What it is
Loki is the log store and Grafana Alloy is the collector layer. Together they pull Docker logs from the homelab's Docker LXCs into one searchable place, with Grafana Explore as the UI.
Why I run it
Before this, service debugging meant remembering which LXC a container lived on, SSHing there, and tailing local logs by hand. That is fine once; it is not a system. Central logs make "what happened around the alert?" a Grafana question instead of a scavenger hunt.
How I use it
The first useful shape is operational search: filter by container, LXC, or time window when Uptime Kuma, Healthchecks, or a dashboard shows something odd. It is intentionally a private operator surface, not a public log viewer.