June 2017 Summaries

Filebeat and Logstash, both integral components of the ELK Stack, serve distinct roles in logging pipelines, with Filebeat acting as a lightweight log shipper and Logstash providing data transformation and aggregation. While Filebeat is valued for its low memory footprint and efficiency, especially since the development of Beats, Logstash has faced criticism for its resource-intensive nature, largely due to its reliance on JVM. Despite their differences, they are often employed together to leverage Filebeat's log shipping capabilities and Logstash's transformation functions. However, with the advent of cloud-native environments, tools like Fluentd and FluentBit are increasingly being favored over Filebeat and Logstash due to their greater efficiency and compatibility. The article also highlights a trend towards using alternative technologies such as OpenSearch and Fluentd, as well as managed services like Logz.io, which offer a more streamlined and resource-efficient approach to log management and observability.

The Logz.io DevOps Pulse is conducting its second annual survey to assess changes and trends in the DevOps industry over the past year, following up on its 2016 findings that highlighted the mainstream acceptance of open source, the less-than-expected popularity of cloud-based infrastructure, and a shift towards microservices. The 2017 survey aims to delve into new areas such as DevOps culture, security, and cost management while also exploring topics like salary, serverless architecture, cloud infrastructure, security monitoring tools, and challenges in DevOps implementation. Participants are encouraged to contribute to the survey to enhance the accuracy of the results, with assurances of anonymity and a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Results will be shared in the coming weeks, and participants will receive them via email.

In a detailed analysis, Roi Ravhon explores the cost-effectiveness and performance of using different Amazon EBS disk types for Elasticsearch clusters on AWS, comparing the new ST1 and SC1 magnetic disks with the GP2 disks under various instance configurations. Conducted with support from Amazon’s EBS team, the study utilized a custom benchmarking tool designed to simulate log indexing and Kibana searches, aiming to identify the optimal disk and instance pairings for log analysis workloads. The tests, focused on m4 instance types, revealed that SC1 disks, despite being the slowest, unexpectedly provided superior search performance, particularly under certain configurations, and highlighted the potential for significant cost savings without sacrificing performance. The findings challenge the conventional wisdom of relying solely on SSDs for Elasticsearch clusters, suggesting that EBS disks can offer a viable and cost-effective alternative, although further validation in a production environment is planned.

The blog post by Daniel Berman discusses how to analyze and visualize OSSEC alerts within the ELK Stack, specifically using Kibana. It explains how to map and display JSON-formatted OSSEC alerts in Kibana's Discover page by adding key fields like "rule.xxx" and hostname to gain insights into the data. Users can perform both free-text and field-level searches to identify specific alerts, and Kibana supports a variety of query types. The post further details creating visualizations, such as pie charts for the top OSSEC agents, line charts for alert trends over time, and geographical maps to depict the origins of intrusion attempts. It emphasizes the capability to compile these visualizations into a comprehensive OSSEC dashboard using ELK Apps, which includes a pre-made dashboard for OSSEC alerts. The article also highlights Wazuh's web app for managing and monitoring their infrastructure and previews the next series installment, focusing on Logz.io's alerting mechanism for OSSEC events.

In the aftermath of notable data breaches, such as the Edmodo hack and Yahoo's 2013 breach, the need for integrated security in software development has become increasingly crucial. Rugged DevOps and DevSecOps methodologies are introduced to embed security into every stage of the software release process, thereby transforming the traditional role of security teams from being a bottleneck to a facilitator of rapid and safe delivery. DevSecOps emphasizes the shared responsibility of security across all team members, starting with secure coding practices, and extending through automated security testing and continuous delivery processes. The approach also stresses the importance of log analysis for identifying security breaches and encourages the use of automated tools for maintaining security postures. Despite the challenges of transitioning to DevSecOps, such as resistance from developers and security engineers, the approach promises reduced remediation time and improved security by continuously addressing vulnerabilities. However, while DevSecOps enhances security, it does not guarantee absolute protection against evolving threats, necessitating ongoing adaptation and certification by security professionals.

In a world where staying current with tech trends is crucial, podcasts have emerged as a dynamic medium for learning, especially within the DevOps community. PJ Hagerty highlights his top five DevOps podcasts, emphasizing their role in disseminating the latest developments and best practices. The list includes "DevOps Cafe," known for its insightful discussions despite an irregular schedule; "Continuous Discussions," which offers diverse perspectives through panel discussions; "ThoughtWorks," which, while not solely DevOps-focused, provides valuable insights into tech philosophies; "DevOps Mastery," which explores optimal practices in DevOps; and "Arrested DevOps," which stands out for its comprehensive coverage of best practices and expert contributions. Hagerty underscores the accessibility and portability of podcasts as key advantages for those seeking to keep abreast of the rapidly evolving DevOps landscape.