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Log Management · head to head

Fluentd vs Kibana

Fluentd logo

Fluentd

Log Management

Open Source Data Collector for Unified Logging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kibana logo

Kibana

Log Management

Visualize Your Elasticsearch Data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Kibana requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool
  • They diverge on capability: Fluentd covers Log collection, Kibana covers Data visualization.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fluentd and Kibana actually diverge.

Attributes where Fluentd and Kibana differ
AttributeFluentdKibana

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Log Management), 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 Kibana

  • Data visualization
  • Dashboard creation
  • Log discovery
  • Alerting

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 Kibana
  • Parsing and transforming log records before forwardingnot Kibana
  • Aggregating logs from containers into Elasticsearch, S3 or a SIEMnot Kibana

Kibana

  • Querying and visualising data held in Elasticsearchnot Fluentd
  • Dashboards over log and metric datanot Fluentd
  • Anomaly detection with machine learning jobsnot Fluentd
  • Geospatial analysis on indexed location datanot Fluentd
  • Alerting on query thresholdsnot 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

Kibana

  • Requires Elasticsearch; it is a front end for data held there rather than a standalone analytics tool
  • Self-managed means running and scaling the Elastic stack yourself
  • Cost is not Kibana's own; it follows whichever Elastic deployment sits underneath

Pricing, plan by plan

Fluentd

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Log collection
    • Data parsing
    • Filtering and buffering

Kibana

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Data visualization
    • Dashboard creation
    • Log discovery

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.
Fluentd review

Choose Kibana if

  • You need data visualization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want dashboard creation.
Kibana review

Questions people ask

Is Fluentd or Kibana better?
Neither clearly leads. Fluentd starts at Free and Kibana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fluentd or Kibana?
Fluentd starts at Free and Kibana at Free.
Does Fluentd or Kibana 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 Kibana is typically brought in for.
What can Fluentd do that Kibana cannot?
Fluentd covers Log collection, Data parsing, Filtering and buffering, Event routing. Kibana covers Data visualization, Dashboard creation, Log discovery, Alerting. Both handle API, Webhooks, REST, Web support.
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Related pages

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