Filebeat Configuration Best Practices Tutorial

Filebeat, part of Elastic's libbeat framework, is a lightweight agent used for collecting, forwarding, and centralizing log data. It is typically installed on servers to monitor specified log files or locations, gathering log events and forwarding them to Elasticsearch for indexing or to Logstash for further processing. The configuration of Filebeat involves editing a YAML-based file that includes sections for modules, inputs, processors, and outputs. Each section allows users to define how log data is collected, processed, and where it is sent. Modules simplify the handling of common log formats, while inputs specify data sources, processors enable data manipulation, and outputs determine destinations. Filebeat supports various types of processors for data enhancement and filtering, offering flexibility in handling multiline logs and custom fields. When using Coralogix, specific configurations such as setting the Logstash output host and integrating parsing rules via the Coralogix UI are necessary. Several example configurations demonstrate Filebeat's adaptability in handling different log formats and processing needs.