Filebeat
Filebeat is a lightweight, open-source log data shipper that collects, parses, and forwards log files from servers and applications to centralized storage or analysis systems like Elasticsearch, Logstash, or Kafka. It is part of the Elastic Stack (formerly ELK Stack) and is designed for reliability and low resource consumption, making it ideal for real-time log monitoring and analysis in distributed environments.
Developers should use Filebeat when they need to aggregate logs from multiple sources (e.g., web servers, databases, applications) into a centralized system for monitoring, troubleshooting, or security analysis. It is particularly valuable in microservices architectures, cloud deployments, and DevOps workflows where real-time log insights are critical for performance optimization and incident response.