# Suboptimal storage for logs | Cloud Efficiency Hub Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-storage-for-logs-fd1d9 Many organizations retain all logs in Cloud Logging's standard storage, even when the data is rarely queried or required only for audit or compliance. By: Yuval Goldstein Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Suboptimal Storage for Logs The short version Many organizations retain all logs in Cloud Logging's standard storage, even when the data is rarely queried or required only for audit or compliance. Yuval Goldstein GCP service [GCP Cloud Logging](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/gcp-cloud-logging) Category [Other](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/other) Reference CER-0262 Type Suboptimal Tier or SKU ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. Log bucket cost comes mainly from the per-GiB storage charge applied when logs are written, which includes 30 days of retention; longer retention adds a per GiB-month charge. Routing rarely used logs to Cloud Storage (for example Coldline or Archive with lifecycle rules) can lower long-term cost, but only if the same logs are also excluded from the \_Default or other log buckets; otherwise both destinations are paid. BigQuery suits logs that need analysis rather than cheaper storage. Choosing the optimal storage destination based on access frequency and analytics needs is essential to control log retention costs. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. Log buckets charge per GiB of logs stored, which includes the first 30 days of retention, plus a per GiB-month charge for longer retention. Exported logs incur costs in the target service - Logging buckets (per GB ingested/stored) Cloud Storage (per GiB stored and retrieved), BigQuery (per GiB stored and queried), or Pub/Sub (per GiB). Selecting the wrong destination or storage class can lead to higher-than-necessary long-term costs. ## How to detect 3 checks to find it in your estate. - Review current log storage destinations and retention periods across projects and organizations - Identify logs stored in Cloud Logging buckets that have not been queried or accessed recently - Assess whether archival or analytical needs justify retention in Cloud Logging versus BigQuery or Cloud Storage ## How to fix 3 ways to remove the waste. - Redirect logs to cost-effective destinations such as Cloud Storage (Coldline or Archive with lifecycle rules for compliance retention) or BigQuery (for analytics) using sinks. - Add exclusion filters to the \_Default sink (or any other sink that writes to a log bucket) for logs routed elsewhere, so they are not also stored and charged in Cloud Logging - Use BigQuery partitioning and clustering to reduce query and storage costs for analytical log data ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Pricing cloud.google.com](https://cloud.google.com/products/observability/pricing) - [Cloud Storage Lifecycle Management cloud.google.com](https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/lifecycle) - [Route log entries docs.cloud.google.com](https://docs.cloud.google.com/logging/docs/routing/overview) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - GCP Cloud Logging CER-0253 ### [Resources Generating Excessive INFO Logs](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/resources-generating-excessive-info-logs-6c920) Some GCP services and workloads generate INFO-level logs at very high frequencies - for example, load balancers logging every HTTP request or GKE nodes logging system health messages. While valuable for debugging, these logs can flood... Other - GCP Cloud Logging CER-0245 ### [Logging Buckets in Non-Production Environments Storing Info Logs](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/logging-buckets-in-non-production-environments-storing-info-logs-1edcf) Non-production environments frequently generate INFO-level logs that capture expected system behavior or routine API calls. While useful for troubleshooting in development, they rarely need to be retained. Allowing all INFO logs to be... Other - GCP Cloud Logging CER-0241 ### [Duplicate Storage of Logs in Cloud Logging](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/duplicate-storage-of-logs-in-cloud-logging-bd625) Duplicate log storage occurs when multiple sinks capture the same log data - for example, organization-wide sinks exporting all logs to Cloud Storage and project-level sinks doing the same. This redundancy results in paying twice (or more)... Other --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.