Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Beats VS Visual Syslog Server

Compare Beats VS Visual Syslog Server and see what are their differences

Beats logo Beats

Beats is the platform for single-purpose data shippers that is installed as lightweight agents and send data to machines to Logstash or Elasticsearch.

Visual Syslog Server logo Visual Syslog Server

Visual Syslog Server (daemon) for Windows with a graphical user interface.
  • Beats Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • Visual Syslog Server Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-08-29

Beats features and specs

  • Lightweight Agents
    Beats are designed to be lightweight, which allows them to easily run on edge devices without significantly impacting system performance.
  • Eclectic Set of Data Shippers
    Beats offers a range of specialized shippers like Filebeat, Metricbeat, Packetbeat, and others, each tailored for different types of data collection, ensuring flexibility and efficiency.
  • Easy Integration with Elastic Stack
    Beats seamlessly integrates with other components of the Elastic Stack, like Elasticsearch and Kibana, providing a unified data collection and analysis ecosystem.
  • Extensible and Open Source
    Being open-source, Beats can be extended and customized to meet specific needs, allowing users to modify or enhance functionalities.
  • Community and Support
    Beats has a strong community and offers extensive documentation, which aids in troubleshooting and enhancing user knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Beats

  • Limited Processing Capabilities
    Beats is designed primarily for data shipment and lacks powerful processing capabilities, which may necessitate additional processing tools like Logstash.
  • Complexity with Scale
    Managing many Beats agents across a large infrastructure can become complex, requiring orchestrations and management strategies to avoid configuration drifts.
  • Memory Consumption
    While lightweight, some Beats can still consume a notable amount of memory, particularly when processing large datasets or complex configurations.
  • Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with the Elastic Stack ecosystem, there might be a learning curve in configuring and optimizing Beats for specific use cases.

Visual Syslog Server features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Visual Syslog Server provides an intuitive and easy-to-use graphical interface, making it accessible even for users who may not be familiar with command-line syslog tools.
  • Real-Time Monitoring
    The tool supports real-time monitoring of syslog messages, allowing administrators to observe the log data as it is being generated.
  • Simple Setup
    Setting up Visual Syslog Server is straightforward, with minimal configuration requirements, making it quick to deploy in various environments.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Visual Syslog Server is free to use and can be modified to suit specific requirements.
  • Filtered Search
    It offers filtering options to search through logs based on keywords, severity levels, and other criteria, helping users quickly find relevant information.

Possible disadvantages of Visual Syslog Server

  • Limited Platform Support
    Visual Syslog Server primarily supports Windows operating systems, potentially limiting its use in diverse IT environments that may also include Linux or macOS systems.
  • Basic Functionality
    While it covers essential syslog processing features, advanced log analysis and correlation capabilities are limited compared to more comprehensive tools.
  • Scalability Issues
    Visual Syslog Server might struggle to efficiently handle very large volumes of log data, making it less suitable for enterprise-level installations.
  • Lack of Advanced Security Features
    The software does not include advanced security features such as encryption or secure log transfer mechanisms out of the box, which may be a concern for security-sensitive environments.
  • Dependent on External Software
    Integration with other tools may require additional configuration or reliance on other software, which could complicate deployment in certain scenarios.

Analysis of Beats

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Beats is generally considered good, especially for organizations already using Elasticsearch and the Elastic Stack. It is praised for its ease of integration, versatility, and the substantial support and community around the Elastic ecosystem. However, the specific effectiveness can depend on your use case and data architecture needs.

Why this product is good

  • Beats, developed by Elastic, is a set of lightweight data shippers that are often used for sending data to Elasticsearch. They are known for their efficiency and ability to handle a variety of data types including logs, metrics, and network packets. Beats are part of the Elastic Stack, which is widely used for real-time data analysis and monitoring.

Recommended for

  • Organizations that already use Elasticsarch as their core data processing tool
  • Teams looking for efficient and lightweight data shipping solutions
  • Developers needing a solution to handle diverse data formats such as logs and metrics
  • Companies investing in real-time monitoring and data analysis
  • Businesses that can benefit from the extensive documentation and community support provided by Elastic

Beats videos

Beats Solo Pro: Return to Excellence!

More videos:

  • Review - The Beats Solo Pro Are The Best Beats Yet
  • Review - Beats Studio 3 Wireless "Real Review"

Visual Syslog Server videos

No Visual Syslog Server videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Beats and Visual Syslog Server)
Monitoring Tools
80 80%
20% 20
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Log Management
57 57%
43% 43
Performance Monitoring
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Visual Syslog Server seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Beats mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Beats yet. Tracking of Beats recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Visual Syslog Server mentions (1)

  • [Siemens] Profinet problem
    Does the managed switch support syslog? Visual Syslog Server is completely free, run it on the laptop you had Wireshark on and set the switch to log everything (debug). Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Beats and Visual Syslog Server, you can also consider the following products

Wazuh - Open Source Host and Endpoint Security

Kiwi Syslog Server - Kiwi Syslog Server prvides solution to centralize and simplify log message management across network devices and servers.

Riemann - Container Monitoring

Syslog Watcher - Syslog Watcher is a syslog solution for Windows.

Fortinet FortiAnalyzer - Fortinet FortiAnalyzer is a powerful product for Security Fabric Analytics and Automation.

Mac Syslog Center - Lan-Secure Syslog server monitor for Mac-OSX provides real-time syslog server including filtering, correlation, actions and events capabilities.