---
name: logs-router-platform-logs-about
title: About platform logs
description: Selected IBM Cloud® services can generate logging data about their services. You can use the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service to collect the data and route it to an IBM Cloud Logs destination of your choice.
last-updated: 2026-04-28
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/logs-router?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# About platform logs
{: #about-platform-logs}

Selected IBM Cloud® services can generate logging data about their services. You can use the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service to collect the data and route it to an IBM Cloud Logs destination of your choice.
{: shortdesc}

For example, the following diagram shows the high level view when the destination is an IBM Cloud Logs instance:

![Flow of platform logs](/images/cloud-logs-platform-logs.png "Flow of platform logs"){: caption="Flow of platform logs" caption-side="bottom"}

Logs that are generated by IBM Cloud services are called *platform logs*.
{: note}

## IAM permissions for managing platform logs in the account
{: #about-platform-logs-iam}

To manage the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service in an account, you must have the `Manager` role for IBM Cloud Logs Routing.

To see what IAM roles are available for IBM Cloud Logs Routing, see [Managing IAM access](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/logs-router?topic=logs-router-iam&format=markdown).


## What platform logs are available
{: #about-platform-logs-collect}

Platform logs are generated by selected IBM Cloud services in your account.

For information on the services generating platform logs, see [IBM Cloud services that generate platform logs](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/logs-router?topic=logs-router-cloud_services&format=markdown).

To collect platform logs that are generated in a region where you operate in IBM Cloud, you must configure the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service in that region.
{: important}



## Where can you route platform logs
{: #about-platform-logs-route}

IBM Cloud Logs instances are supported destinations where the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service can route platform logs.

## Configuring the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service
{: #about-platform-logs-config}

To configure the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service, see [Configuring the IBM Cloud Logs Routing service to route platform logs to an IBM Cloud Logs instance](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/logs-router?topic=logs-router-target-cloud-logs&interface=ui&format=markdown).


## Fields that are included in platform logs
{: #about-platform-logs-2}

All platform logs are generated in JSON.

Platform logs include the following fields in addition to the log information:

`applicationName`
:   This field is set to `ibm-platform-logs`

`subsystemName`
:   This field is set to `CRNserviceName:instanceID` where CRNserviceName defines the IBM Cloud CRN service name. For more information, see [Metadata](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cloud-logs?topic=cloud-logs-metadata&format=markdown#md-sys-name).

`serviceName`
:   The [service name](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/account?topic=account-crn&format=markdown#service-name-crn) of the IBM Cloud service generating the log.

`logSourceCRN`
:   The [CRN](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/account?topic=account-crn&format=markdown) of the IBM Cloud service generating the log.

`saveServiceCopy`
:   A field indicating if the IBM Cloud service generating the log receives a copy of the log back from IBM Cloud Logs Routing.