## Chapter 6: Filter chains

Authors: Ceki Gülcü, Sébastien Pennec

| Copyright © 2000-2006, QOS.ch This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License .

As we have seen, logback has several built-in ways for filtering log requests, including the context-wide filter, logger-level selection rule and appender filters. These provide high performance filtering for the most commonly encountered cases. These filters are largely inspired from Linux ipchains or iptables as they are called in more recent Linux kernels. Logback filters are based on ternary logic allowing them to be assembled or chained together to compose an arbitrarily complex filtering policy.

In order to run the examples in this chapter, you need to make sure that certain jar files are present on the classpath. Please refer to the setup page for further details.

There are two main types of filters, namely `Filter` and `TurboFilter`.

## Logback Classic

`Filter` objects all implement the `Filter` abscract class. The `decide(Object event)` method is passed a newly created `LoggingEvent` object.

### Filter chains

This abstract class assumes that filters be organized in a linear chain. Its member field next points to the next filter in the chain, or `null` if there are no further filters in the chain. Figure 6.1 depicts a sample filter chain consisting of three filters.

A sample filter chain

Filters are based on ternary logic. The `decide(Object event)` method of each filter is called in sequence. This method returns one of the enumerations `FilterReply.DENY`, `FilterReply.NEUTRAL` or `FilterReply.ACCEPT`. If the returned value is `FilterReply.DENY`, then the log event is dropped immediately without consulting the remaining filters. If the value returned is `FilterReply.NEUTRAL`, then the next filter in the chain is consulted. If there are no further filters to consult, then the logging event is processed normally. If the returned value is `FilterReply.ACCEPT`, then the logging event is processed immediately skipping the remaining filters.

In logback-classic, `Filter` objects can only be added to `Appender` instances. By adding filters to an appender you can filter events by various criteria, such as the contents of the log message, the contents of the MDC, the time of day or any other part of the logging event.

### Implementing your own Filter

Creating your own filter is not difficult. All you have to do is extend the `Filter` abstract class. The only method that you will have to implement is the `decide()` method, allowing you to contentrate only on the behaviour of your filter.

The next class is all it takes to implement one's own filter. All it does is accept logging events who's message contains the String sample. The filter will give a neutral response to any logging event who's message does not contain this String.

Example 6.1: Basic custom filter (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/SampleFilter.java)

    package chapter6;

    import ch.qos.logback.classic.spi.LoggingEvent;
    import ch.qos.logback.core.filter.Filter;
    import ch.qos.logback.core.spi.FilterReply;

    public class SampleFilter extends Filter {

      @Override
      public FilterReply decide(Object eventObject) {
        LoggingEvent event = (LoggingEvent)eventObject;

        if (event.getMessage().contains("sample")) {
          return FilterReply.ACCEPT;
        } else {
          return FilterReply.NEUTRAL;
        }
      }
    }

What is shown above might be the simplest filter. Like any filter, it can be attached to any appender using the <Filter> element, as shown below:

Example 6.2: SampleFilter configuration (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/SampleFilterConfig.xml)

    <configuration>
      <appender name="STDOUT"
        class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <Filter class="chapter6.SampleFilter" />

        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout">
          <pattern>
            %-4relative [%thread] %-5level %logger - %msg%n
          </pattern>
        </layout>
      </appender>

      <root>
        <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
      </root>
    </configuration>

Thanks to Joran, logback's powerful configuration framework, adding an option to such a filter is very easy. Just add the corresponding getter and setter methods in the class, and you can specify the option's value in an xml element, nested within the filter element.

In case you want to implement a filter that provides different behaviour depending on the result of its test (say, a filter that would accept or deny an event depending on the content of its message), you can extend the `AbstractMatcherFilter` class. It will provide your filter with two attribute: OnMatch and OnMismatch, that can be configured like any other option.

