syslog-ng vs Telegraf
syslog-ng
syslog-ng.comTelegraf
influxdata.comSide by side
| Figure | syslog-ng | Telegraf |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $1,500/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 4 |
| Spec score · Telemetry Pipeline Software | 8.7 (#2) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Company legal name | Crunchbase lists the maker as One Identity LLC, a private company headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, with 501–1,000 employees. | Crunchbase identifies the maker's legal name as InfluxData, Inc. |
| Documentation depth | The documentation center contains searchable administration and developer guides, contribution instructions, mailing-list support and GitHub issue tracking. | The project documentation includes installation, configuration, tutorials, reference material and per-plugin README files with configuration and troubleshooting details. |
| Headquarters | Aliso Viejo, California, United States | San Francisco, California, United States |
| License | The public project combines LGPL and GPL licensing: core reusable code is generally LGPL 2.1-or-later while many modules are GPLv2-or-later. | The Telegraf repository and license file identify the software as MIT licensed. |
| Purpose | syslog-ng collects logs from infrastructure sources, processes them, and routes or stores them for analysis. | Telegraf is an open source agent for collecting metrics from infrastructure, applications, and devices. |
| Security | Premium Edition supports TLS-encrypted transfer and encrypted log storage, with X.509 certificates for host and server mutual authentication. | The maker says open source Telegraf has no native access control; Enterprise adds RBAC, API tokens, and TLS support. |
| Support | Commercial customers can access certified engineers, global coverage, and support services; Open Source Edition users are directed to community support and documentation. | Enterprise Support offers Gold-level SLAs, expert troubleshooting for Telegraf Controller and official plugins, and guaranteed response times. |
| What it does | syslog-ng is an enhanced log daemon that receives syslog, unstructured text, message queues, SQL and NoSQL data and routes or stores it. | Telegraf is an open-source agent that collects infrastructure, application and device metrics and sends them to destinations through plugins. |
Plans
syslog-ng
- syslog-ng Open Source EditionFree
- syslog-ng Premium Edition trialFree
- Syslog-ng Basic$2,800, paid once
- syslog-ng Premium EditionPriced on request
- syslog-ng Premium Edition MarketplacePriced on request
- syslog-ng Store BoxPriced on request
Telegraf
- Telegraf (open source)Free
- Telegraf OSSFree
- Telegraf Enterprise$18,000 a year
- Telegraf Enterprise$18,000 a year
In their own words
syslog-ng
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.