Design and development of microservice-based audit logging system

Abstract

Keeping logs of actions performed by users can be an important part of a system. However, if a system consists of multiple different software components, keeping the logs in a central location, as opposed to each component having their own logs, could prove useful. As a solution, this thesis describes the design and implementation of a microservice based system for the use of collecting and managing these audit logs. While the system developed in this thesis could be used in any environment, it was specifically tested as a replacement for Minecraft server logging mods that log user actions on the server. The existing mods are implemented implemented directly into the game server with no officially supported ability to access data from outside sources, like other Minecraft servers with the same mod. This can be an issue when operating multiple game servers at once, as one has to login to a specific game server to access its logs. The system presented in this thesis solves this as the data for all connected game servers can be accessed from any game server, in addition to which there were notable improvements in, for example, the query speed in the tests performed. The work done in this thesis can benefit, for example, those who are interested in audit logging solutions, more specifically those who are looking to keep their audit logs in one, central, place.