Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Syslog-ng VS logstash

Compare Syslog-ng VS logstash 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.

logstash logo logstash

logstash is a tool for managing events and logs.
  • Syslog-ng Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-02-09
  • logstash Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

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.

logstash features and specs

  • Flexible Data Collection
    Logstash supports a wide variety of inputs, filters, and outputs, enabling it to collect, process, and forward data from numerous sources with ease.
  • Real-Time Processing
    Logstash can process logs and event data in real-time, enabling quick aggregation, transformation, and forwarding for timely insights and actions.
  • Ecosystem Integration
    As part of the Elastic Stack, Logstash integrates seamlessly with Elasticsearch, Kibana, and Beats, providing a cohesive solution for data ingestion, storage, and visualization.
  • Built-In Plugins
    Logstash has a robust collection of built-in plugins for inputs, codecs, filters, and outputs, minimizing the need for custom development.
  • Scalability
    Logstash can be scaled horizontally by adding more instances, which allows it to handle higher data throughput as your needs grow.
  • Extensibility
    Logstash's plugin architecture allows for custom plugins to be developed, providing flexibility for specific use cases.

Possible disadvantages of logstash

  • Resource Intensive
    Logstash can be quite resource-heavy, consuming significant CPU and memory, which could lead to increased infrastructure costs.
  • Complex Configuration
    The configuration syntax can be complex and sometimes unintuitive, making it challenging for new users to set up and maintain.
  • Latency
    In certain scenarios, Logstash can introduce latency in data processing, which may not be suitable for all real-time applications.
  • Single Point of Failure
    If not properly architected with redundancy, Logstash can become a single point of failure in your data pipeline.
  • Limited Error Handling
    Logstash's error handling is not very robust, which can make it difficult to troubleshoot and resolve issues as they arise.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its powerful features and flexibility, there is a steep learning curve associated with mastering Logstash.

Syslog-ng videos

syslog-ng Introduction to Log Management

More videos:

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

logstash videos

Visualizing Logs Using ElasticSearch, Logstash and Kibana

More videos:

  • Review - Security Onion with Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana (ELK)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Syslog-ng and logstash)
Monitoring Tools
25 25%
75% 75
Security & Privacy
59 59%
41% 41
Log Management
10 10%
90% 90
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 logstash

Syslog-ng Reviews

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logstash Reviews

10 Best Open Source ETL Tools for Data Integration
A free and open source ETL tool, Logstash collects data from several sources, performs a transformation process, and sends the output back to your choice of data warehouse. It consists of pre-built filters and more than a hundred plugins to carry out the data process operations. No matter the format or the complexity of data, Logstash dynamically ingests, transforms, and...
Source: testsigma.com
11 Best FREE Open-Source ETL Tools in 2024
Logstash is an Open-Source Data Pipeline that extracts data from multiple data sources and transforms the source data and events and loads them into ElasticSearch, a JSON-based search, and analytics engine. It is part of the ELK Stack. The “E” stands for ElasticSearch and the “K” stands for Kibana, a Data Visualization engine.
Source: hevodata.com
10 Best Linux Monitoring Tools and Software to Improve Server Performance [2022 Comparison]
Lastly, the Elastic Stack (ELK Stack) is a well-known tool for Linux performance monitoring. It’s composed of Elasticsearch (full-text search), Logstash (a log aggregator), Kibana (visualization via graphs and charts), and Beats (lightweight metrics collectors and shippers).
Source: sematext.com
Top 10 Popular Open-Source ETL Tools for 2021
Logstash is an Open-Source Data Pipeline that extracts data from multiple data sources and transforms the source data and events and loads them into ElasticSearch, a JSON-based search, and analytics engine. It is part of the ELK Stack. The “E” stands for ElasticSearch and the “K” stands for Kibana, a Data Visualization engine.
Source: hevodata.com
Top ETL Tools For 2021...And The Case For Saying "No" To ETL
Logstash is an open source data processing pipeline that ingests data from multiple sources simultaneously, transforming the source data and store events into ElasticSearch by default. Logstash is part of an ELK stack. The E stands for Elasticsearch, a JSON-based search and analytics engine, and the K stands for Kibana, which enables data visualization.
Source: blog.panoply.io

What are some alternatives?

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

Wazuh - Open Source Host and Endpoint Security

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

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.

Splunk - Splunk's operational intelligence platform helps unearth intelligent insights from machine data.

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.

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