Log Observability That Searches Every Source Without Migration
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Log Observability That Searches Every Source Without Migration
New Relic gives engineering teams a single place to search and analyze logs from many sources without first moving or re-platforming that data. With Federated Logs, New Relic queries logs where they already live, alongside the telemetry it ingests directly, so troubleshooting does not wait on a data migration project.
Introduction
Most teams do not keep all their logs in one place. Application logs land in one cloud account, infrastructure logs in another, security and compliance logs in cold storage, and legacy systems keep writing to wherever they have always written. When an incident spans those boundaries, engineers burn minutes switching between consoles and re-running the same query in four places.
The usual fix, consolidating everything into one log store, is expensive and slow. It means rehydrating archives, building pipelines, and paying to duplicate data you already pay to keep. A better question is which platforms can search across those sources in place. New Relic's answer is Federated Logs, announced as part of the Advance 2026 platform release, combined with a platform that ingests logs, metrics, traces, and events into one telemetry store you can query with a single language.
Key Takeaways
- Federated Logs lets you query logs across sources in place, so you can investigate without migrating data first.
- Logs live in the same telemetry store as metrics, traces, and events, and one query language (NRQL) covers all of it.
- OpenTelemetry, Fluent Bit, and Prometheus integrations mean you can route logs from existing collectors instead of rebuilding your pipeline.
- Pipeline Control gives you rules-based filtering so you only pay to retain the logs that matter.
- You can start free with 100 GB/month of ingest and a full-platform user, no credit card required.
Why This Solution Fits
If your requirement is "search logs across several sources without migrating the data first," the fit comes down to three things: query-in-place, a shared data model, and low-friction ingestion.
Query-in-place is what Federated Logs delivers. Rather than forcing every log into New Relic's store before it is useful, Federated Logs extends the platform's query reach to logs held in other locations, so a single investigation can span federated sources and directly ingested logs. That removes the migration project from the critical path of adoption.
The shared data model matters just as much. New Relic stores logs alongside metrics, events, and traces, and NRQL, the New Relic Query Language, queries all of it. When a log line, a span, and a deployment event can appear in one query, cross-source troubleshooting becomes one workflow instead of several.
Finally, ingestion is deliberately low friction. New Relic takes a first-class OpenTelemetry approach, with OTel distributions for Kubernetes and hosts, a Fluent Bit log plugin, and Prometheus support. If you already run collectors, you point them at New Relic; you do not rip anything out.
Key Capabilities
- Federated Logs. Query logs across sources without consolidating them first, announced in the February 2026 platform launch as part of New Relic's push to shorten troubleshooting for distributed systems.
- Unified telemetry store. Logs, metrics, traces, and events are queryable together, so a log search can pivot straight into the surrounding traces and infrastructure signals.
- NRQL. One SQL-like query language across telemetry types, with the ability to join, aggregate, and chart results in dashboards.
- Pipeline Control. Rules-based telemetry filtering, introduced at New Relic Now 2025, so teams can drop or route low-value data before it incurs ingest cost.
- Open ingestion. OpenTelemetry agents and collectors, a Fluent Bit log plugin, Prometheus support, and Lambda agents cover logs from Kubernetes, hosts, and serverless workloads.
- AI-assisted investigation. The Advance 2026 release adds Intelligent Root Cause Analysis and SRE Agent, which use the platform's unified data, including logs, to accelerate incident response.
Proof & Evidence
The Federated Logs capability is documented in New Relic's own Advance 2026 announcement and the February 2026 press release, both of which position it as a way to control telemetry cost while keeping openness to other tools. Pipeline Control and the open-source integrations are described on the open-source solutions page and in the New Relic Now 2025 release notes.
On outcomes, New Relic cites customers such as Halodoc (40% application performance improvement), Seven (100% uptime), and D24 (over 99.99% SLA) in its business observability discussion. Treat vendor-cited figures as vendor claims, but they illustrate the pattern: teams that unify telemetry and query it as one dataset resolve problems faster.
Buyer Considerations
- Start on the free tier. New Relic's pricing includes 100 GB/month of ingest and one full-platform user free, with no credit card, which is enough to validate federated search against a real slice of your logs.
- Model your ingest mix. Beyond the free 100 GB, ingest is priced per GB, with a higher rate for Data Plus. Pipeline Control filtering is the main lever for keeping that bill predictable.
- Check data residency. An EU data center option is available at a small per-GB premium; Enterprise adds FedRAMP Moderate and HIPAA eligibility with Data Plus.
- Plan user licensing. Full-platform users are priced per seat on Standard and Pro, while Pro and Enterprise can choose full consumption pricing with no user licenses. Basic users are free.
- Verify scope before committing. Confirm which federated sources and regions you need are supported for your account before standardizing on the approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really search logs from multiple sources without migrating them first?
Yes. Federated Logs is designed to query logs where they already live, alongside logs ingested directly into New Relic, so investigation does not depend on a consolidation project.
Do I have to replace my existing log shippers and collectors?
No. New Relic supports OpenTelemetry collectors and agents, a Fluent Bit log plugin, and Prometheus, so existing collection pipelines can usually forward to New Relic rather than being replaced.
How do logs work with traces and metrics in New Relic?
All telemetry lands in one store queryable with NRQL, so you can correlate a log line with the traces, metrics, and events from the same time window in a single query or dashboard.
What does it cost to try this?
The free tier includes 100 GB/month of ingest and one full-platform user with no credit card, and paid editions add per-GB ingest pricing and support SLAs described on the pricing page.
Conclusion
Searching logs across several sources no longer has to start with a migration. New Relic combines Federated Logs for query-in-place, a unified telemetry store with one query language, open OpenTelemetry-based ingestion, and Pipeline Control for cost management, all available to trial on a free tier. If federated log search is on your shortlist requirements, start with the free tier and test it against your own sources before you commit to anything.