### Logback Filters

As the moment, there is one filter that ships with logback. This is the most commonly used filter: `LevelFilter`. It provides event filtering based on a `Level` value. It the event's level is equal or higher than the configured level, the filter accepts of denies the event, depending on its configuration. Here is a sample configuration that uses `LevelFilter`.

Example 6.3: SampleFilter configuration (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/LevelFilterConfig.xml)

    <configuration>
      <appender name="CONSOLE"
        class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <filter class="ch.qos.logback.classic.filter.LevelFilter">
          <level>INFO</level>
          <onMatch>ACCEPT</onMatch>
          <onMismatch>DENY</onMismatch>
        </filter>
        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout">
          <pattern>
            %-4relative [%thread] %-5level %logger{30} - %msg%n
          </pattern>
        </layout>
      </appender>
      <root>
        <level value="DEBUG" />
        <appender-ref ref="CONSOLE" />
      </root>
    </configuration>

### Evaluator Filters

A special category of filters ships with logback. The `EvaluatorFilter` objects use an `EventEvaluator` to decide wether to accept or deny the request. This allows unprecedented flexibility in the way that you can affect the logging event's filtering.

Creating a customized filter that makes use of `EventEvaluator` objects works the same way as seen previously, except that one must extend the `EvaluatorFilter` class, instead of the `Filter` or `AbstractMatcherFilter` classes.

### Event Evaluators

Events evaluators allow the user to enter java expressions, using components of a logging event, and to check each logging event against the compiled expression.

Let's see a sample configuration.

Example 6.4: Basic event evaluator usage (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/basicEventEvaluator.xml)

    <configuration>

      <appender name="STDOUT"
        class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <filter class="ch.qos.logback.core.filter.EvaluatorFilter">
          <evaluator name="myEval">
            <expression>message.contains("important")</expression>
          </evaluator>
          <OnMismatch>NEUTRAL</OnMismatch>
          <OnMatch>ACCEPT</OnMatch>
        </filter>
        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout">
          <pattern>
            %-4relative [%thread] %-5level %logger - %msg%n
          </pattern>
        </layout>
      </appender>

      <root>
        <level value="INFO" />
        <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
      </root>
    </configuration>

The bold part in the previous configuration adds an `EvaluatorFilter` to a `ConsoleAppender`. An `EventEvaluator` is then given to the filter. The expression element contains a recognizable java expression. Notice that the message variable is defined implicitly. Logback provides access to the internal components of a logging event and lets the user build her expression at will.

The implicit variables available to the `EventEvaluator` are described below:

Name | Type | Description
--- | --- | ---
event | `LoggingEvent` | The logging event associated with the logging request. All of the following variables are also available from the event. For example, `event.getMessage()` returns the same String value as the message variable.
message | `String` | The message created with the logging request.
logger | `LoggerRemoteView` | This object can be treated like a usual logger. In case the logging event is serialized and sent to a remote machine, the usual logger object is dropped and replaced by a `LoggerRemoteView` object, which performs much better when serialized.
level | `int` | The int value corresponding to the level. To help create easily expressions involving levels, the default value DEBUG, INFO, WARN and ERROR are also available. Thus, using level > INFO is a correct expression.
timeStamp | `long` | The timestamp corresponding to the logging event's creation.
marker | `Marker` | The `Marker` object associated with the logging request.
mdc | `Map` | A map containing all the MDC values at the time of the creation of the logging event. A value can be access by using the following expression: mdc.get("myKey").
throwable | `Throwable` | The exception that was passed to the logger when it was requested.

The behaviour of the filter is also defined by its OnMatch and OnMismatch options. The configuration specifies thanks to these elements the replies that the `EvaluatorFilter` must give once its expression has been evaluated. The example above returns the value `FilterReply.ACCEPT` when the message of the logging event contains the String important. If important is not contained in the message, then the filter lets the next filter evaluate this logging event.

### TurboFilters

`TurboFilter` objects all extend the `TurboFilter` abstract class. Like the usual filters, they use ternary logic to return their evaluation of the logging event.

