C++ library for log parsing [closed]

Question

Is there any C++ library specifically for log parsing (helping recognize multiline events)? Like MergeLog for Apache logs or libcurl for web parsing?

Answer 1

Unless you stumble upon a suitable library, my advice would be to use a standalone lexer.

• Instead of flex + bison, use flex alone (C/C++).
• Instead of ocamllex + ocamlyacc, use ocamllex alone (OCaml).
• Ragel (C/C++/Objective C/D/Java/Ruby).

This way you avoid having to define a grammar (which is kind of pointless for log files anyway) and you avoid the dreaded frankenstein-regex-monster sometimes seen in dark places.

Answer 2

I'm not aware of any log parsing libraries. You could always use a general-purpose parser generator, like Boost.Spirit, ANTLR, or lex / yacc; that approach would probably be more work, but it's extremely flexible.

If a parser generator is overkill, then I'd just throw a lot of regexes at the logfiles.