Grepr Blog

With apologies to George Orwell. Not all Observability data is salient all the time, some data is required all the time but most data is only germane when investigating an issue.

Vector and Grepr both function as observability data pipelines, but they differ sharply in complexity and automation. Vector, an open-source tool sponsored by Datadog, is powerful and flexible but requires extensive manual configuration, domain-specific scripting (VRL), and careful infrastructure planning. In contrast, Grepr is a fully automated, AI-driven observability platform that dynamically manages thousands of data transformations without requiring custom coding. It reduces observability costs by up to 90%, stores all data in queryable formats like Apache Iceberg on AWS S3, and integrates seamlessly with tools like Datadog and Splunk. With Grepr, organizations can deploy in minutes instead of days—without the operational overhead.

Modern web applications are rich, dynamic, and heavily reliant on frontend frameworks like React and Vue, which makes browser-side logging essential for understanding both code execution and user behavior. The Datadog browser logs SDK allows developers to collect this data, but with high traffic, logging can become expensive due to Datadog’s volume-based pricing. Grepr solves this by acting as an intelligent intermediary: it receives all logs, stores them cost-effectively, and uses AI-powered filtering to reduce the volume sent to Datadog by 90%—without dropping any data. It aggregates and summarizes repetitive logs, maintains full fidelity through semantic understanding, and even retains query access to all original data via a dashboard using the same syntax as Datadog. This approach allows developers to maintain 100% insight with only 10% of the data volume and cost, enabling full visibility into user behavior and app performance without budget concerns.

This blog post shows how to reduce log volume by up to 90% by integrating New Relic with Grepr. Using a simple Docker-based microservices demo, we walk through configuring Fluent Bit to ship logs to New Relic, then show how easily Grepr can be inserted into the pipeline to intelligently filter out noise. The result is cleaner, more actionable log data, reduced observability spend, and no disruption to existing workflows. All raw data is retained in low-cost storage and can be backfilled on demand—helping teams stay in control of both their visibility and their budget.

Goldsky, a Web3 realtime data platform, partnered with Grepr to significantly reduce their log management costs while maintaining observability performance. Initially facing misalignment between logging spend and value, Goldsky deployed Grepr, led by Lead Engineer Paymahn Moghadasian, who quickly integrated it using Terraform and Datadog's dual-shipping feature. Over four weeks, they successfully filtered noisy logs and transitioned their production environment with zero disruption. The result: a 96% reduction in indexed logs, 93% less data ingested, and over 85% savings in Datadog costs—without any negative impact on Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR). Additional benefits included improved log readability, faster searches without rehydration, and white-glove support from Grepr.

Grepr and Cribl both offer data pipelines for observability, but they differ in complexity and approach. Cribl is a powerful, flexible platform requiring significant setup, ongoing management, and learning its custom query language. Grepr is the newer, simpler option, using AI to automate data filtering and reduce manual configuration by 90%. While Cribl offers more integrations, Grepr supports common sources, uses familiar query languages, and enables faster, lower-maintenance deployment. Cribl suits large enterprises with dedicated teams, while Grepr is ideal for organizations seeking a faster, more automated solution.

Grepr reduces observability costs by storing all data in low-cost storage and using machine learning to forward only unique or summarized insights to platforms like DataDog, Splunk, or New Relic. Engineers can query retained data, generate reports, power AI, or trigger dynamic backfill during incidents—automatically via webhooks or manually through the Grepr interface. To learn more or request a demo, visit grepr.ai.

Grepr is an intelligent observability pipeline that sits between your agents and observability platform to optimize, analyze, and route data in real time. By using machine learning and a rules engine, Grepr detects patterns in data streams, holds back noisy or repetitive information, and forwards only essential summaries or unique messages. With a simple configuration change, it integrates seamlessly into existing systems—helping teams cut observability costs by up to 90%, retain data long-term, and make observability insights available for business reporting and AI.

Everything we do at Grepr is around making sure we reduce costs with minimal impact to existing workflows. Grepr can automatically parse existing alerts in Datadog (Splunk and New Relic coming up in the next few weeks) and avoid modifying logs that power them. This way, you can roll out Grepr to prod without worrying about having to rewrite all your alerts.

In this video we highlight Grepr's ability to work with Splunk. We have Grepr receiving data from Splunk Heavy Forwarders using S2S. We configure Splunk to reduce the data and forward it to Splunk. Grepr massively compresses the logs passing through, but the logs are still in the Grepr data lake. They can be queried using SPL, and sent back to Splunk with a manual backfill if needed. You can also see this compressed data stream in Splunk, and if you want to see the raw data that corresponds to a summary message, you can use the embedded link in summary messages to quickly get to it.

Grepr uses machine learning to reduce log volume without losing visibility. It parses and structures logs in real time, groups similar messages, and applies smart sampling to cut noise. Critical logs still get through, and full raw data is stored separately for easy access during incidents—keeping your backend lean and your team in control.

Grepr’s Dynamic Backfill feature lets teams retain all log data at low cost while only sending essential logs to their main logging backend, cutting processing and storage costs by around 90%. Unlike traditional logging that risks missing key data before an incident is detected, Grepr stores everything in affordable storage and allows engineers to selectively backfill detailed logs when issues arise—like turning up log detail after the fact. This ensures engineers have full context for debugging, with no disruption to existing workflows, balancing deep visibility with major cost savings.