Overall, they work much like the previously mentionned filters. However, there are two main differences between `Filter` and `TurboFilter` objects.

`TurboFilter` objects are tied to the logging context. Hence, they are called not only when a given appender is used, but each and every time a logging request is issued. Their scope is wider than appender-attached filters.

More importantly, they are called before the `LoggingEvent` object creation. Their decision is made based on some of the logging event's components. They require no logging event instanciation, nor any other treatement to provide their filtering functionnalities. They are much more performant than the usual `Filter` objects.

### Implementing your own TurboFilter

To create your own `TurboFilter` component, just extend the `TurboFilter` abstract class. As previously, when implementing a custumized filter object, developing a custom `TurboFilter` only ask that one implement the `decide()` method. In the next example, we create a slightly more complex filter:

Example 6.5: Basic custom `TurboFilter` (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/SampleTurboFilter.java)

    package chapter6;

    import org.slf4j.Marker;
    import org.slf4j.MarkerFactory;

    import ch.qos.logback.classic.Level;
    import ch.qos.logback.classic.Logger;
    import ch.qos.logback.classic.turbo.TurboFilter;
    import ch.qos.logback.core.spi.FilterReply;

    public class SampleTurboFilter extends TurboFilter {

      String marker;
      Marker markerToAccept;

      @Override
      public FilterReply decide(Marker marker, Logger logger, Level level,
          String format, Object[] params, Throwable t) {

        if (!isStarted()) {
          return FilterReply.NEUTRAL;
        }

        if ((markerToAccept.equals(marker))) {
          return FilterReply.ACCEPT;
        } else {
          return FilterReply.NEUTRAL;
        }
      }

      public String getMarker() {
        return marker;
      }

      public void setMarker(String markerStr) {
        this.marker = markerStr;
      }

      @Override
      public void start() {
        if (marker != null && marker.trim().length() > 0) {
          markerToAccept = MarkerFactory.getMarker(marker);
          super.start();
        }
      }
    }

The `TurboFilter` above accepts events that contain a specific marker. If said marker is not found, then the filter passes the responsability to the next filter in the chain.

To allow more flexibility, the marker that will be tested can be specified in the configuration file. Hence the getter and setter methods. We also implemented the `start()` method, to check that the option has been specified during the configuration process.

Here is a sample configuration that makes use of the newly created `TurboFilter`.

Example 6.6: Basic custom `TurboFilter` configuration (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/sampleTurboFilterConfig.xml)

    <configuration>
      <turboFilter class="chapter6.SampleTurboFilter">
        <Marker>sample</Marker>
      </turboFilter>

      <appender name="STDOUT"
        class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout">
          <pattern>
            %-4relative [%thread] %-5level %logger - %msg%n
          </pattern>
        </layout>
      </appender>

      <root>
        <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
      </root>
    </configuration>

Logback classic ships with several `TurboFilter` classes ready for use. The `MDCFilter` check the presence of a given value in the MDC. On the other hand, `MarkerFilter` checks for the presence of a specific marker associated with the logging request.

Here is a sample configuration, using both `MDCFilter` and `MarkerFilter`.

Example 6.7: `MDCFilter` and `MarkerFilter` configuration (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/turboFilters.xml)

    <configuration>

      <turboFilter class="ch.qos.logback.classic.turbo.MDCFilter">
        <MDCKey>username</MDCKey>
        <Value>sebastien</Value>
        <OnMatch>ACCEPT</OnMatch>
      </turboFilter>

      <turboFilter class="ch.qos.logback.classic.turbo.MarkerFilter">
        <Marker>billing</Marker>
        <OnMatch>DENY</OnMatch>
      </turboFilter>

      <appender name="console" class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.classic.PatternLayout">
          <Pattern>%date [%thread] %-5level %logger - %msg%n</Pattern>
      </layout>
      </appender>

