What is a data connector or log collector?¶

A connector or collector retrieves, receives or forwards events from a source into another platform. Its configuration and health determine which records reach the destination and when.

Collection is an active pipeline stage¶

Collectors can read files, subscribe to streams, receive messages or call APIs. They may select event types, batch, compress, convert or add metadata. Permissions, filters, rate limits, outages and storage affect coverage; buffering and retries affect delay and order.

Preserve pipeline evidence¶

Identify source, collector, method, destination, event configuration, permission and delivery guarantees. Obtain health, queue, error and retry records where gaps matter and establish local-buffer retention.

Record version and configuration changes because updates can alter mappings or coverage during the relevant period.