Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

rsyslog VS osquery

Compare rsyslog VS osquery and see what are their differences

rsyslog logo rsyslog

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

osquery logo osquery

Utilities, Application Utilities, and Desktop Querying Tools
  • rsyslog Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01
  • osquery Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-21

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.

osquery features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    Osquery is designed to work on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing consistent querying across different environments.
  • SQL-based Query Language
    Allows users to leverage SQL, a familiar and widely-used language, to query and analyze the state of the system like a database.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, osquery is freely available for modification and distribution, encouraging community collaboration and contributions.
  • Real-time Monitoring
    Supports event-based monitoring, providing the ability to track changes and detect unusual activities as they happen with the osqueryd daemon.
  • Extensibility
    Users can extend osquery with custom plugins and tables, allowing it to meet unique requirements and integrate with other tools.
  • Security Auditing
    Helps in performing security audits by providing insights into system-level activities and configurations, assisting in detecting potential vulnerabilities.

Possible disadvantages of osquery

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Users not familiar with SQL may find it challenging to write effective queries, requiring additional learning and training.
  • Resource Consumption
    Real-time monitoring and complex queries can lead to increased CPU and memory usage, affecting system performance.
  • Limited GUI/UX
    Osquery lacks a native graphical user interface, which may make management and visualization of data more cumbersome for some users.
  • Complex Configuration
    Setting up and configuring osquery, especially for larger environments, can be complex and time-consuming, often requiring manual intervention.
  • Potential Security Risks
    If not properly secured, osquery can be misused by adversaries to gather information about the system, making it crucial to implement proper access controls.

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`?

osquery videos

Kolide & OSQuery: How to Build Solid Queries and Packs for Detection and Threat Hunting

More videos:

  • Review - Using osquery & MITRE ATT&CK to Provide Analytics for Incident Response and Threat Hunting
  • Review - How Stripe is actioning the osquery API at scale [osquery@scale]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to rsyslog and osquery)
Monitoring Tools
82 82%
18% 18
Security & Privacy
68 68%
32% 32
Log Management
100 100%
0% 0
Cyber Security
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 osquery

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

osquery Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, osquery seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 19 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.

osquery mentions (19)

  • Fastly and the Linux kernel
    The open source projects Fastly uses and the foundations we partner with are vital to Fastly’s mission and success. Here's an unscientific list of projects and organizations supported by the Linux Foundation that we use and love include: The Linux Kernel, Kubernetes, containerd, eBPF, Falco, OpenAPI Initiative, ESLint, Express, Fastify, Lodash, Mocha, Node.js, Prometheus, Jenkins, OpenTelemetry, Envoy, etcd, Helm,... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Show HN: Natural Language to SQL "Text-to-SQL" API by Dataherald
    The largest we have successfully deployed is on the OSQuery schema https://osquery.io/ which is 277 tables and lots of business context (malwares, vulnerabilities, Windows registry keys, etc). - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Alternative to Endpoint Protector?
    From a self hosted standpoint OSQuery or Wazuh are your best bets for monitoring USB devices. Windows makes blocking really challenging and I’m not aware of any “free” solutions that attempt it. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Firewall rules beyond "deny incoming, enable only the ports that you need"
    Configure auditd to monitor host activity: https://izyknows.medium.com/linux-auditd-for-threat-detection-d06c8b941505 or osquery: https://osquery.io/ (or similar software: filebeat for example). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Best Websites For Coders
    OS Query : Easily ask questions about your Linux, Windows, and macOS infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Tripwire - Open Source Tripwire software is a security and data integrity tool useful for monitoring and...

Wazuh - Open Source Host and Endpoint Security

Ossec - OSSEC is an Open Source Host-based Intrusion Detection System.

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

Samhain - The Samhain host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) provides file integrity checking and log...