Audit logging in Apache Airflow - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to enable audit logging in Airflow's configuration file.

Apache Airflow

[logging]
audit_log_enabled = [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AFalse

BTrue

CNone

DAuto

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Setting audit_log_enabled to False disables audit logging.

Setting audit_log_enabled to True turns on audit logging in Airflow.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to specify the audit log file path in Airflow's configuration.

Apache Airflow

[logging]
audit_log_file = [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A/var/log/airflow/audit.log

B/home/user/airflow/dags

C/etc/airflow/airflow.cfg

D/tmp/airflow.log

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the DAGs folder or config file path as log file path.

The audit log file should be a dedicated log file like /var/log/airflow/audit.log to store audit events.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the Airflow audit logging configuration line.

Apache Airflow

[logging]
audit_log_level = [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AINFO

BERRORS

CDEBUG

DWARN

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using non-standard log levels like ERRORS or WARN.

The correct log level for audit logging is INFO. ERRORS is not a valid log level.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure audit logging format and enable it.

Apache Airflow

[logging]
audit_log_format = "[1]"
audit_log_enabled = [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A%(asctime)s - %(user)s - %(action)s

BFalse

CTrue

D%(levelname)s - %(message)s

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using generic log formats or disabling audit logging.

The audit log format should include timestamp, user, and action. Audit logging must be enabled with True.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a Python snippet that logs an audit event in Airflow.

Apache Airflow

from airflow.utils.log.logging_mixin import LoggingMixin
logger = LoggingMixin().log

def log_audit_event(user, action):
    logger.[1](f"User: [2], Action: [3]")

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ainfo

Buser

Caction

Ddebug

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using debug level instead of info.

Not using the correct variable names.

Use info method to log audit events at info level. The variables user and action hold the event details.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of audit logging in Apache Airflow?

easy

A. To speed up task execution

B. To manage Airflow plugins

C. To store DAG definitions

D. To record user actions for security and troubleshooting

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand audit logging concept

   Audit logging is designed to keep track of user actions and system events.

2. Step 2: Identify its purpose in Airflow

   This helps with security monitoring and troubleshooting issues by reviewing what happened.

3. Final Answer:

   To record user actions for security and troubleshooting -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Audit logging = record user actions [OK]

Hint: Audit logs track user actions for security [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing audit logs with performance logs
• Thinking audit logs store DAG code
• Assuming audit logs speed up tasks

2. Which section in airflow.cfg should you modify to enable audit logging?

easy

A. [core]

B. [logging]

C. [scheduler]

D. [webserver]

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate airflow.cfg configuration file

   This file contains sections for different Airflow components.

2. Step 2: Identify the section for logging settings

   The [logging] section controls log-related configurations including audit logging.

3. Final Answer:

   [logging] -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Audit logging config is under [logging] [OK]

Hint: Audit logging is set in [logging] section [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing [core] which is for general settings
• Selecting [scheduler] which controls scheduling
• Picking [webserver] which manages UI settings

3. Given this snippet from airflow.cfg:

[logging]
audit_log_enabled = True
audit_log_location = /var/log/airflow/audit.log

What will happen when a user triggers a DAG run?

medium

A. User action will be recorded in /var/log/airflow/audit.log

B. DAG will fail to start due to missing audit log

C. No audit log will be created because audit_log_enabled is False

D. Audit logs will be stored in the default Airflow logs folder

Solution

1. Step 1: Check audit_log_enabled value

   It is set to True, so audit logging is active.

2. Step 2: Check audit_log_location setting

   Logs will be saved to /var/log/airflow/audit.log as specified.

3. Final Answer:

   User action will be recorded in /var/log/airflow/audit.log -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Enabled True + location set = logs saved there [OK]

Hint: Enabled True means logs go to specified location [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming logs go to default folder ignoring config
• Thinking audit_log_enabled is False
• Believing DAG fails without audit log

4. You enabled audit logging but no logs appear in the specified file. Which is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Airflow scheduler is not running

B. audit_log_enabled is set to False

C. The audit_log_location path is incorrect or lacks write permission

D. DAGs are not defined properly

Solution

1. Step 1: Verify audit_log_enabled setting

   If it was False, no logs would be created, but question states it is enabled.

2. Step 2: Check file path and permissions

   If the path is wrong or Airflow lacks permission to write, logs won't appear.

3. Final Answer:

   The audit_log_location path is incorrect or lacks write permission -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Wrong path or no write permission blocks logs [OK]

Hint: Check file path and permissions first [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming scheduler not running causes no audit logs
• Blaming DAG definitions for audit logging issues
• Ignoring file system permissions

5. You want to ensure audit logs do not fill up disk space. Which approach is best to manage audit logging in Airflow?

hard

A. Configure log rotation on the audit_log_location file

B. Disable audit logging completely

C. Store audit logs in the Airflow database

D. Manually delete audit logs daily

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand audit log growth risk

   Audit logs can grow large and fill disk space if unmanaged.

2. Step 2: Choose best management method

   Configuring log rotation automatically archives and deletes old logs safely.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   Disabling logs loses audit trail; storing in DB is not default; manual deletion is error-prone.

4. Final Answer:

   Configure log rotation on the audit_log_location file -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Log rotation prevents disk full from audit logs [OK]

Hint: Use log rotation to manage audit log size [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Disabling audit logs instead of managing size
• Relying on manual deletion which is unreliable
• Assuming database storage is default or better