Add custom time format to JSON and TEXT logging

charts/nginx-ingress/templates/_helpers.tpl

@@ -271,6 +271,7 @@ Build the args for the service binary.
 - -nginx-debug={{ .Values.controller.nginxDebug }}
 - -log-level={{ .Values.controller.logLevel }}
 - -log-format={{ .Values.controller.logFormat }}
+- -log-time-format={{ .Values.controller.logTimeFormat }}
 - -nginx-status={{ .Values.controller.nginxStatus.enable }}
 {{- if .Values.controller.nginxStatus.enable }}
 - -nginx-status-port={{ .Values.controller.nginxStatus.port }}

charts/nginx-ingress/values.yaml

@@ -164,6 +164,9 @@ controller:
   ## Sets the log format of Ingress Controller. Options include: glog, json, text
   logFormat: glog
 
+  ## Sets time format for logs. Allowed values: default, unix, unix-ms, unix-ns. Applies to json and text.
+  logTimeFormat: default
+
   ## Cache configuration options
   cache:
     ## Enables shared cache across multiple pods using an external persistent volume

charts/tests/__snapshots__/helmunit_test.snap

@@ -414,6 +414,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -881,6 +882,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -1416,6 +1418,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -1902,6 +1905,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -2482,6 +2486,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -2933,6 +2938,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -3370,6 +3376,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -3813,6 +3820,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -4256,6 +4264,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -4721,6 +4730,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -5166,6 +5176,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -5664,6 +5675,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -6122,6 +6134,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -6589,6 +6602,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -7066,6 +7080,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -7524,6 +7539,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -7982,6 +7998,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -8450,6 +8467,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -8961,6 +8979,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -9473,6 +9492,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1
@@ -9925,6 +9945,7 @@ spec:
           - -nginx-debug=false
           - -log-level=info
           - -log-format=glog
+          - -log-time-format=default
           - -nginx-status=true
           - -nginx-status-port=8080
           - -nginx-status-allow-cidrs=127.0.0.1

cmd/nginx-ingress/flags.go

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ const (
 	appProtectEnforcerAddrDefault = "127.0.0.1:50000"
 	logLevelDefault               = "info"
 	logFormatDefault              = "glog"
+	logTimeFormatDefault          = "default"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -223,6 +224,9 @@ var (
 	logLevel = flag.String("log-level", logLevelDefault,
 		`Sets log level for Ingress Controller. Allowed values: fatal, error, warning, info, debug, trace.`)
 
+	logTimeFormat = flag.String("log-time-format", logTimeFormatDefault,
+		`Sets time format for logs. Allowed values: default, unix, unix-ms, unix-ns.`)
+
 	enableDynamicWeightChangesReload = flag.Bool(dynamicWeightChangesParam, false, "Enable changing weights of split clients without reloading NGINX. Requires -nginx-plus")
 
 	startupCheckFn func() error
@@ -249,6 +253,11 @@ func initValidate(ctx context.Context) {
 		nl.Warnf(l, "Invalid log level: %s. Valid options are: trace, debug, info, warning, error, fatal. Falling back to default: %s", *logLevel, logLevelDefault)
 	}
 
+	logTimeFormatValidationError := validateLogTimeFormat(*logTimeFormat)
+	if logTimeFormatValidationError != nil {
+		nl.Warnf(l, "Invalid log time format: %s. Valid options are: default, unix, unix-ms, unix-ns. Falling back to default: %s", *logTimeFormat, logTimeFormatDefault)
+	}
+
 	if *enableLatencyMetrics && !*enablePrometheusMetrics {
 		nl.Warn(l, "enable-latency-metrics flag requires enable-prometheus-metrics, latency metrics will not be collected")
 		*enableLatencyMetrics = false
@@ -269,6 +278,10 @@ func initValidate(ctx context.Context) {
 		*mgmtConfigMap = ""
 	}
 
+	if strings.ToLower(*logFormat) == "glog" && strings.ToLower(*logTimeFormat) != "default" {
+		nl.Warnf(l, "log-time-format '%s' is ignored when using log-format 'glog'. Use log-format 'json' or 'text' to apply custom time formatting.", *logTimeFormat)
+	}
+
 	mustValidateInitialChecks(ctx)
 	mustValidateWatchedNamespaces(ctx)
 	mustValidateFlags(ctx)
@@ -485,6 +498,15 @@ func validateLogFormat(logFormat string) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("invalid log format: %v", logFormat)
 }
 
+// validateLogTimeFormat makes sure a given logTimeFormat is one of the allowed values
+func validateLogTimeFormat(timeFormat string) error {
+	switch strings.ToLower(timeFormat) {
+	case "default", "unix", "unix-ms", "unix-ns":
+		return nil
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("invalid log time format: %v", timeFormat)
+}
+
 // parseNginxStatusAllowCIDRs converts a comma separated CIDR/IP address string into an array of CIDR/IP addresses.
 // It returns an array of the valid CIDR/IP addresses or an error if given an invalid address.
 func parseNginxStatusAllowCIDRs(input string) (cidrs []string, err error) {

cmd/nginx-ingress/main.go

@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func main() {
 	commitHash, commitTime, dirtyBuild := getBuildInfo()
 	fmt.Printf("NGINX Ingress Controller Version=%v Commit=%v Date=%v DirtyState=%v Arch=%v/%v Go=%v\n", version, commitHash, commitTime, dirtyBuild, runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH, runtime.Version())
 	parseFlags()
-	ctx := initLogger(*logFormat, logLevels[*logLevel], os.Stdout)
+	ctx := initLogger(*logFormat, logLevels[*logLevel], *logTimeFormat, os.Stdout)
 	l := nl.LoggerFromContext(ctx)
 
 	initValidate(ctx)
@@ -1182,7 +1182,7 @@ func logEventAndExit(ctx context.Context, eventLog record.EventRecorder, obj pkg
 	nl.Fatal(l, err.Error())
 }
 
