@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ type logStream struct {

 	logStreamName    string

 	logGroupName     string

 	logCreateGroup   bool

+	logNonBlocking   bool

 	multilinePattern *regexp.Regexp

 	client           api

 	messages         chan *logger.Message

@@ -127,6 +128,8 @@ func New(info logger.Info) (logger.Logger, error) {

 		}

 	}

+	logNonBlocking := info.Config["mode"] == "non-blocking"

+

 	if info.Config[logStreamKey] != "" {

 		logStreamName = info.Config[logStreamKey]

 	}

@@ -140,19 +143,54 @@ func New(info logger.Info) (logger.Logger, error) {

 	if err != nil {

 		return nil, err

 	}

+

 	containerStream := &logStream{

 		logStreamName:    logStreamName,

 		logGroupName:     logGroupName,

 		logCreateGroup:   logCreateGroup,

+		logNonBlocking:   logNonBlocking,

 		multilinePattern: multilinePattern,

 		client:           client,

 		messages:         make(chan *logger.Message, 4096),

 	}

-	err = containerStream.create()

-	if err != nil {

-		return nil, err

+

+	creationDone := make(chan bool)

+	if logNonBlocking {

+		go func() {

+			backoff := 1

+			maxBackoff := 32

+			for {

+				// If logger is closed we are done

+				containerStream.lock.RLock()

+				if containerStream.closed {

+					containerStream.lock.RUnlock()

+					break

+				}

+				containerStream.lock.RUnlock()

+				err := containerStream.create()

+				if err == nil {

+					break

+				}

+

+				time.Sleep(time.Duration(backoff) * time.Second)

+				if backoff < maxBackoff {

+					backoff *= 2

+				}

+				logrus.

+					WithError(err).

+					WithField("container-id", info.ContainerID).

+					WithField("container-name", info.ContainerName).

+					Error("Error while trying to initialize awslogs. Retrying in: ", backoff, " seconds")

+			}

+			close(creationDone)

+		}()

+	} else {

+		if err = containerStream.create(); err != nil {

+			return nil, err

+		}

+		close(creationDone)

 	}

-	go containerStream.collectBatch()

+	go containerStream.collectBatch(creationDone)

 	return containerStream, nil

 }

@@ -294,9 +332,18 @@ func (l *logStream) BufSize() int {

 func (l *logStream) Log(msg *logger.Message) error {

 	l.lock.RLock()

 	defer l.lock.RUnlock()

-	if !l.closed {

-		l.messages <- msg

+	if l.closed {

+		return errors.New("awslogs is closed")

+	}

+	if l.logNonBlocking {

+		select {

+		case l.messages <- msg:

+			return nil

+		default:

+			return errors.New("awslogs buffer is full")

+		}

 	}

+	l.messages <- msg

 	return nil

 }

@@ -322,7 +369,9 @@ func (l *logStream) create() error {

 				return l.createLogStream()

 			}

 		}

-		return err

+		if err != nil {

+			return err

+		}

 	}

 	return nil

@@ -399,7 +448,9 @@ var newTicker = func(freq time.Duration) *time.Ticker {

 // seconds.  When events are ready to be processed for submission to CloudWatch

 // Logs, the processEvents method is called.  If a multiline pattern is not

 // configured, log events are submitted to the processEvents method immediately.

-func (l *logStream) collectBatch() {

+func (l *logStream) collectBatch(created chan bool) {

+	// Wait for the logstream/group to be created

+	<-created

 	ticker := newTicker(batchPublishFrequency)

 	var eventBuffer []byte

 	var eventBufferTimestamp int64

@@ -200,6 +200,93 @@ func TestCreateAlreadyExists(t *testing.T) {

 	}

 }

+func TestLogClosed(t *testing.T) {

+	mockClient := newMockClient()

+	stream := &logStream{

+		client: mockClient,

+		closed: true,

+	}

+	err := stream.Log(&logger.Message{})

+	if err == nil {

+		t.Fatal("Expected non-nil error")

+	}

+}

+

+func TestLogBlocking(t *testing.T) {

+	mockClient := newMockClient()

+	stream := &logStream{

+		client:   mockClient,

+		messages: make(chan *logger.Message),

+	}

+

+	errorCh := make(chan error, 1)

+	started := make(chan bool)

