Top 6 Open-Source Log Analysis Tools: Wazuh, Graylog & More
As a CISO in a highly regulated industry with ~2 decades of cybersecurity expertise, I have worked with multiple SIEM-like log analysis platforms. From those, I picked the top 6 open-source log analysis tools. In evaluating these tools, I focused on key factors such as log collection flexibility, real-time event detection, scalability, and support for various log formats.
Tool | Key features |
|---|---|
Wazuh | • Security analytics built on Elastic Stack • Rule-based event correlation • Threat detection aligned with MITRE ATT&CK • Built-in compliance monitoring for regulatory frameworks |
Graylog | • Real-time search • Stream-based alerting • Customizable dashboards • Operational visibility and rapid investigation • Suitable for mid-size enterprises and SOC teams |
Elastic Stack (ELK) | • Full-text search capabilities • Statistical analysis • Machine learning-based anomaly detection • Large dataset correlation • Effective for large-scale SIEM deployments |
Fluentd | • High-performance log processing and data routing • Log data collection, filtering, and enrichment • Forwards to analytics engines (ELK, Splunk, cloud-native SIEMs) |
Syslog-ng | • Log normalization and transport • High-volume syslog aggregation • Forwarding to downstream analysis platforms |
Nagios | • Basic log checks and event alerts • System health and availability monitoring • Limited log analytics capabilities • No full log correlation or visualization |
Log management and detection features
Integrity & nonrepudiation features
Pricing of log analysis tools
Disclaimer: Insights (below) come from user experiences shared in Reddit1 , and G22 .
Wazuh
Log data querying and visualization in Wazuh3
Wazuh is an open-source SIEM solution. Thus, it not only collects and monitors logs from various systems and applications but also offers features like:
- real-time security event detection
- file integrity monitoring
- vulnerability detection
How does log management work in Wazuh?
It includes an endpoint security agent that is deployed on monitored systems to collect logs. This data is sent to the Wazuh management server, which processes and analyzes it.
Wazuh can be fully integrated with the Elastic Stack, utilizing Elasticsearch for log storage and search.
Hosting options:
Self-hosted: The open-source platform is free to download, with optional annual support. Support pricing is based on the number of endpoints to monitor (e.g., servers, workstations, network devices).
In an on-prem self-hosted setup, the user is responsible for maintaining hardware and resources, regardless of whether support is hired.
Cloud-hosted: Cloud-hosted services provide maintenance for Wazuh Server and the Elastic Stack. You only need to install the agents; the hosting provider handles other operations, such as monitoring and troubleshooting.
Pricing depends on hot storage (events in the Web UI) and the retention period.
Standout features:
- Flexible log collection:
- Compared with tools such as Graylog or the Elastic Stack (Logstash), Wazuh provides more out-of-the-box support for a wider range of log types without requiring additional configuration or plugins.
- Also, it can ingest logs from various sources, including Event Viewer, system messages, and JSON logs, providing full visibility into endpoint activities.
- Integration with third-party applications:
- Wazuh supports integrations with cloud services, antivirus software, and security tools, including Office 365, AWS, and Rapid7.
- Its built-in Python library enables the creation of custom integrations. This offers an advantage over tools such as Syslog-ng and Fluentd, which require additional configuration or plugins to integrate with third-party services.
- API and active response:
- Wazuh includes a RESTful API for interacting with the Wazuh Manager.
- Through the API, users can automate many tasks, such as fetching log data, managing rules and decoders, querying security alerts, and interacting with agents.
- Its built-in response feature enables real-time defensive actions, such as blocking IP addresses or executing scripts when specific alerts are triggered. This capability differentiates Wazuh from tools such as the Elastic Stack, which lack built-in response capabilities.
Graylog
Graylog is a free and open log management platform and security information and event management (SIEM) system.
It is specifically built to collect data from a variety of sources. Graylog can perform a variety of cybersecurity tasks, including:
- Data aggregation
- Incident detection and response
- Threat intelligence
- User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA)
Enterprise edition: The enterprise version adds features like advanced user authentication, team management, and configurable reporting.
