Consul can emit access logs to record application connections and requests that pass through proxies in a service mesh, including sidecar proxies and gateways. When you enable access logs in your proxy defaults, you can use it to diagnose and troubleshoot network issues, detect threats to your network, and audit traffic for security compliance.

You can also [configure the OpenTelemetry Envoy extension](/consul/docs/envoy-extension/otel-access-logging) to capture and stream access logs. Refer to [access logs](/consul/docs/observe/access-log) for more information on enabling access logs in Consul.