+	go func() {

+		started <- true

+		err := stream.Log(&logger.Message{})

+		errorCh <- err

+	}()

+	<-started

+	select {

+	case err := <-errorCh:

+		t.Fatal("Expected stream.Log to block: ", err)

+	default:

+		break

+	}

+	select {

+	case <-stream.messages:

+		break

+	default:

+		t.Fatal("Expected to be able to read from stream.messages but was unable to")

+	}

+	select {

+	case err := <-errorCh:

+		if err != nil {

+			t.Fatal(err)

+		}

+	case <-time.After(30 * time.Second):

+		t.Fatal("timed out waiting for read")

+	}

+}

+

+func TestLogNonBlockingBufferEmpty(t *testing.T) {

+	mockClient := newMockClient()

+	stream := &logStream{

+		client:         mockClient,

+		messages:       make(chan *logger.Message, 1),

+		logNonBlocking: true,

+	}

+	err := stream.Log(&logger.Message{})

+	if err != nil {

+		t.Fatal(err)

+	}

+}

+

+func TestLogNonBlockingBufferFull(t *testing.T) {

+	mockClient := newMockClient()

+	stream := &logStream{

+		client:         mockClient,

+		messages:       make(chan *logger.Message, 1),

+		logNonBlocking: true,

+	}

+	stream.messages <- &logger.Message{}

+	errorCh := make(chan error)

+	started := make(chan bool)

+	go func() {

+		started <- true

+		err := stream.Log(&logger.Message{})

+		errorCh <- err

+	}()

+	<-started

+	select {

+	case err := <-errorCh:

+		if err == nil {

+			t.Fatal("Expected non-nil error")

+		}

+	case <-time.After(30 * time.Second):

+		t.Fatal("Expected Log call to not block")

+	}

+}

 func TestPublishBatchSuccess(t *testing.T) {

 	mockClient := newMockClient()

 	stream := &logStream{

@@ -409,8 +496,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchSimple(t *testing.T) {

 			C: ticks,

 		}

 	}

-

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

 		Line:      []byte(logline),

@@ -453,7 +541,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchTicker(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

 		Line:      []byte(logline + " 1"),

@@ -525,7 +615,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchMultilinePattern(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

 		Line:      []byte(logline),

@@ -579,7 +671,9 @@ func BenchmarkCollectBatch(b *testing.B) {

 			}

 		}

-		go stream.collectBatch()

+		d := make(chan bool)

+		close(d)

+		go stream.collectBatch(d)

 		stream.logGenerator(10, 100)

 		ticks <- time.Time{}

 		stream.Close()

@@ -609,7 +703,9 @@ func BenchmarkCollectBatchMultilinePattern(b *testing.B) {

 				C: ticks,

 			}

 		}

-		go stream.collectBatch()

+		d := make(chan bool)

+		close(d)

+		go stream.collectBatch(d)

 		stream.logGenerator(10, 100)

 		ticks <- time.Time{}

 		stream.Close()

@@ -639,7 +735,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchMultilinePatternMaxEventAge(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

 		Line:      []byte(logline),

@@ -701,7 +799,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchMultilinePatternNegativeEventAge(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

 		Line:      []byte(logline),

@@ -749,7 +849,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchMultilinePatternMaxEventSize(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	// Log max event size

 	longline := strings.Repeat("A", maximumBytesPerEvent)

@@ -800,7 +902,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchClose(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

 		Line:      []byte(logline),

@@ -843,7 +947,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchLineSplit(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	longline := strings.Repeat("A", maximumBytesPerEvent)

 	stream.Log(&logger.Message{

@@ -890,7 +996,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchMaxEvents(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	line := "A"

 	for i := 0; i <= maximumLogEventsPerPut; i++ {

@@ -945,7 +1053,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchMaxTotalBytes(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	numPayloads := maximumBytesPerPut / (maximumBytesPerEvent + perEventBytes)

 	// maxline is the maximum line that could be submitted after

@@ -1024,7 +1134,9 @@ func TestCollectBatchWithDuplicateTimestamps(t *testing.T) {

 		}

 	}

-	go stream.collectBatch()

+	d := make(chan bool)

+	close(d)

+	go stream.collectBatch(d)

 	times := maximumLogEventsPerPut

 	expectedEvents := []*cloudwatchlogs.InputLogEvent{}