Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

rsyslog VS Grafana

Compare rsyslog VS Grafana and see what are their differences

rsyslog logo rsyslog

Rsyslog is an enhanced syslogd supporting, among others, MySQL, PostgreSQL, failover log...

Grafana logo Grafana

Data visualization & Monitoring with support for Graphite, InfluxDB, Prometheus, Elasticsearch and many more databases
  • rsyslog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01
  • Grafana Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

Grafana

$ Details
Release Date
2014 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
New York
City
New York
Founder(s)
Anthony Woods
Employees
100 - 249

rsyslog features and specs

  • High Performance
    Rsyslog is designed for high performance, capable of processing thousands of messages per second and efficiently handling large volumes of log data.
  • Modular Architecture
    Its modular architecture allows for the addition of various plugins and modules to extend functionality and customize the logging system as needed.
  • Advanced Filtering
    Rsyslog offers advanced filtering capabilities, using both simple and complex filters to fine-tune which logs are collected and where they are sent.
  • Network Support
    It has strong support for remote logging via protocols such as TCP, UDP, and RELP, making it a robust solution for centralized logging.
  • Reliability
    Features such as disk-assisted queues and failover actions ensure that log messages are not lost, improving overall reliability.
  • Compatibility
    Rsyslog is compatible with existing syslog implementations and can drop-in replace older syslog daemons without significant changes.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source software, it is freely available for use and modification, supported by an active community.

Possible disadvantages of rsyslog

  • Complex Configuration
    The configuration syntax of rsyslog can be complex and unintuitive, requiring a steep learning curve for beginners.
  • Documentation Quality
    While comprehensive, the documentation can sometimes be difficult to navigate and understand, which might pose challenges for new users.
  • Resource Consumption
    Although efficient, rsyslog can be resource-intensive in certain configurations, potentially impacting system performance if not properly optimized.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies for various modules and plugins can be cumbersome and may require additional effort to ensure compatibility.
  • Version Inconsistency
    Different distributions might include various versions of rsyslog, leading to inconsistencies in features and behaviors across environments.

Grafana features and specs

  • Customizable Dashboards
    Grafana provides highly customizable and flexible dashboards, allowing users to create and arrange panels in a way that best represents their metrics and data.
  • Wide Range of Data Sources
    Grafana supports numerous data sources including Prometheus, Elasticsearch, Graphite, AWS CloudWatch, and more, making it versatile and adaptable to various data environments.
  • Rich Plugin Ecosystem
    The platform offers a rich ecosystem of plugins for data visualization, data sources, and apps, enabling users to extend its functionality to suit specific needs.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source tool, Grafana is free to use and customize, allowing organizations to tailor it to their specific requirements without licensing costs.
  • Alerting System
    Grafana comes with a powerful alerting system that can notify users about important events through various channels like email, Slack, and PagerDuty.
  • Community and Support
    Grafana has a large and active community, providing extensive documentation, forums, and tutorials to help users solve issues and improve their dashboards.

Possible disadvantages of Grafana

  • Learning Curve
    The extensive customization features and numerous data sources can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Performance Issues with Large Datasets
    When dealing with very large datasets or high-cardinality data, performance issues can arise, requiring additional tuning or more powerful infrastructure.
  • Limited Built-in Data Storage
    Grafana itself does not store data; it relies on external data sources. This could necessitate using additional services or infrastructure for data storage.
  • Complex Setup for Alerting
    Setting up and managing the alerting system can be complicated, especially for users who are not familiar with monitoring and alerting concepts.
  • Dependence on External Data Sources
    The effectiveness of Grafana depends heavily on the quality and stability of the external data sources it connects to, which can be a point of failure.
  • Cost for Enterprise Features
    While the open-source version is free, advanced features and support are available only in the paid enterprise version, which could be costly for some organizations.

Analysis of rsyslog

Overall verdict

  • Yes, rsyslog is considered a good logging tool, especially for those who need a flexible and powerful solution. Its continuous development and extensive feature set make it a reliable choice for system administrators and IT professionals looking to maintain effective log management and monitoring systems.

Why this product is good

  • Rsyslog is a highly versatile and reliable logging tool that is widely used in UNIX and Linux environments for gathering log data from various sources, processing it, and forwarding it to specified destinations. It is known for its ease of configuration, scalability, and compatibility with different protocols and formats. Its ability to handle high log volumes and support for dynamic configurations make it a popular choice for both small and large scale operations.

Recommended for

    Rsyslog is recommended for system administrators, IT professionals, and DevOps engineers who require robust logging capabilities. It is particularly suitable for enterprises and organizations that need to process and analyze large volumes of log data, as well as those who leverage complex IT infrastructures where advanced log manipulation and forwarding are necessary.

Analysis of Grafana

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Grafana is generally considered to be a good choice for users looking for a powerful, flexible, and user-friendly data visualization tool. Its ability to integrate with numerous data sources and its rich feature set make it a popular choice among developers, engineers, and IT operations teams.

