Logstash

Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted

What Logstash is

Logstash is an open-source, server-side pipeline for ingesting data from multiple sources, transforming it, and routing it to destinations. It can continuously collect logs, metrics, web application and data-store information, and data from AWS services. Filters parse events, identify fields, and transform them, with features for grok parsing, IP geolocation, and anonymizing or excluding sensitive fields. Data can go to multiple outputs, including Elasticsearch as a common destination. Its pluggable framework has over 200 input, filter, and output plugins, and custom plugins can be built using its API and plugin generator. Persistent queues support at-least-once delivery for in-flight events if nodes fail; a dead letter queue can hold events for inspection and replay. Monitoring features show pipeline performance and availability. Logstash supports log pipelines, structured parsing, live tailing, and archive export. It is self-hosted, with Linux packages and Docker among the listed installation options. The default distribution costs nothing under the Elastic License. A 14-day trial is offered for deploying it on Elastic Cloud Serverless without a credit card.

Who it suits

Logstash suits teams that need to collect, transform, and route data through self-hosted pipelines. It offers monitoring and queue features, with documentation and a community forum for questions.

What it does well

Over 200 input, filter, and output plugins
Routes data to multiple outputs
Persistent queues support at-least-once delivery
Includes monitoring and pipeline viewing

What to know first

Listed deployment option is self-hosted
14-day trial applies to Elastic Cloud Serverless deployment

Limits

The default distribution is free under the Elastic License. The listed hosted Elastic Cloud Serverless trial lasts 14 days; the pricing note also lists a 30-day trial.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Logstash default distribution	Full set of free features · governed by the Elastic License	Free

As elastic.co lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit https://www.elastic.co/logstash and consult the Logstash documentation.
Choose a Linux x86_64 package, apt or yum package, or Docker container.
Install and run Logstash in a self-hosted deployment.
Configure inputs, filters, and outputs for the data sources and destinations.
Use the 14-day Elastic Cloud Serverless trial if you want to try that hosted deployment; no credit card is required.

Verdict

Logstash supports varied inputs, transformations, and outputs, with queues for handling events during failures. Its listed deployment route is self-hosted, while the trial applies to Elastic Cloud Serverless.

Questions

Is Logstash free?

Yes. The Logstash default distribution is free under the Elastic License.

What does Logstash do?

It ingests data from multiple sources, transforms it, and sends it to destinations. It supports pipelines, structured parsing, live log tailing, and archive export.

Where can I deploy Logstash?

Self-hosted is the listed deployment option. Linux x86_64 packages, apt and yum packages, and Docker containers are listed as installation routes.

Does Logstash have a free trial?

Yes. The download page offers a 14-day trial for deploying Logstash hosted on Elastic Cloud Serverless, with no credit card required. The pricing note lists a 30-day trial.

Can Logstash send data to multiple destinations?

Yes. It can route data to multiple outputs, with Elasticsearch identified as a common destination.

Where can I get help with Logstash?

The product page directs users to Logstash documentation and a community forum.

Facts from Logstash's own pages

Archive export: Yes · elastic.co, 20 Sept 2026
Compliance: Elastic's Trust Center lists certifications and standards including FedRAMP, PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Deployment options: self-hosted · elastic.co, 20 Sept 2026
Free plan: Yes · elastic.co, 20 Sept 2026
Installation: The download page lists Linux x86_64, apt and yum package managers, and Docker containers. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Integrations: Elastic describes turn-key integrations for connecting data sources and ingesting logs, metrics, traces, files, web content, and security events. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Live log tailing: Yes · elastic.co, 20 Sept 2026
Log pipelines: Yes · elastic.co, 20 Sept 2026
Monitoring: Monitoring and Pipeline Viewer features let users observe an active Logstash node or deployment, including pipeline performance and availability. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Outputs: Logstash can route data to multiple outputs, with Elasticsearch identified as a common destination. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Parsing and transformation: Filters parse events, identify fields, and transform data; features include grok parsing, IP geolocation, and anonymizing or excluding sensitive fields. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Plugins: Its pluggable framework includes over 200 input, filter, and output plugins, and custom plugins can be built using its API and plugin generator. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Purpose: Logstash is an open source server-side data processing pipeline that ingests data from multiple sources, transforms it, and sends it to a destination. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Release: The download page lists version 9.5.5, released October 6, 2026. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Reliability: Persistent queues provide at-least-once delivery for in-flight events if nodes fail, and a dead letter queue can hold events for inspection and replay. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Security: The product page says ingest pipelines can be secured and describes built-in security features for Pipeline Management UI controls. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Streaming inputs: It can continuously ingest logs, metrics, web application data, data store data, and data from various AWS services. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Structured log parsing: Yes · elastic.co, 20 Sept 2026
Support resources: The product page directs users to Logstash documentation and a community forum for questions. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026
Trial: The download page offers a 14-day free trial for deploying Logstash hosted on Elastic Cloud Serverless, with no credit card required. · elastic.co, 9 Oct 2026

Where Logstash stands on Freedom251

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