      <root>
        <level value="info"/>
        <appender-ref ref="console" />
      </root>
    </configuration>

You can see this configuration in action by issuing the following command:

    java chapter6.FilterEvents src/main/java/chapter6/turboFilters.xml

The `FilterEvents` class creates 10 logging requests, each with its number from 0 to 9. All of the requests are of level INFO, just like the configured overall level, except for two requests. The 3rd request, is a DEBUG level corresponding to the key username. This obviously satisfies the first `TurboFilter` declared in the previous configuration file. The 6th request, a ERROR level request, which is issued along with the billing marker, matches the second `TurboFilter`.

Here is the output of the previous command:

    2006-12-04 15:17:22,859 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 0
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 1
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 2
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] DEBUG chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 3
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 4
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 5
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 7
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 8
    2006-12-04 15:17:22,875 [main] INFO  chapter6.FilterEvents - logging statement 9

One can see that the 3rd request, who should not be displayed if we only followed the overall INFO level, appears anyway, because it matched the first `TurboFilter` requirements and was accepted.

On the other hand, the 6th request, that is a ERROR level request should have been displayed. But it satisfied the second `TurboFilter` whose OnMatch option is set to DENY. Thus, the 6th request was not displayed.

## Logback Access

Logback access benefits from most of the possibilities available to the classic module. `Filter` objects are available and work in the same way as their classic counterpart. They handle access' implementation of logging events: `AccessEvent`. Thus, a customized filter for logback access is follows strictly the same rules than one for the classic module, except for the event implemenation recieved as a parameter. On the other hand, `TurboFilter` objects are not available to the access module.

### Filters

`EvaluatorFilter` objects, with their expressions, are available to the access module. However, the variables that one can use to build an expression are different. Only the `AccessEvent` object can be used, by inserting the event variable in the expression. Although less wide than its classic counterpart, the access evaluation filter is just as powerfull. All the request and response components are reachable from the event variable.

Here is a sample configuration that will ensure that any 404 error will be displayed:

Example 6.8: Access Evaluator (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/accessEventEvaluator.xml)

    <configuration>

      <appender name="STDOUT"
        class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <filter class="ch.qos.logback.core.filter.EvaluatorFilter">
          <evaluator name="myEval">
            <expression>event.getStatusCode() == 404</expression>
          </evaluator>
          <OnMismatch>NEUTRAL</OnMismatch>
          <OnMatch>ACCEPT</OnMatch>
        </filter>
        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.access.PatternLayout">
          <pattern>
            %h %l %u %t %r %s %b
          </pattern>
        </layout>
      </appender>

      <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
    </configuration>

We might imagine a slightly more complex use of filters to ensure the display of 404 errors, but to prevent polluting the output with endless accesses to CSS files. Here is what such a configuration would look like:

Example 6.9: Access Evaluator (logback-examples/src/main/java/chapter6/accessEventEvaluator2.xml)

    <configuration>

      <appender name="STDOUT"
        class="ch.qos.logback.core.ConsoleAppender">
        <filter class="ch.qos.logback.core.filter.EvaluatorFilter">
          <evaluator name="Eval404">
            <expression>event.getStatusCode() == 404</expression>
          </evaluator>
          <OnMismatch>NEUTRAL</OnMismatch>
          <OnMatch>ACCEPT</OnMatch>
        </filter>
        <filter class="ch.qos.logback.core.filter.EvaluatorFilter">
          <evaluator name="EvalCSS">
            <expression>event.getRequestURI().contains("css")</expression>
          </evaluator>
          <OnMismatch>NEUTRAL</OnMismatch>
          <OnMatch>DENY</OnMatch>
        </filter>
        <layout class="ch.qos.logback.access.PatternLayout">
          <pattern>
            %h %l %u %t %r %s %b
          </pattern>
        </layout>
      </appender>

      <appender-ref ref="STDOUT" />
    </configuration>