-func initLogger(logFormat string, level slog.Level, out io.Writer) context.Context {
+func initLogger(logFormat string, level slog.Level, timeFormat string, out io.Writer) context.Context {
 	programLevel := new(slog.LevelVar) // Info by default
 	var h slog.Handler
 
@@ -1197,6 +1197,36 @@ func initLogger(logFormat string, level slog.Level, out io.Writer) context.Conte
 					a.Value = slog.AnyValue(src)
 				}
 			}
+			// Handle custom timestamp formatting
+			if a.Key == slog.TimeKey {
+				if t, ok := a.Value.Any().(time.Time); ok {
+					switch timeFormat {
+					case "unix":
+						// Unix timestamp in seconds
+						return slog.Attr{
+							Key:   slog.TimeKey,
+							Value: slog.Int64Value(t.Unix()),
+						}
+					case "unix-ms":
+						// Unix timestamp with milliseconds
+						return slog.Attr{
+							Key:   slog.TimeKey,
+							Value: slog.Int64Value(t.UnixMilli()),
+						}
+					case "unix-ns":
+						// Unix timestamp with nanoseconds
+						return slog.Attr{
+							Key:   slog.TimeKey,
+							Value: slog.Int64Value(t.UnixNano()),
+						}
+					case "default":
+						fallthrough
+					default:
+						// Default timestamp format (keep original time key and format eg. RFC3339)
+						return a
+					}
+				}
+			}
 			return a
 		},
 	}

cmd/nginx-ingress/main_test.go

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ func TestLogFormats(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tc := range testCases {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			var buf bytes.Buffer
-			ctx := initLogger(tc.format, levels.LevelInfo, &buf)
+			ctx := initLogger(tc.format, levels.LevelInfo, "default", &buf)
 			l := nl.LoggerFromContext(ctx)
 			l.Log(ctx, levels.LevelInfo, "test")
 			got := buf.String()
@@ -61,6 +61,80 @@ func TestLogFormats(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestLogTimeFormats(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name       string
+		logFormat  string
+		timeFormat string
+		wantre     string
+	}{
+		// JSON format tests
+		{
+			name:       "json default time format",
+			logFormat:  "json",
+			timeFormat: "default",
+			wantre:     `^{"time":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}.\d+.*","level":"INFO","source":\{"file":"[^"]+\.go","line":\d+\},"msg":".*}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "json unix time format",
+			logFormat:  "json",
+			timeFormat: "unix",
+			wantre:     `^{"time":\d{10},"level":"INFO","source":\{"file":"[^"]+\.go","line":\d+\},"msg":".*}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "json unix-ms time format",
+			logFormat:  "json",
+			timeFormat: "unix-ms",
+			wantre:     `^{"time":\d{13},"level":"INFO","source":\{"file":"[^"]+\.go","line":\d+\},"msg":".*}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "json unix-ns time format",
+			logFormat:  "json",
+			timeFormat: "unix-ns",
+			wantre:     `^{"time":\d{19},"level":"INFO","source":\{"file":"[^"]+\.go","line":\d+\},"msg":".*}`,
+		},
+		// TEXT format tests
+		{
+			name:       "text default time format",
+			logFormat:  "text",
+			timeFormat: "default",
+			wantre:     `^time=\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}.\d+.*level=\w+\ssource=[^:]+\.go:\d+\smsg=\w+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "text unix time format",
+			logFormat:  "text",
+			timeFormat: "unix",
+			wantre:     `^time=\d{10}\slevel=\w+\ssource=[^:]+\.go:\d+\smsg=\w+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "text unix-ms time format",
+			logFormat:  "text",
+			timeFormat: "unix-ms",
+			wantre:     `^time=\d{13}\slevel=\w+\ssource=[^:]+\.go:\d+\smsg=\w+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "text unix-ns time format",
+			logFormat:  "text",
+			timeFormat: "unix-ns",
+			wantre:     `^time=\d{19}\slevel=\w+\ssource=[^:]+\.go:\d+\smsg=\w+`,
+		},
+	}
+	t.Parallel()
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			var buf bytes.Buffer
+			ctx := initLogger(tc.logFormat, levels.LevelInfo, tc.timeFormat, &buf)
+			l := nl.LoggerFromContext(ctx)
+			l.Log(ctx, levels.LevelInfo, "test")
+			got := buf.String()
+			re := regexp.MustCompile(tc.wantre)
+			if !re.MatchString(got) {
+				t.Errorf("\ngot:\n%q\nwant regex:\n%q", got, tc.wantre)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestK8sVersionValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := []struct {
 		name        string