A first Wazuh deployment can collect endpoint data, analyze it for configured alerts, and make results searchable in a dashboard. For a small lab, Wazuh’s all-in-one Quickstart puts the server, indexer, and dashboard on one host; you then install agents on the systems you want to monitor. Treat the dashboard as a starting point for investigation—not proof that every threat will be detected.
How Wazuh turns endpoint data into alerts
Wazuh has three central components, plus agents on monitored endpoints. Each component has a distinct job:
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- Wazuh agent: Runs on a monitored laptop, desktop, server, cloud instance, container, or virtual machine and sends collected data to the server.
- Wazuh server: Analyzes data received from agents, manages agent configuration and status, and triggers alerts when configured rules identify threats or anomalies. Filebeat forwards alerts and archived events to the indexer.
- Wazuh indexer: Stores and indexes alerts, enabling near-real-time search and analytics.
- Wazuh dashboard: Provides the web interface for exploring security events and related data.
Wazuh describes itself as free and open source; its Quickstart identifies GNU General Public License version 2 and Apache License version 2.0 among the component licenses. See the Wazuh Quickstart for the current details.
Choose all-in-one or distributed deployment
| Approach | What it means | Best fit and trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| All-in-one | Server, indexer, and dashboard run on one host. | Wazuh’s Quickstart option for a first lab or small environment. It is simpler to set up, but shares host resources and does not separate component failures. |
| Distributed | Central components run on separate hosts; server and indexer can also be configured as clusters. | Consider it for larger environments, scalability, availability, or load distribution. It requires additional configuration, including certificates and node coordination. |
| Wazuh Cloud | Wazuh provides the central service as a ready-to-use SaaS offering. | May suit teams that do not want to provide and manage central-component infrastructure. The cited documentation does not establish a price comparison with self-management. |
Wazuh says its all-in-one Quickstart is usually enough for up to 100 endpoints and 90 days of queryable, indexed alert data. That is a planning estimate, not a guarantee: event rates, endpoint types, enabled data sources, and retention all affect resource needs. For distributed options, start with the Wazuh installation guide and component-specific procedures.
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What hardware does a first Wazuh deployment need?
For an all-in-one installation, Wazuh publishes these recommendations for its 90-day Quickstart scenario:
| Agents | CPU | Memory | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–25 | 4 vCPU | 8 GiB RAM | 50 GB |
| 26–50 | 8 vCPU | 8 GiB RAM | 100 GB |
| 51–100 | 8 vCPU | 8 GiB RAM | 200 GB |
These are Wazuh recommendations in its current Quickstart documentation, not universal capacity guarantees. Allow for your own workload and retention needs, and monitor the host after agents begin sending data. A generic Linux-capable lab host is suitable only if its available CPU, memory, usable storage, and Linux support meet the requirements for your intended deployment.
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For planning a distributed installation, Wazuh’s component pages give separate per-node reference figures. The minimum and recommended values differ by component:
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|---|---|---|
| Wazuh server | 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM | 8 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM |
| Wazuh indexer | 2 cores, 4 GB RAM | 8 cores, 16 GB RAM |
| Wazuh dashboard | 2 cores, 4 GB RAM | 4 cores, 8 GB RAM |
These component figures are reference recommendations for individual nodes; they are not substitutes for the all-in-one Quickstart sizing table. Check the live server, indexer, and dashboard documentation for the release and architecture you plan to deploy.
Install the central components
For a first self-managed lab, follow Wazuh’s current Quickstart, which uses an installation assistant for an all-in-one deployment. Installation commands, package versions, supported distributions, and generated credentials can change, so use the live instructions rather than copying an old command from a tutorial.
Wazuh’s central components support 64-bit Intel, AMD, or ARM Linux architectures; the specific supported distributions and versions are listed in the live component documentation. For separated hosts or clusters, use the installation guide for each component. The indexer procedure includes certificate creation, node installation, and cluster initialization; certificates encrypt communication among central components. Configure the dashboard to reach the Wazuh server using the current instructions.
The initial dashboard browser session may show a certificate warning when its certificate is not trusted. Follow Wazuh’s certificate guidance: import the generated root CA or configure a certificate from a trusted authority. Do not treat bypassing a trust warning as normal setup.
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Add agents and confirm they connect
Once the central services are running, install the appropriate Wazuh agent on each system in scope. The agent guide covers Linux, Windows, macOS, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX. Use the relevant operating-system procedure in the agent installation documentation; package and enrollment steps depend on the endpoint platform and current Wazuh release.
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- Define scope: List the endpoints you want monitored and identify their operating systems.
- Install the agent: Follow the matching agent setup instructions, including the server address and enrollment or registration steps required by your configuration.
- Check agent status: Confirm in the Wazuh interface that each agent has connected and is reporting data.
- Verify incoming events: Explore the dashboard for data from the endpoints before relying on it for operational monitoring.
A connected agent is a necessary first check, not evidence that every desired data source is enabled or that every relevant activity will generate an alert.
Find security events in the dashboard
The dashboard can visualize security events, detected vulnerabilities, file integrity monitoring data, configuration assessment results, cloud infrastructure monitoring events, and regulatory compliance standards. Use the available views to find events from your enrolled endpoints, then inspect the underlying alert details and investigate anything that warrants attention. The dashboard documentation describes its capabilities.
What becomes visible depends on the telemetry collected, endpoint configuration, and rules that analyze it. Wazuh provides collection and analysis capabilities; it does not guarantee comprehensive threat detection or replace investigation and response work. Decide which systems and data sources matter, validate that they are reporting, and review whether alerts provide useful coverage for your environment.
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After deployment, monitor the server’s documented state counters. Wazuh says the values below should be zero in a properly functioning environment; nonzero values can indicate that capacity is insufficient, and its server guidance suggests adding cluster nodes if they are not zero.
/var/ossec/var/run/wazuh-analysisd.state:events_droppedindicates events dropped due to resource limits./var/ossec/var/run/wazuh-remoted.state:discarded_countindicates discarded agent messages.
Use Wazuh’s server administration documentation for the current guidance on interpreting these files. If a counter is nonzero, investigate resource pressure and event volume rather than assuming the dashboard contains a complete record.
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