Top Azure Log Analytics Alternatives

Pinpointing issues in the heap of log data, moving from one server to another, and then performing troubleshooting is a cumbersome task that worries every developer. Amidst this endless cycle, a log aggregator comes handy in bringing together data from the entire infrastructure for central storage. Azure Log Analytics is one such log aggregator tool that helps to collect and store data from multiple log sources, then filter and manipulate it by conducting query processes. The Log Analytics queries can then be used to analyze the data to identify patterns and trends get other valuable insights from the data.

Monitor applications, infrastructure, and network

Whether you host your web applications on-premises or on Azure, you get detailed performance analysis reports with the help of Azure Log Analytics. It supports frameworks like Java, Node.js, .NET, etc. and integrates with Jira, PagerDuty, and Azure DevOps. All requests and response times, streams, and events can be tracked in real-time. From VMs to Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS), you can analyze and configure the performance on a single map and work towards improving the health of your infrastructure. Even without logging into your virtual machine, you can diagnose routing issues and monitor your network, thanks to Azure Log Analytics.

Collection of data with Azure Log Analytics

The Azure Log Analytics Platform can be configured to gather data from all possible sources. It collects Windows Event Log and Syslog, meaning information sent to the Windows and Linux event logging system, respectively. Custom logs from text files from both these systems are aggregated. It also takes into account numerical values measuring performance across various areas of an operating system. For IIS websites running on any guest Operating System, the usage data is collected as the IIS logs by Azure Log Analytics. It gathers the data and sends it to Azure Monitor Logs workspace.

Usage across multiple areas

You can use Log Analytics with Azure VMs as well as cloud and on-premise sources for solutions and services like Azure Monitor, Azure Automation, and Azure Security Centre. Data can be sent to multiple workspaces and System Center Operation Manager groups with Windows agent, thus enabling multihoming for up to four workspaces. However, it is limited to a single destination for Linux. As the Azure diagnostic extension in Azure Monitor also lets you collect and monitor data from Azure virtual machines, you can use either or both the Monitor and the Log Analytics, based on your specific requirements.