Why this product is good

  • Grafana is widely regarded as a robust and versatile open-source data visualization and monitoring platform. It supports a wide range of data sources like Prometheus, InfluxDB, Elasticsearch, and many others, making it highly adaptable for various use cases. Grafana's intuitive and interactive dashboards allow users to visually track the performance and health of their system in real-time, enhance operational efficiency, and facilitate better decision-making. Its strong community support, frequent updates, and rich plugin ecosystem further contribute to its reputation as a reliable tool for monitoring and analytics.

Recommended for

    Grafana is particularly recommended for IT professionals, data analysts, and engineers who need to monitor and visualize large datasets in real-time. It's ideal for organizations running complex systems or applications that require comprehensive monitoring to ensure uptime and performance are maintained. Additionally, Grafana is suitable for teams that value open-source solutions and require a platform that can integrate with multiple data sources and adapt to various monitoring needs.

rsyslog videos

[LINUX] #11 Rsyslog Server Log Analyzer e Mysql

More videos:

  • Review - Ubuntu: How can I configure logrotate without having `/etc/logrotate.d/rsyslog`?

Grafana videos

Grafana vs Kibana | Beautiful data graphs and log analysis systems

More videos:

  • Review - Business Dashboards with Grafana and MySQL
  • Review - Grafana Labs 2019 Year in Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to rsyslog and Grafana)
Monitoring Tools
10 10%
90% 90
Log Management
14 14%
86% 86
Data Dashboard
0 0%
100% 100
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare rsyslog and Grafana

rsyslog Reviews

Best Log Management Tools: Useful Tools for Log Management, Monitoring, Analytics, and More
Rsyslog is a blazing-fast system built for log processing. It offers great performance benchmarks, tight security features, and a modular design for custom modifications. Rsyslog has grown from a singular logging system to be able to parse and sort logs from an extended range of sources, which it can then transform and provide an output to be used in dedicated log analysis...
Source: stackify.com

Grafana Reviews

Self Hosting Like Its 2025
If you’re looking for straightforward monitoring and the thought of setting up a full Zabbix or Grafana stack seems daunting, this software is a real lifesaver. With just one deployment, you can monitor your services and receive notifications through a wide variety of channels including…
Source: kiranet.org
Top 10 Grafana Alternatives in 2024
Middleware is one such Grafana alternative that offers robust data monitoring and visualization capabilities at affordable prices. Though it’s commercial, unlike Grafana, its rich feature set ensures accommodating your present and future business needs.
Source: middleware.io
Top 11 Grafana Alternatives & Competitors [2024]
Are you looking for Grafana alternatives? Then you have come to the right place. Grafana started as a data visualization tool. It slowly evolved into a tool that can take data from multiple data sources for visualization. For observability, Grafana offers the LGTM stack (Loki for logs, Grafana for visualization, Tempo for traces, and Mimir for metrics). You need to configure...
Source: signoz.io
10 Best Grafana Alternatives [2023 Comparison]
For this reason, many have set out in search of Grafana alternatives. Since you’ve landed yourself here, I’m guessing that you’re one of those people. Fear not! We’ve put together a comprehensive list of the 10 best Grafana alternatives out there today.
Source: sematext.com
Top 10 Tableau Open Source Alternatives: A Comprehensive List
When it comes to visualization, Grafana is a great tool for visualizing time series data with support for various databases including Prometheus, InfluxDB, and Graphite. It is also compatible with relational databases such as MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server. While Tableau can do the same thing, Grafana’s open-source status allows the users to add additional data sources and...
Source: hevodata.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Grafana seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 240 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.

rsyslog mentions (0)

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

Grafana mentions (240)

  • The synergy between DevOps and Cloud Computing
    Monitoring and Logging: Tools like Prometheus and Grafana provide instant observability. - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
  • Project of the Week: Grafana
    Grafana is a leading open-source platform for monitoring, visualization, and observability. Since its initial launch in 2014, Grafana has grown to become the standard for time series analytics, with over 68,000 GitHub stars and a thriving ecosystem of plugins and integrations. The platform allows users to query, visualize, alert on, and understand metrics no matter where they're stored, enabling the creation of... - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
  • Send Node.js logs from Docker to Grafana Cloud with Alloy
    Navigate to Grafana Cloud and sign up or log in. In the sidebar, select Connections → Add new connection, select Loki. This is the place that prompts you to set up your Loki connection and allows you to generate an access token for Alloy. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Monitoring API Requests and Responses for System Health
    Prometheus + Grafana: Open-source tools that offer maximum flexibility without ongoing licensing costs—ideal for teams willing to manage their own infrastructure and configuration. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • How to Optimize Your Fintech API in 2025: A Guide
    Prometheus: This open-source monitoring solution pairs with Grafana for powerful custom visualization of exactly what matters to your business. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing rsyslog and Grafana, you can also consider the following products

Fluentd - Fluentd is a cross platform open source data collection solution originally developed at Treasure Data.

Prometheus - An open-source systems monitoring and alerting toolkit.

Wazuh - Open Source Host and Endpoint Security

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.

logstash - logstash is a tool for managing events and logs.

Zabbix - Track, record, alert and visualize performance and availability of IT resources