Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Syslog-ng VS Fluentd

Compare Syslog-ng VS Fluentd and see what are their differences

Syslog-ng logo Syslog-ng

Syslog-ng decreases the quantity and improves the quality of data, thus enhancing the capacities of your SIEM solution.

Fluentd logo Fluentd

Fluentd is a cross platform open source data collection solution originally developed at Treasure Data.
  • Syslog-ng Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-09
  • Fluentd Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30

Syslog-ng features and specs

  • Scalability
    Syslog-ng is known for its ability to handle large volumes of log data from diverse sources, making it suitable for enterprise environments.
  • Flexibility
    It supports a wide variety of log sources and destinations, allowing for customization to fit specific organizational needs.
  • Advanced Filtering
    Syslog-ng provides powerful filtering mechanisms that allow users to route, block, or modify log messages based on predefined criteria.
  • Security Features
    Offers features such as TLS encryption and reliable message delivery to ensure log data security and integrity.
  • Open Source Option
    The availability of an open-source version allows users to implement and experiment with syslog-ng without initial licensing costs.

Possible disadvantages of Syslog-ng

  • Complex Configuration
    Syslog-ng can be complex to set up and configure, especially for users who are not familiar with its syntax and options.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive feature set and configuration options, new users might need significant time to learn and master the software.
  • Resource Intensive
    In some cases, syslog-ng can consume significant system resources, particularly when handling very high volumes of log data.
  • Limited GUI Options
    Syslog-ng primarily relies on command-line configuration and lacks a robust graphical user interface, which can be a limitation for some users.
  • Support Costs
    While an open-source version is available, organizations may incur additional costs if they opt for commercial support or licensing.

Fluentd features and specs

  • Open Source
    Fluentd is an open-source data collector, meaning it is free to use and has a large community of contributors and users who can provide support and plugins.
  • Unified Logging Layer
    It provides a unified logging layer that can collect, filter, and distribute logs from various sources to various destinations, simplifying log management.
  • Extensibility
    Fluentd supports a wide range of plugins for inputs, outputs, filters, and parsers, making it highly extensible and customizable to fit specific needs.
  • High Performance
    It is designed to be high-performance and can handle large volumes of logs efficiently, which is crucial for enterprise environments.
  • Flexible Configuration
    Fluentd offers flexible and straightforward configuration, allowing users to define complex data pipelines with relative ease.
  • Support for Multiple Environments
    Fluentd supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, making it versatile for various deployment scenarios.

Possible disadvantages of Fluentd

  • Complexity
    The flexibility and extensibility of Fluentd can introduce complexity, requiring a steep learning curve for new users to master the tool.
  • Resource Intensive
    Fluentd can be resource-intensive, especially when dealing with large volumes of data, which may require robust infrastructure.
  • Plugin Compatibility
    While there are many plugins available, not all of them are always up-to-date or compatible with the latest versions of Fluentd, potentially causing integration issues.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Managing Fluentd involves continuous monitoring, updating, and maintenance to ensure optimal performance and security, which could be resource-draining.
  • Documentation Gaps
    Although there is extensive documentation, some users report that it lacks deep insights and examples for advanced configurations, requiring additional research and community support.

Syslog-ng videos

syslog-ng Introduction to Log Management

More videos:

  • Review - syslog-ng Store Box - Turnkey solution to manage your log data

Fluentd videos

How-to Ship Logs to Grafana Loki with Promtail, FluentD & Fluent-bit

More videos:

  • Review - OpenShift Commons Briefing #72: Cloud Native Logging with Fluentd
  • Review - Fluentd, the Open Source Data Collection tool

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Syslog-ng and Fluentd)
Monitoring Tools
28 28%
72% 72
Security & Privacy
49 49%
51% 51
Log Management
11 11%
89% 89
Business & Commerce
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 Syslog-ng and Fluentd

Syslog-ng Reviews

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Fluentd Reviews

11 Best Splunk Alternatives
The CloudFront-log plugin, for example, can be used to ingest logs from Amazon CloudFront, while the elasticsearch plugin can be used to route logs to Elasticsearch. Fluentd only provides ingestion and routing services, so you'll have to develop your log management solution from the ground up. Fluentd has become a popular alternative to Logstash, transforming ELK into EFK....
Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
Inputs and outputs have inbuilt support to buffer, load balance, timeout and retry instances. It has a unified logging layer in between the data sources. There are over 5000+ companies that rely on Fluentd and approximately collect logs from over 50000+ servers. It scraps logs from sources and sends them across to services like object storage, Elasticsearch, etc. it is...
Best Log Management Tools: Useful Tools for Log Management, Monitoring, Analytics, and More
Fluentd collects events from various data sources and writes them to files, RDBMS, NoSQL, IaaS, SaaS, Hadoop and so on. Fluentd helps you unify your logging infrastructure. Fluentd’s flagship feature is an extensive library of plugins which provide extended support and functionality for anything related to log and data management within a concise developer environment.
Source: stackify.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Syslog-ng and Fluentd, you can also consider the following products

Wazuh - Open Source Host and Endpoint Security

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

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.

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

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

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