Software · head to head
Fluentd vs Filebeat
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fluentd fluentd needs more than 60 MB of memory at runtime, against roughly 450 KB for Fluent Bit; Filebeat filebeat ships only as part of the Elastic Stack and has no standalone commercial license; using it in production requires deploying Elasticsearch and typically Kibana alongside it.
- They diverge on capability: Fluentd covers Log collection, Filebeat covers File tailing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fluentd and Filebeat actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2011).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Fluentd
- Log collection
- Data parsing
- Filtering and buffering
- Event routing
Only in Filebeat
- File tailing
- Log forwarding
- Event parsing
- Input harvesting
Both cover
- API
- Webhooks
- REST
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fluentd
- Unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinationsnot Filebeat
- Parsing and transforming log records before forwardingnot Filebeat
- Aggregating logs from containers into Elasticsearch, S3 or a SIEMnot Filebeat
Filebeat
- Log monitoringnot Fluentd
- Application performancenot Fluentd
- Security analyticsnot Fluentd
- Troubleshootingnot Fluentd
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fluentd
- Fluentd needs more than 60 MB of memory at runtime, against roughly 450 KB for Fluent Bit
- Fluentd is built as a Ruby gem and depends on other gems, so a Ruby runtime is required
- Its capability comes from over 1,000 external plugins rather than built in functionality, so each added input or output is a separate dependency
- The Fluent Bit documentation states that cloud providers have switched from Fluentd to Fluent Bit for performance and compatibility and calls Fluent Bit the next generation solution
Filebeat
- Filebeat ships only as part of the Elastic Stack and has no standalone commercial license; using it in production requires deploying Elasticsearch and typically Kibana alongside it.
Pricing, plan by plan
Fluentd
Free- FreeFree
- Log collection
- Data parsing
- Filtering and buffering
Filebeat
Free- FreeFree
- File tailing
- Log forwarding
- Event parsing
Which should you pick?
Choose Fluentd if
- You need log collection.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want data parsing.
Choose Filebeat if
- You need file tailing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want log forwarding.
Questions people ask
- Is Fluentd or Filebeat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fluentd starts at Free and Filebeat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fluentd or Filebeat?
- Fluentd starts at Free and Filebeat at Free.
- Does Fluentd or Filebeat run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Fluentd for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Fluentd best used for?
- Fluentd is most often used for unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinations, parsing and transforming log records before forwarding, aggregating logs from containers into elasticsearch, s3 or a siem. Of those, unified log collection and routing from many sources to many destinations and parsing and transforming log records before forwarding are not what Filebeat is typically brought in for.
- What can Fluentd do that Filebeat cannot?
- Fluentd covers Log collection, Data parsing, Filtering and buffering, Event routing. Filebeat covers File tailing, Log forwarding, Event parsing, Input harvesting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.