Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Graylog VS Google StackDriver

Compare Graylog VS Google StackDriver and see what are their differences

Graylog logo Graylog

Graylog is an open source log management platform for collecting, indexing, and analyzing both structured and unstructured data.

Google StackDriver logo Google StackDriver

Stackdriver provides monitoring services for cloud-powered applications.
  • Graylog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • Google StackDriver Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

Graylog

$ Details
Release Date
2012 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
Texas
City
Houston
Founder(s)
Hass Chapman
Employees
10 - 19

Graylog features and specs

  • Centralized Logging
    Graylog aggregates and encodes all logs into a central location, making it easier to manage and monitor log data across distributed systems.
  • Scalability
    Graylog is designed to scale horizontally, allowing users to expand capacity by adding more servers, which is vital for growing environments.
  • Real-time Search and Analysis
    Graylog provides powerful search and filtering capabilities in real-time, enabling quick troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
  • Alerting and Notification
    Graylog can send alerts based on log data and specified conditions, helping users to proactively respond to issues and mitigate risks efficiently.
  • Extensible and Customizable
    Graylog allows for plugins and provides REST APIs for integration with other services, offering high levels of customization to fit various business needs.
  • User-friendly Interface
    Graylog offers an intuitive web-based interface that simplifies the process of managing and visualizing log data, making it accessible even for those with minimal technical knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Graylog

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Graylog can be complicated and time-consuming, particularly for users not familiar with log management and system administration.
  • Resource Intensive
    Graylog can be resource-intensive, requiring significant CPU, memory, and storage resources, which could be a limitation for smaller environments.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, mastering Graylog's advanced features may require a steep learning curve and significant investment in training.
  • Potential Vendor Lock-in
    Relying heavily on Graylog's ecosystem for log management can create dependencies that may be challenging to transition away from if needed.
  • Cost for Enterprise Features
    While Graylog offers a free open-source version, some advanced features and enterprise-grade capabilities are only available in the paid version, potentially increasing costs.
  • Limited Out-of-the-box Dashboards
    Graylog's default dashboard capabilities might not meet all needs, requiring additional customization or third-party tools to create comprehensive visualizations.

Google StackDriver features and specs

  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Google StackDriver provides extensive monitoring capabilities for applications running on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and even on-premises systems. This centralized monitoring offers seamless integration and a unified view of the health of your entire infrastructure.
  • Integrated Logging
    StackDriver includes powerful logging capabilities that allow you to collect, analyze, and visualize logs from various sources. Its integration with Google Cloud Logging allows for easy search, alerting, and insights.
  • Alerting and Incident Response
    StackDriver comes with advanced alerting features that notify you of any issues in real-time. It supports multiple channels like email, SMS, and third-party services, helping you respond proactively to incidents.
  • Auto-Generated Dashboards
    StackDriver provides auto-generated dashboards for various GCP and AWS services, making it easier for users to start monitoring their cloud resources immediately without extensive configuration.
  • Integration with Other Google Services
    Being a part of Google Cloud, StackDriver seamlessly integrates with other Google services such as BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and Google Kubernetes Engine, among others, providing more robust data analysis and visualization capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of Google StackDriver

  • Cost
    The pricing for StackDriver can become expensive, especially for large-scale applications with a significant number of resources and logs. Costs can quickly escalate based on usage, making budgeting a challenge.
  • Complexity
    While StackDriver offers a comprehensive set of features, the platform can be complex to set up and configure correctly, particularly for newcomers or smaller teams without dedicated DevOps resources.
  • AWS Integration Limitations
    Although StackDriver supports AWS, the integration is not as deep as it is with GCP. Some advanced features and metrics may not be available for AWS resources, limiting its effectiveness for multi-cloud environments.
  • Learning Curve
    The extensive functionality of StackDriver comes with a steep learning curve. Users may require significant time and training to fully leverage all the features and to set up effective monitoring and alerting systems.
  • Data Retention Limitations
    StackDriver's data retention policies might be restrictive for some use cases. By default, log data retention is limited, and extending the retention period can incur additional costs, affecting long-term analysis and auditing.

Analysis of Graylog

Overall verdict

  • Graylog is considered a robust and reliable log management tool, especially suitable for organizations looking for an open-source solution with enterprise capabilities. Its strong community support and extensive documentation make it a popular choice among IT professionals.

Why this product is good

  • Graylog is highly regarded for its ability to centralize and manage log data from various sources in real-time. It offers powerful search and analysis capabilities with a simple interface and supports a wide range of plugins and integrations. Graylog also excels in scalability, allowing users to handle large volumes of data efficiently.

