Python code in external files

You can extend and customize AxoSyslog easily by writing destinations, parsers, template functions, and sources in Python.

Instead of writing Python code into your AxoSyslog configuration file, you can store the Python code for your Python object in an external file. That way, it is easier to write, maintain, and debug the code. You can store the Python code in any directory in your system, but make sure to include it in your Python path.

When referencing a Python class from an external file in the class() option of a Python block in the AxoSyslog configuration file, the class name must include the name of the Python file containing the class, without the path and the .py extension. For example, if the MyDestination class is available in the /etc/syslog-ng/etc/pythonexample.py file, use class("pythonexample.MyDestination"):

   destination d_python_to_file {
        python(
            class("pythonexample.MyDestination")
        );
    };
    log {
        source(src);
        destination(d_python_to_file);
    };

   log {
        source { python(class(PyNetworkSource) options("port" "8080") persist-name("<unique-string>); };
        source { python(class(PyNetworkSource) options("port" "8081")); };
    };

   from syslogng import LogSource
      class PyNetworSource(LogSource):
        @staticmethod
        def generate_persist_name(options):
            return options["port"]
        def run(self):
            pass
        def request_exit(self):
            pass

If you store the Python code in a separate Python file and only include it in the AxoSyslog configuration file, make sure that the PYTHONPATH environment variable includes the path to the Python file, and export the PYTHON_PATH environment variable. For example, if you start AxoSyslog manually from a terminal and you store your Python files in the /opt/syslog-ng/etc directory, use the following command: export PYTHONPATH=/opt/syslog-ng/etc.

In production, when AxoSyslog starts on boot, you must configure your startup script to include the Python path. The exact method depends on your operating system. For recent Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and CentOS distributions that use systemd, the systemctl command sources the /etc/sysconfig/syslog-ng file before starting AxoSyslog. (On openSUSE and SLES, /etc/sysconfig/syslog file.) Append the following line to the end of this file: PYTHONPATH="<path-to-your-python-file>", for example, PYTHONPATH="/opt/syslog-ng/etc".

To help debugging and troubleshooting your Python code, you can send log messages to the internal() source of AxoSyslog. For details, see Logging from your Python code.