The Best Syslog and Log Viewers

Utilize log data for a variety of purposes with these 8 syslog and log viewing tools.

There are several solutions available to assist you in automating the process of collating and comprehending the vast quantities of log data across your network. You can use log data to increase your administration capabilities and finish jobs that would otherwise be tough or require more complex solutions. Performance monitoring is the most typical usage of log parsing tools, but they can also be used for a variety of other remedial and monitoring activities.

Here is our list of the best Syslog and Log viewers:

1. SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server – FREE TRIAL Outstanding centralized syslog server solution that includes a variety of features that can enhance your mitigation, performance, error, and security detection, among other use cases.
2. ManageEngine EventLog Analyzer – FREE TRIAL Hardware and application log monitoring were merged into one unified system with an enterprise-level log parsing and analysis solution.
3. SolarWinds Loggly – FREE TRIAL Log data is the most effective way to monitor application performance. The integration and aggregation of APM data is the emphasis of this solution.
4. SolarWinds Papertrail – FREE TRIAL This is the third SolarWinds item on the list. This solution is a cost-effective option that includes the essentials of log parsing and analysis.
5. Graylog The open-source software allows you to add functionality in modules and upgrade to a premium version for more capabilities.
6. FirstWave opEvents A log management solution that uses log data to automate events. While the monitoring capabilities are a little rudimentary, this system is ideal for log-based mitigation.
7. XpoLog It's ideal for speedy fault identification in a live environment because it offers the greatest option for intelligent filtering and log searching, as well as automatic alerting.
8. Site24x7 A web-based monitoring platform that includes a syslog plugin for full log message monitoring.

Most of these capabilities are achieved through a syslog server, which acts as a centralized point on your network that receives and interprets all of your log messages.

By revealing the precise specifics of your running software and hardware, you may quickly identify any anomalies or otherwise slow bottlenecks on your network. Other features include automated remediation based on log data and the ability to complete specific tasks faster than a person by flagging and scripting log responses.

By identifying abnormal user-related data that appears within log files, security monitoring can be accomplished in a similar way to performance monitoring. Because log data is essentially accessible computer and network data, there are virtually endless possibilities for accessing and utilizing it — this article features 8 separate products that can collate and utilize your log data through a variety of means.

The Best Syslog and Log Viewers

1. SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server – FREE TRIAL

SolarWinds Kiwi Syslog Server can allow you to centrally manage your log messages from a single point, meaning you can receive real-time alerting and reports based on syslog data throughout your network infrastructure. From the platform, you can automatically archive and respond to messages through a secure system.

Key Features:

• The central syslog management server
• Real-time automation
• Log archives
• Remote and secure connection
• Advanced message filtering

The platform can receive data from a massive amount of Linux, UNIX, and Windows systems and flag potential issues on your network. Additionally, you establish email alerting or automatic response scripts, as well as a slew of other options to enhance your automation capabilities and quicken your mitigation response times.

Price: The product features a full 14-day free trial to test out the capabilities of the system on your network. The product itself is a single unlimited purchase that can process up to 2 million log messages per hour and costs $329 for the full product. There also exists a free edition that can handle up to 5 devices with limited capabilities but is perpetually free even after the trial period.

Download: https://www.solarwinds.com/kiwi-syslog-server

Start 14-day Free Trial!

2. ManageEngine EventLog Analyzer – FREE TRIAL

The ManageEngine EventLog Analyzer is an enterprise-level log parsing and analysis tool. The software solution focuses on merging logs from both hardware and application logs, such as switches and firewalls. The solution's scalable features and flexible buying choices make it ideal for a wide range of business sizes.

Key Features:

• In-depth auditing capabilities
• High-speed log processing
• Built-in incident management
• A wide variety of log sources included
• Custom data sources

This solution is particularly handy for network administrators who are responsible for a large number of network devices on the premises. The program has an inbuilt ticketing system that interfaces with a small number of helpdesk solutions, but it doesn't have much automation capability otherwise. The software's main focus is monitoring and analysis, with exceptional auditing and compliance reporting thrown in for good measure.

Three versions of EventLog Analyzer are available, with different levels of applicability for small, medium, and big enterprises. The Free edition is available indefinitely and supports up to five log sources, making it ideal for small organizations or testing the program in a test environment.

The Premium edition is $595 a year and supports up to 10,000 log sources, making it ideal for medium-large companies. Finally, the Distributed edition, which costs $2495 per year and allows an unlimited number of data sources across many geographical locations, is the enterprise version. You can assess your network's requirements with a 30-day free trial\.

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3. SolarWinds Loggly – FREE TRIAL

SolarWinds Loggly is a log parsing and analysis solution that interacts with a range of sources and is based on APM (Application Performance Management). While the data sources are live on your systems, you may quickly compare performance data using the provided charts and system overview.

Key Features:

• APM integrated log analysis
• Customizable dashboard
• Scalable full-stack log management
• Automated log summaries
• Built-in email alerting

The solution can gather data from a variety of sources and scan log data to assess a large number of performance metrics. As a result, this method is suited for performance-oriented log analysis. However, it lacks the automation that numerous other solutions provide. In terms of specializing in performance analysis, this solution is undoubtedly one of the best featured in this article.