Recommended for

  • System administrators looking for a centralized log management solution
  • IT security teams requiring real-time log analysis and monitoring
  • Organizations operating in a scalable environment with large data volumes
  • Developers needing customizable dashboards and reporting tools
  • Businesses that prefer open-source software with enterprise features

Analysis of Google StackDriver

Overall verdict

  • Google StackDriver is considered a good solution for operations management within the Google Cloud ecosystem. It offers comprehensive monitoring and logging capabilities, making it an advantageous choice for organizations already utilizing Google Cloud services.

Why this product is good

  • Google StackDriver, now known as Google Cloud Operations Suite, is generally regarded as a robust tool for monitoring, logging, and debugging applications running on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and on-premises. It integrates seamlessly with other Google Cloud services, providing a unified view of your resources. Its features like real-time monitoring, alerting, and metric visualization help in maintaining application performance and reliability.

Recommended for

    Google StackDriver is recommended for organizations using Google Cloud Platform looking to leverage integrated monitoring and logging solutions. It is especially beneficial for DevOps teams, system administrators, and developers who need detailed insights and alerting for GCP-hosted applications. Businesses seeking a unified monitoring solution for hybrid environments that include both cloud and on-premises systems will also find it beneficial.

Graylog videos

Graylog 3 0 OpenSource Demo

More videos:

  • Review - Graylog, Open Source Log Management
  • Review - 22. Graylog 3.0 Sidecar Windows Configuration

Google StackDriver videos

Google Stackdriver Monitoring | Walkthrough, Thoughts, and Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Graylog and Google StackDriver)
Monitoring Tools
69 69%
31% 31
Log Management
75 75%
25% 25
Performance Monitoring
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Graylog and Google StackDriver

Graylog Reviews

The Top 14 Free and Open Source SIEM Tools For 2022
Our last tool but by no means the least is Graylog. It is a log management platform that gathers data from different locations across your network infrastructure.
Source: logit.io
Top 10 Log Management Services
Graylog is a well-known log management tool because of its services. It provides a user interface just like some other log management tools. Almost all of the provided features are the same other than reading from Syslog files. Here you cannot read directly read from the Syslog files. It is inconvenient because you have to send your messages to Graylog.
Best Log Management Tools: Useful Tools for Log Management, Monitoring, Analytics, and More
Graylog is a free and open-source log management tool that supports in-depth log collection and analysis. Used by teams in Network Security, IT Ops and DevOps, you can count on Graylog’s ability to discern any potential risks to security, lets you follow compliance rules, and helps to understand the root cause of any particular error or problem that your apps are experiencing.
Source: stackify.com

Google StackDriver Reviews

We have no reviews of Google StackDriver yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Graylog should be more popular than Google StackDriver. It has been mentiond 2 times 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.

Graylog mentions (2)

  • Enhancing API Observability Series (Part 2): Log Analysis
    Graylog: Supports various log sources and formats, providing real-time search, analysis, and visualization functionalities. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Join us June 24 at 11:00 AM EDT: "All Things Configured” Discord Show with our founder, Lennart Koopman
    Join our new Graylog Community Discord channel for our new chat/call-in show, “All Things Configured”. Our founder, Lennart Koopman, will host the show with Jeff Darrington, Senior Technical Marketing Manager, as his guest. Jeff’s well-known to many of you as the star of our Graylog How-To series of videos and blog posts on Graylog.org. Get a jump on the event, which will be live on Friday, June 24 at 11:00 AM EDT. Source: almost 3 years ago

Google StackDriver mentions (1)

  • 10 Best Cloud Monitoring Tools for 2025
    Formerly Stackdriver, Google Cloud Operations Suite offers monitoring, logging, and diagnostics for applications on Google Cloud Platform. It provides real-time insights and integrates seamlessly with other Google Cloud services. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Graylog and Google StackDriver, you can also consider the following products

Sumo Logic - Sumo Logic is a secure, purpose-built cloud-based machine data analytics service that leverages big data for real-time IT insights

Komodor - The Kubernetes native troubleshooting platform

Datadog - See metrics from all of your apps, tools & services in one place with Datadog's cloud monitoring as a service solution. Try it for free.

ALog ConVerter - Server access log solution for finance and manufacturing

Logz.io - Logz.io provides log analysis software with alerts, role-based access, unlimited scalability and free ELK apps. Index, search & visualize your log data!

Devo - Devo delivers real-time operational & business value from analytics on streaming and historical data to operations.