In short. Vercel retains runtime logs for one hour on Hobby, one day on Pro, or three days on Enterprise, with 30 days available through Observability Plus.
Definition: Runtime logs record activity from Vercel Function invocations. Their availability depends on the Vercel plan and whether Observability Plus, Vercel's extended observability option, is enabled.
Key facts
- As of October 2026, Vercel's Runtime Logs documentation lists retention of one hour for Hobby, one day for Pro, and three days for Enterprise.
- Vercel's Observability Plus documentation specifies 30 days of runtime logs, with a maximum selection window of 14 consecutive days.
- Vercel's Drains documentation describes forwarding logs to external services for persistent storage. Drains are available on Pro and Enterprise plans.
What retention does each plan provide?
Vercel's runtime log limits give the following periods:
| Plan or option | Runtime log retention |
|---|---|
| Hobby | 1 hour |
| Pro | 1 day |
| Pro with Observability Plus | 30 days |
| Enterprise | 3 days |
| Enterprise with Observability Plus | 30 days |
Runtime logs are available on all plans. The same documentation states that upgraded plan limits apply immediately. Its example says a move from Hobby to Pro provides access to historical logs for up to one day.
How does Observability Plus affect access?
Vercel's Observability Plus limitations distinguish retention from the time interval selected for viewing: runtime logs remain available within a 30-day window, while one selection covers at most 14 consecutive days. Reviewing that retained period therefore requires separate time selections.
The same documentation says Observability Plus is enabled by default for teams created or upgraded to Pro on or after April 3, 2026. The Pro retention row and the Pro with Observability Plus row describe different configurations, so the enabled option matters when interpreting the table.
How can the command line query older logs?
The Vercel CLI logs reference says the default query returns the latest 100 records from the last 30 minutes. That default query window is shorter than the retention periods above. The --since option sets the beginning of the query window; the reference provides this example:
vercel logs --since 2h
The command requests logs from the preceding two hours. The same reference states that how far back a query can reach depends on the plan. Selecting an earlier start time still operates within that plan's available history.
How can logs be kept for longer analysis?
A drain forwards observability data to an external service. Vercel's Drains documentation includes runtime, build, and static logs among the supported data types, and describes persistent storage in a chosen external service.
For a website whose log review spans a longer period, a drain provides a separate storage path for that analysis. The external destination's retention settings also need to match the intended review period.
Related terms
- How do I filter Vercel runtime logs for a function request?
- Server log analysis
- How do I read Vercel's request and cache response headers?
FAQ
Does Pro always mean one day of logs?
Vercel's runtime log table lists one day for Pro and 30 days for Pro with Observability Plus. The enabled option determines which row applies.
Can I select all retained Plus logs at once?
Observability Plus retains 30 days of runtime logs, with at most 14 consecutive days in one selection. You can review the retained history in separate intervals.
Does the CLI's default window describe retention?
The CLI reference gives a default window of 30 minutes. You can use --since to request an earlier start, within your plan's available history.
Sources
- Vercel, "Runtime Logs", updated August 28, 2026
- Vercel, "Observability Plus", updated July 6, 2026
- Vercel, "vercel logs", updated February 10, 2026
- Vercel, "Working with Drains", updated September 1, 2026
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