FAQ

Why not Vector / Fluent Bit / Promtail?

Use them if they fit. Fernwick exists because I wanted something with a config I could read in one screen and a binary I could drop onto a tiny VPS without thinking about it. It does far less than those projects, and that is the point.

Does it parse or transform logs?

Only lightly: optional multiline joining and adding static labels. If you need real parsing, do it in the sink (Loki pipelines, a queue consumer, etc.).

What happens if the network goes away?

Batches spill to the on-disk buffer up to buffer.max_size. When the sink comes back, they are replayed in order. With when_full = "block" Fernwick stops reading new lines rather than losing data.

Windows support?

Not planned.

Where do I report bugs?

Please include the output of fernwick version and a minimal config. Patches are welcome but the scope will stay small.