Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

rsyslog VS Graylog

Compare rsyslog VS Graylog and see what are their differences

rsyslog logo rsyslog

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

Graylog logo Graylog

Graylog is an open source log management platform for collecting, indexing, and analyzing both structured and unstructured data.
  • rsyslog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01
  • Graylog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20

Graylog

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

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.

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.

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`?

Graylog videos

Graylog 3 0 OpenSource Demo

More videos:

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to rsyslog and Graylog)
Monitoring Tools
26 26%
74% 74
Log Management
21 21%
79% 79
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Performance Monitoring
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 rsyslog and Graylog

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

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Graylog seems to be more popular. 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.

rsyslog mentions (0)

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

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

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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

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

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.

Wazuh - Open Source Host and Endpoint Security

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!