Nagios Log Server vs. SolarWinds Papertrail

Nagios Log Server facilitates the ability to search all entries of logs in a quick and easy way. Beyond that, it has allowed us to configure alerts for notification when there are potential threats (may they be security threats or only application-side problems), and to filter the data for audits and compliance.

Incentivized

As a 3rd party endpoint, SolarWinds Papertrail did exactly what it needed to. My hesitation is on the technical aptitude of the colleague receiving the recommendation, as the overall level of command line skill/understanding would have to be high. Web applications are a great solution here, but MOST of them already provide some sort of logging output. The scenario would definitely be in the situation where logging wasn't readily available in the current solution space. IF something like SolarWinds Papertrail was needed, it's probably the de facto thing that I would recommend.

Incentivized

• Log auditing.
• Server monitoring.

Incentivized

• Free configuration on how Papertrail will alert you
• Easy to setup with your server/application
• Very intuitive and easy to use
• Fair pricing policy/plan

Incentivized

• A bit hard to install and configure.
• High price.

Incentivized

• The CLI was a bit clunky and required some Linux-y thought to get right (obviously more designed with scripting in mind)
• Tracking logs in real time (think something like `tail`) wasn't wildly intuitive
• Accessing/searching archives required a lot of CLI-style pulling/extracting/reg-exing

Incentivized

We are definitely going to continue using Papertrail. It's been a lifesaver.

Incentivized

It's extremely easy to use. I and new colleagues have never had any issues configuring this tool or setting it up, it works almost out of the box with very simple instructions to follow to configure it to our own environment. I would highly recommend it on that ability alone.

Incentivized

Nagios support is decent. Nothing bad to say about them, but nothing extraordinary too. We mostly asked them questions instead of actively asking them to change or fix things for us. The response time is OK, commonly you can get a response in the same day. You can also call, but they are available only during US office hours.

Incentivized

I honestly have never had the need to use the support team, as we have not run into any issues so far. If we did however, judging from how the tool itself works, I don't doubt that the team would provide excellent support for any issues that we may possibly run into.

Incentivized

Windows Event Log doesn't have 10% of the capabilities of Nagios Log Server. No real-time alerts, no scheduling, no external plugins or APIs. Nothing. The only advantage is that it is a native Windows application.

Incentivized

CloudWatch, by itself, is terrible at search. CloudWatch Insights works great and has powerful search capabilities, but it's more difficult to set up alerts. Also, because Insights charges per search, you have the potential to accumulate a large bill if you need to do many searches. I like that SolarWinds Papertrail has a known monthly cost.

Incentivized

• We could react in way less time to a lot of potential outages since we started using it.

Incentivized

• SolarWinds Papertrail cost compared to the benefits it provides is a win.
• When the logs are flooded, and the monthly limits are reached, the failure to post new logs may be a significant drawback.
• The great search/filter capabilities is key for speedy and precise debugging of incidents that may happen during testing and operation.

Incentivized