[inputs.directory_monitor] Preserve original file timestamps (created/updated time) when moving files to "finished_directory"

[squ]

Use Case

When using the [inputs.directory_monitor] plugin in Telegraf to process files from a directory, it's common to move processed files to a "finished" directory for archiving and tracking purposes. For compliance, auditing, or tracking reasons, it is often important to preserve the original file's created and updated timestamps instead of overwriting them with the current time during the move operation.

Expected behavior

When moving a processed file to the finished directory, the system should preserve the file's original created and updated timestamps. Alternatively, provide a configurable option (e.g., preserve_timestamps = true) for users who want to retain original file metadata during move operations.

Actual behavior

Currently, when a file is processed and moved to the finished directory, its created and updated timestamps are reset to the current time. This causes loss of the original file metadata, making it difficult to trace the actual file history.

Additional info

No response

[srebhan]

@squ I agree that this is a sensible enhancement. Next steps: Someone needs to implement this feature.