> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gcore.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Configure logging and view logs
This guide describes how to set up Managed Logging, connect a log shipper, and view logs in OpenSearch Dashboards.
1\. Select the region under the project name. This is the location of the data center for deploying log storage.
Logging may be unavailable in some regions. Choose the region that is geographically closest to the equipment.
2\. In the **Cloud** menu, navigate to **Managed Logging** and click **Set up Managed Logging**. A "Create namespace" dialog appears.
A *namespace* is a prefix applied to all topic names in the region. Previously, Managed Logging automatically generated a non-human-readable namespace string (e.g., `cbc25c71af8d4f7ca6cbbcdc5a4d68fe`). Human-readable namespaces are now supported (e.g., `namespace123`), which produces topic names such as `namespace123.your-topic`.
A human-readable namespace can only be created for a new project that does not already have a default namespace assigned. Once created, the namespace name cannot be changed.
To create a namespace, input the namespace name according to the following restrictions:
* Lowercase Latin letters and digits can be used
* Underscore and spaces are prohibited
* Length is between 2–32
* The name must be unique for the destination region. If it is already used, the system will suggest a different name.
Click **Create**.
3\. In the **Topics** section, click **Create topic**, name it, and click **Save**. An index pattern is created for the topic in OpenSearch Dashboards with "@timestamp" as the default time field.
4\. Click **Generate credentials** in the upper-right corner to get a login and password for the storage. Save the credentials immediately — they cannot be retrieved after closing the window.
These credentials are used to connect log delivery systems to the topic for log export.
If the credentials are lost, click **Generate credentials** again to generate a new pair. Update the credentials in the settings of the installed log shippers.
If Managed Logging is used in multiple regions (Step 2), a new storage is created in each region, and unique credentials must be generated for each one.
5\. Select a log shipper (e.g. [Fluent Bit](/cloud/logging-as-a-service/install-a-log-shipper/install-and-configure-fluent-bit), [Filebeat](/cloud/logging-as-a-service/install-a-log-shipper/install-and-configure-filebeat), or [Logstash](/cloud/logging-as-a-service/install-a-log-shipper/install-and-configure-logstash)) that supports Kafka output.
Configure the log shipper with the Kafka endpoints, credentials generated at Step 4, and target topic name `.`. The recommended default time field is "@timestamp". To use a different time field, delete the pre-created index pattern and create a new one with the desired time field.
Log message size is max 1 MB in text/JSON format, limited to 225 fields. After the log shipper is configured, logs flow automatically from the device to the Kafka topic, and then to OpenSearch for indexing — no additional steps are required.
6\. Go to the OpenSearch Dashboards by using the URL specified on the Logging page.
To log in, use the credentials generated at Step 4.
7\. If the time field was set to "@timestamp" at Step 5, the pre-created pattern appears on the dashboard. The setup is complete — proceed to Step 11.
If a different time field was selected, delete the pre-created index pattern first and then create a new one. To do this, click **Manage** on the home page → **Index Patterns**.
8\. Click **Create an index pattern** at the bottom of the screen.
On the OpenSearch server, logs are linked to the personal index, which has the same name as the topic. By creating an index pattern, a filter is set up that helps OpenSearch Dashboards display logs with the required index.
9\. In the **index-pattern** field, enter the username from the credentials generated at Step 4. Then, add a dot (.) and the name of the topic created at Step 3, followed by an asterisk (\*).
For example, if the namespace is "5361abe12401476388fab78460deed9a" and the topic is named "exampletopic", enter "5361abe12401476388fab78460deed9a.exampletopic\*" in the field. Click **Next step** to proceed.
10\. Select the date and time format from the dropdown list, and click **Create index pattern** to make logs accessible in OpenSearch Dashboards. The pattern is saved and does not need to be set up again on subsequent logins.
11\. Setup is complete. To view logs, go to the main menu and select **Discover**.
