Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana – The ELK stack
Conclusion
The ELK stack is not just useful for web or mail servers, where you can expect high hit counts, but also for large server clusters with distributed logs. Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana are team players that collaborate excellently, and they are capable of integrating more components (e.g., services like Filebeat) into the team. The current program versions impress across the board and certainly give administrators a powerful toolbox.
Although the installation was a painless affair, the ELK stack does lack state-of-the-art systemd units in part, and even an init script in the case of Kibana. We also missed meaningful Logstash default configurations for the services on a typical Linux server. Although the documentation is very exhaustive, with many examples by other users on the web, it is a pity that system administrators first need to compile the information they need painstakingly. The commented examples on the FTP site [6] should be of help here.
The ELK stack is unbelievably flexible, but you can expect a lengthy learning curve. Many paths lead to a process chain. If the developers were to provide a basic set of configuration examples, they would help many admins and could help achieve initial results quickly, provide better orientation, and even allow admins to develop their own style.
Infos
- Elasticsearch: https://www.elastic.co/products/elasticsearch
- Logstash: https://www.elastic.co/products/logstash
- Kibana: https://www.elastic.co/products/kibana
- Filebeat: https://www.elastic.co/products/beats/filebeat
- Elastic subscriptions: https://www.elastic.co/subscriptions
- Listings in this article: ftp://ftp.linux-magazine.com/pub/listings/magazine/185
- Shield: https://www.elastic.co/products/shield
- Logstash reference: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/index.html
- Logstash forwarder and Lumberjack protocol: https://github.com/elastic/logstash-forwarder
- Beats: https://www.elastic.co/products/beats
- Working with Logstash plugins: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/working-with-plugins.html
- Postfix patterns: https://github.com/whyscream/postfix-grok-patterns
- Dovecot patterns: https://github.com/augieschwer/grok-patterns
- Nginx patterns: https://www.ulyaoth.net/threads/logstash-forwarder-and-grok-examples.32413
- GitHub repository with Logstash patterns: https://github.com/logstash-plugins/logstash-patterns-core/tree/master/patterns
- Grok debugger: http://grokdebug.herokuapp.com
- GrokConstructor: http://grokconstructor.appspot.com
- Curator: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/curator
« Previous 1 2 3 4
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Migrates RHEL from Xorg to Wayland
If you've been wondering when Xorg will finally be a thing of the past, wonder no more, as Red Hat has made it clear.
-
PipeWire 1.0 Officially Released
PipeWire was created to take the place of the oft-troubled PulseAudio and has finally reached the 1.0 status as a major update with plenty of improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Rocky Linux 9.3 Available for Download
The latest version of the RHEL alternative is now available and brings back cloud and container images for ppc64le along with plenty of new features and fixes.
-
Ubuntu Budgie Shifts How to Tackle Wayland
Ubuntu Budgie has yet to make the switch to Wayland but with a change in approaches, they're finally on track to making it happen.
-
TUXEDO's New Ultraportable Linux Workstation Released
The TUXEDO Pulse 14 blends portability with power, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU.
-
AlmaLinux Will No Longer Be "Just Another RHEL Clone"
With the release of AlmaLinux 9.3, the distribution will be built entirely from upstream sources.
-
elementary OS 8 Has a Big Surprise in Store
When elementary OS 8 finally arrives, it will not only be based on Ubuntu 24.04 but it will also default to Wayland for better performance and security.
-
OpenELA Releases Enterprise Linux Source Code
With Red Hat restricting the source for RHEL, it was only a matter of time before those who depended on that source struck out on their own.
-
StripedFly Malware Hiding in Plain Sight as a Cryptocurrency Miner
A rather deceptive piece of malware has infected 1 million Windows and Linux hosts since 2017.
-
Experimental Wayland Support Planned for Linux Mint 21.3
As with most Linux distributions, the migration to Wayland is in full force. While some distributions have already made the move, Linux Mint has been a bit slower to do so.