry for all of the questions, would 'go build' and/or 'make build' be run from the same tar-extracted logstreamr-v0.1.0-linux-x86_64 folder that contains install.sh, or would these commands be run from a different directory?
Not a dumb question at all — and yeah, this one trips people up sometimes.
You’d only use go build or make build if you’re cloning the source repo, not the release tarball.
The GitHub releases (the tar.gz files) contain precompiled binaries + install resources — no .go files in there.
If you want to build from source, you’d clone the repo like:
git clone https://github.com/streamstack/logstreamr.git
cd logstreamr
go build
or
make build
Gotcha, thanks! I'll take a look at that branch as well and let you know if I have any more questions.
Sounds good! Appreciate the attention to detail — this install doc's gonna be solid. Ping me if anything else comes up. 👌
This is what I have for the installation guide so far. Let me know what you think.
https://docs.jakebusse.net/portfolio/theorhetical/logstreamr/drafts/installation
Just read through it — this is clean. Seriously, great structure. It covers everything and makes both paths (basic vs. build-from-source) feel approachable.
A couple tiny things you might want to adjust:
- The tarball actually extracts to logstreamr-v0.1.0-linux-x86_64, so maybe tweak the cd step in the basic install.
- You could maybe toss in a quick logstreamr --version check at the end of each method just to confirm install worked. Not critical, but a nice touch.
- Love that you split out prereqs cleanly. That’s gonna help a lot of users avoid dumb errors.
Let me know when it’s live or if you want a second set of eyes on the config doc too. This is a killer first draft.
What would a successfull logstreamr --version printout look like? I know we're targeting v0.1.0, just want to know what other information may be included.
Yep — here's what it should spit out if the build tags were applied right:
logstreamr v0.1.0 (build 3e29f0a) linux/amd64
Built with Go 1.20.6 on 2024-04-15
The commit hash is optional but we include it by default in our Makefile. The build date and Go version are baked in too, assuming they’re using make build.
If they just do go build manually, they might just see:
logstreamr v0.1.0
No harm either way, it still verifies the install.
Okay. You may have noticed I left "make build" out of the installation guide, as it seems the intention was to guide users toward Go if building from source. I can certainly throw it in there if you'd like, just let me know.
Totally fine leaving it out — your call.
Most users building from source are probably devs or advanced users anyway, so they’ll be fine with go build. The Makefile’s mostly there for internal use, CI, and people who want consistency.
If you do include it, maybe just drop it in as a side note, like:
Alternatively, you can run make build to build the binary into /bin.
But yeah, I think you made the right call focusing on Go first.
Just to clarify, will the build tag and date be included with the basic install method (using install.sh)?
Yep — if they’re using the basic install method with the prebuilt binary, all that info will show up.
We embed the version, commit hash, Go version, and build date during CI when we create the release tarballs. So logstreamr --version from the binary in the .tar.gz will include all of it.
Only time it wouldn’t is if someone builds from source without the flags.
Perfect! One last thing before I finish up the install guide and move on to config. Are there any known install issues or troubleshooting steps I should include?
Appreciate you asking — this'll help cut down support questions later. Here are a few things that might trip people up:
Missing sudo: We’ve had a couple folks forget to run install.sh or cp commands with elevated permissions. Maybe call that out explicitly.
Old Go versions: If someone builds from source with Go less than 1.20, they might hit weird compile errors (we use generics in a couple spots).
SELinux: On RHEL systems with SELinux in enforcing mode, the binary might need chcon if it's not allowed to run from /usr/local/bin — but this is rare and probably edge-case for now.
Systemd issues:
If systemd isn’t installed (e.g. in some container images), the service setup will fail.
Also had someone try enabling the service before copying the unit file — maybe mention the order clearly.
Existing config folder: The install script won’t overwrite an existing /etc/logstreamr/ — could cause confusion if someone’s reinstalling.
That’s most of it. Nothing super critical, but good to throw in a short "Troubleshooting" section or even just a callout. Let me know if you want help writing one.
Great! I added that in. Let me know if there are any final touches you would like me to make:
https://docs.jakebusse.net/portfolio/theorhetical/logstreamr/installation
This is great! Honestly, I don’t have anything major to add