Price: Loggly is compatible with a wide range of data sources, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Amazon Cloudwatch, Python, Ruby, Unity 3D, and more. There is a 30-day free trial of all available components. For $79 per month, you can get the log management and analytics solution as part of the SolarWinds APM Integrated Experience. If you're serious about APM, consider adding some other capabilities to your purchase, such as Real User Monitoring or Infrastructure monitoring, which operate in conjunction with the Loggly component.

Download: https://www.loggly.com/

Start 30-day Free Trial!

4. SolarWinds Papertrail – FREE 50MB/month

SolarWinds Papertrail is a cost-effective alternative to SolarWinds Loggly. While it lacks the functionality of other SolarWinds solutions, the software is available in a completely free edition and can still function as an effectively free syslog server. Although the interface is simple, it retains the professional look and feels associated with SolarWind products.

Key Features:

• Free, with premium upgrades available
• Small installation
• Log searching and filtering
• Trend detection
• Team features

To enhance performance monitoring, the application may collect and filter logs, as well as perform trend analysis and alert detection. This solution is ideal if you require a low-cost solution or are interested in Soldwinds log analyzer products but do not require any of the more premium features.

Price: The software is available for free download and installation from the SolarWinds website. For up to 50MB of aggregate data per month, the solution is free. As a premium feature, you can increase the amount of data handling, with options ranging from 1GB to 25GB and custom plans available for larger amounts.

Download: https://www.papertrail.com/

Start with 50 MB/month Free!

 5. Graylog

Graylog is a centralized log management solution built on open-source principles, and as a result, is capable of serving a variety of functions. Security, dev-ops, and general IT administration are among the use-cases covered by the system, which includes multiple log analyses, additional features, and management capabilities.

Key Features:

• Open-source with premium options available
• Modular content packs
• Customizable dashboard
• Broad subset of use-cases
• Fast data querying and filtering

It comes in two flavors: a commercial version and a free, open-source version that may be downloaded from the company's website. It can be set up to function as a syslog server within your network. Furthermore, the system makes use of modular content packs that may be used to shape the capabilities of your analysis environment, such as AD auditing or response automation.

Graylog is only available for Linux, but it may accept a wide range of log sources, thanks to its open-source support, which expands development and integration options.

The open-source solution is free, but you'll have to contact Graylog directly for a specific quote on cost. Both the Enterprise and Illuminate options improve on the software's basic capabilities and vastly enhance the software's possible functions while maintaining the open-source basis.

 6. FirstWave opEvents

FirstWave's opEvents is a log parsing and analysis tool that focuses on the ability to automate events and administrative chores. Overall, the software is quite useful for individuals who want to get the most out of their log data, but it isn't as good for those who want to analyze or monitor their log data from a central location, as is the case with several other options in this article.

Key Features:

• Event automation and remediation
• Custom notification settings
• Central monitoring dashboard
• Custom data sources
• Data filtering

It's suitable for monitoring log traffic because of the customizable notifications and basic dashboard, and the custom source and automation systems allow you to remediate using log data.

For up to 20 nodes, opEvents is free to download from their website. They also provide a 30-day free trial that may be started directly from the software. Additional node licenses can be acquired to expand your capabilities. The software is only accessible in a Linux version, however, it can be virtualized on Windows if necessary.

7. XpoLog

XpoLog is an extremely comprehensive log analysis tool with extensive automation and detection features that is suitable for speedy real-time fault and anomaly identification. It is part of the XPLG product package. A powerful search engine is also included in the software, which can intelligently filter your log data for quick troubleshooting.

Key Features:

• Automatic data parsing
• Anomaly detection and alerting
• Intelligent filtering with function-based searching
• Data visualization and dashboards
• Broad data-source integration

If you need to leverage log parsing and analysis for speedy defect identification in a live, large-scale environment, this solution is ideal. It's easy to integrate with a variety of unique data sources, and it's simple to deploy and set up.

The software is available as part of the whole XPLG product package or separately from the website. The licensing charges vary depending on log data, with the cheapest edition costing $83 per month for 1GB of data every day. XpoLog, unlike the majority of the other solutions on our list, provides limitless data retention and data sources, regardless of how much log data you're paying for.

They provide a free version of the whole XPLG product suite, which includes XpoLog, with a daily data limit of 500MB and a three-day data retention period. A full 30-day free trial is included in the Introduction edition. If you need to test the application in a live environment, either approach may be ideal.

8. Site24x7

Site24x7 is a web-based monitoring solution that includes a syslog plugin, making integration a breeze. The platform can collect log monitoring data from syslog servers and monitor all standard metrics.

Key Features:

• Python plugin for easy integration
• Top application data aggregation
• Monitoring dashboards
• Service and process monitoring
• Flexible pricing

Through AppLogs, the plugin required for syslog monitoring, you can aggregate data to monitor your top applications and host data, and SSH logins, among other data. Furthermore, site24x7 offers a customizable pricing strategy that allows you to precisely tailor your service requirements.

For ten monitored servers/websites/cloud instances, the Infrastructure Monitoring plan costs $10 per month. To estimate your specific service requirements, you can add additional samples in groups of 10, 50, and 500. Site24x7 also offers a 30-day free trial to assist you to get acquainted with the platform's syslog monitoring capabilities.

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