Overview
LogCentral's filtering feature helps you reduce storage costs by automatically dropping unwanted logs before they're stored in your system.
By setting up filter patterns, you can prevent noisy, repetitive, or unnecessary log entries from consuming your storage quota—keeping only the logs that matter most to your organization.
How to Access
Navigate to your location's details page to find the Filter Rules section. You'll need appropriate permissions to manage filtering rules for your location.
Main Features
Enable/Disable Filtering
Control whether your filter rules are active with a simple toggle.
When filtering is disabled, all logs are stored as usual.
When enabled, logs matching your patterns are dropped before storage.
Pattern Management
Add regex patterns that match the logs you want to drop. The system supports:
Up to 50 filter patterns per location
Maximum 500 characters per pattern
Regex pattern validation with error feedback
Easy pattern removal when rules are no longer needed
Example Pattern
One of our customers uses this pattern in their Cisco Meraki logs to filter noise:
(pattern:\\\\s*allow all|flows allow|ip_flow_end)
Test Your Patterns
Before committing to filter rules, test them against your actual log data:
Preview which logs would be matched and dropped
See sample log lines that match your patterns
Test against the last 7 days of log data
Validate that your regex patterns work as expected
Storage Savings Preview
Make informed decisions about filtering with detailed savings information:
Volume reduction percentage showing what portion of logs would be filtered
Bytes saved displaying the actual storage impact
Sample matches demonstrating which log entries will be dropped
This helps you understand the cost-benefit of each filter rule before enabling it.
Common Use Cases
Reduce Noise from Verbose Applications
Drop debug-level logs from chatty services that generate thousands of entries per minute but provide little value in production.
Filter Out Health Checks
Eliminate repetitive health check pings from load balancers that clutter your logs without adding operational insight.
Block Spam or Bot Traffic
Remove automated scanner logs or bot requests that don't represent real user activity.
Comply with Data Policies
Drop logs containing sensitive information that shouldn't be stored, helping you meet compliance requirements.
Focus on Critical Events
Filter out informational messages to keep only warnings, errors, and critical events that require attention.
Space Savings
The filtering system provides transparent visibility into your potential storage savings. By testing patterns against recent log data, you can see exactly how much volume would be reduced before enabling filters. This data-driven approach helps you:
Optimize storage costs without guessing
Identify the highest-impact filter patterns
Balance between log retention and cost efficiency
Make confident decisions about which logs to keep
Remember that filtered logs are dropped permanently—they won't be available for search or analysis later. Choose your filter patterns carefully to ensure you're not losing valuable diagnostic information.