ELK vs Wazuh: What are the differences?

Introduction

ELK and Wazuh are two popular open-source software solutions commonly used in the domain of cybersecurity. Although both ELK and Wazuh serve the purpose of log management and analysis, they differ in various aspects. This section will highlight the key differences between ELK and Wazuh.

1. Scalability and Flexibility: ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana) is known for its scalability and flexibility. It is designed to handle a massive amount of data, making it suitable for large-scale environments. On the other hand, Wazuh is primarily designed for smaller and mid-sized environments and may have limitations when it comes to scaling.

2. Log Management vs. Security Monitoring: ELK primarily focuses on log management, allowing users to collect, store, and analyze logs from various sources. It provides a powerful search and visualization toolset. In contrast, Wazuh is focused on security monitoring and intrusion detection. It includes security-oriented features such as file integrity monitoring, log analysis for detecting security incidents, and real-time threat detection.

3. Alerting and Notification: ELK does not natively provide built-in alerting and notification capabilities. However, it can be integrated with other tools or plugins to enable alerting functionality. On the other hand, Wazuh comes with built-in alerting and notification features. It can generate alerts based on predefined rules and send notifications to relevant stakeholders.

4. Log Collection Methods: ELK can collect logs from various sources using different methods such as log files, syslog, Beats, and more. It provides flexibility in log collection and analysis. In contrast, Wazuh has a built-in agent that can be installed on the monitored hosts. This agent collects logs and sends them to the Wazuh manager for analysis.

5. Use Cases and Focus: ELK is often used for log analysis, operational monitoring, and generating insights from data. It is commonly used in IT operations, DevOps, and business intelligence. On the other hand, Wazuh is primarily used for security monitoring, threat detection, and compliance. It is commonly used in security operations centers (SOC), incident response teams, and compliance-focused environments.

6. Ease of Use and Configuration: ELK may require advanced knowledge and configuration skills to set up and maintain. It has a steeper learning curve compared to Wazuh. Wazuh, on the other hand, provides a relatively easier installation process and simpler configuration. It has a user-friendly interface that aids in ease of use and management.

In summary, ELK is known for its scalability, flexibility, and log management capabilities, while Wazuh focuses on security monitoring, alerting, and threat detection. ELK is commonly used in operational and analytics domains, whereas Wazuh finds its application in security-focused environments.