Standout features:
- Log extraction and parsing: Graylog offers extractors and pipelines to process and extract specific log fields for highly customizable log processing.
- User management with AD integration: Graylog integrates with Active Directory (AD) for user management, supporting authentication and some role-based access controls.
Elastic Stack (ELK Stack) – Logstash
Elastic Stack is a set of open-source products; its core components are Elasticsearch, Kibana, and Logstash.
Logstash serves as a backend server in the Elasticsearch database. It can collect and process logs from multiple sources, including Elasticsearch indices and files.
Logstash does not include a built-in dashboard for viewing logs. However, it may be with other tools, such as SigNoz, to generate and share log data visualizations and dashboards.
Standout features:
- WordPress Monitoring: The ELK Stack’s key feature is its ability to monitor applications running on open-source WordPress installations. In contrast to most out-of-the-box security audit log products, which only track admin and PHP logs, ELK Stack can search web server and database.
Fluentd
Fluentd is an open-source data collection framework that ingests logs and forwards them to log storage.
Fluentd receives events from several data sources and sends them to files, RDBMS, NoSQL, IaaS, SaaS, and Hadoop. Fluentd offers 500+ community-contributed plugins that integrate with multiple data sources and outputs (e.g., log management and big data systems).
Fluentd can process logs from:
- Application logs: node®, RAILS, Java, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Python, PHP, Perl, Node.js, Scala.
- Network protocols: N, Microsoft, .NET, UNIX®, TCP/IP, Syslog
- loT Devices: Raspberry Pi
- Others: Docker, Kafka, PostgreSQL Slow Query Log, etc.
Pricing: The cost of the paid version of Fluentd is included in the Fluent Commerce plan. The price varies based on order volume and inventory update frequency. For example, a 36-month contract with Fluent Commerce could cost $300,000.
Standout features:
- Extensive plugin ecosystem: Fluentd offers 500+ community-contributed plugins.
- Flexible data routing: Fluentd can route data to multiple destinations, such as files, RDBMS, NoSQL databases, IaaS, SaaS, and Hadoop.
- Specialized in log processing: Best for log processing and forwarding, ensuring efficient handling of large-scale log data and event flows across distributed systems.
Syslog-ng
Syslog-ng is an open-source log management program that provides a versatile solution for collecting, analyzing, and storing logs.
It enables you to collect data from multiple sources, then parse, classify, transform, and correlate logs into a single format before storing or forwarding them to systems such as Apache Kafka or Elasticsearch.
Capabilities:
- Classify and structure logs using built-in parsers like csv-parser
- Store logs in files, message queues (AMQP), or databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
- Forward to big data platforms, including Elasticsearch, Apache Kafka, or Hadoop
Distinct features:
- Automated log archiving: Syslog-ng can handle archiving 500k+ messages.
- Support for multiple message formats: It supports various log message formats, including RFC3164, RFC5424, and JSON.
Nagios
Nagios is a host/service/network monitoring application developed in C and licensed under the General Public License.
Its main product is a log server designed to streamline data gathering and make information more available to system administrators. The Nagios log server engine collects data in real-time and feeds it into a search tool.
The current version of Nagios is compatible with servers running Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Unix. A built-in setup wizard allows you to integrate with a new endpoint or application.
Distinct features:
- Monitoring features:
- Network service monitoring: Nagios can monitor network services such as SMTP, POP3, HTTP, and PING, with a focus on network infrastructure monitoring.
- Host resource monitoring: Nagios supports monitoring host resources, including processor load, disk utilization, and more, providing insights into the health of the monitored systems.
- Log management features:
- Automated log file rotation and archiving: Nagios automates log file rotation and archiving, helping with long-term log storage management.
- Geographic filtering for log data: Nagios supports geographic log filtering, allowing you to filter data by geographic origin and generate maps for traffic-flow analysis.
- Optional online interface: Nagios provides an optional web interface for viewing current network status, log files.
For guidance on choosing the right tool or service, check out our data-driven sources: log analysis software.
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