Kiwi Syslog Server vs syslog-ng

Kiwi Syslog Server is self-hosted software for collecting and managing syslog messages, SNMP traps, and Windows event logs in a central console. It gathers data from network devices and Linux, UNIX, and Windows systems, with filters for hostname, IP address, priority, time, source, and message text. Rules can send email alerts, run scripts, forward messages, or write logs to files or ODBC databases. Its scheduler can archive and clean up logs, including compressing, encrypting, moving, renaming, and deleting them. SolarWinds lists integrations including Loggly, Network Performance Monitor, Papertrail, Security Event Manager, and Splunk. Kiwi Syslog Server NG supports secure TCP syslog using TLS and certificate-based server authentication. The complete trial runs for 14 days without a credit card. The listed Free Edition is free, but SolarWinds currently marks it “Coming Soon”; it is limited to five network devices, a 500 message buffer, and 10 display windows. The Licensed Edition is listed at $999, paid once.

syslog-ng collects infrastructure logs, processes them, and routes or stores them for analysis. Its free Open Source Edition can collect, parse, classify, rewrite, and correlate logs before sending them to analysis tools or storing them. Premium Edition adds filtering and real-time pattern correlation to reduce and normalize log data, plus disk buffering, client-side failover, and application-layer acknowledgements. It supports TLS-encrypted transfer and encrypted log storage with X.509 certificates for mutual authentication. Store Box offers access-controlled search and custom reports that can help with compliance work. Listed destinations include Elasticsearch, Hadoop, Kafka, MongoDB, SQL databases, Redis, Splunk, and SIEM tools. Premium licensing is based on Log Source Hosts, with annual support available; Store Box licensing depends on Log Source Hosts and hardware configuration. Open Source Edition is GPL/LGPL licensed and community supported. Commercial customers can access certified engineers and support services; Premium Edition and Store Box offer free trials.