Azure Application Insights vs Splunk

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Azure Application Insights

337
281
+ 1
11
Splunk

596
992
+ 1
20
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Azure Application Insights vs Splunk: What are the differences?

Introduction

Azure Application Insights and Splunk are both popular tools used in the field of application monitoring and management. While they serve similar purposes, there are several key differences that set them apart. In this article, we will explore the main differences between Azure Application Insights and Splunk.

  1. Data Storage: One of the primary differences between Azure Application Insights and Splunk is their data storage approach. Azure Application Insights stores its data in the cloud, providing scalability and easy access for analysis. On the other hand, Splunk offers on-premises data storage, giving organizations full control and privacy over their data.

  2. Integration with Azure: Azure Application Insights is deeply integrated with the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. It provides out-of-the-box integration with Azure services and resources, making it seamless to gather telemetry data from various Azure applications. In contrast, Splunk is a standalone tool that can be integrated with different systems and platforms, including Azure, but requires additional configuration and setup.

  3. Ease of Use: Azure Application Insights is designed with ease of use in mind. It offers a user-friendly interface, pre-built dashboards, and quick setup options, allowing users to start monitoring their applications with minimal effort. Splunk, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve and may require more technical expertise to set up and configure.

  4. Query Language: Another significant difference lies in the query language used by the two tools. Azure Application Insights utilizes a query language called Kusto Query Language (KQL), which is specifically designed for querying large amounts of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data. Splunk uses its proprietary search language, which has its own syntax and features, making it different from other query languages.

  5. Pricing Model: The pricing models of Azure Application Insights and Splunk also differ. Azure Application Insights follows a consumption-based model, where you pay for the amount of data ingested and stored, as well as additional features used. Splunk, on the other hand, follows a data volume-based pricing model, where the cost is based on the amount of data indexed and the retention period.

In summary, Azure Application Insights and Splunk differ in their data storage approach, integration with Azure, ease of use, query language, and pricing model. Azure Application Insights is cloud-based, tightly integrated with Azure, user-friendly, uses KQL, and follows a consumption-based pricing model. Splunk, on the other hand, offers on-premises data storage, can be integrated with various systems, has a steeper learning curve, uses its own search language, and follows a data volume-based pricing model.

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Pros of Azure Application Insights
Pros of Splunk
  • 5
    Focus in detect performance anomalies and issues
  • 3
    Integrated with Azure
  • 1
    Live Metrics
  • 1
    User flow
  • 1
    Availability tests (Heart Beat check)
  • 3
    API for searching logs, running reports
  • 3
    Alert system based on custom query results
  • 2
    Dashboarding on any log contents
  • 2
    Custom log parsing as well as automatic parsing
  • 2
    Ability to style search results into reports
  • 2
    Query engine supports joining, aggregation, stats, etc
  • 2
    Splunk language supports string, date manip, math, etc
  • 2
    Rich GUI for searching live logs
  • 1
    Query any log as key-value pairs
  • 1
    Granular scheduling and time window support

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Cons of Azure Application Insights
Cons of Splunk
  • 2
    Difficult to surface information
  • 1
    Custom instrumentation via code only
  • 1
    UI is clunky and gets in the way
  • 1
    Splunk query language rich so lots to learn

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What is Azure Application Insights?

It is an extensible Application Performance Management service for developers and DevOps professionals. Use it to monitor your live applications. It will automatically detect performance anomalies, and includes powerful analytics tools.

What is Splunk?

It provides the leading platform for Operational Intelligence. Customers use it to search, monitor, analyze and visualize machine data.

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What companies use Azure Application Insights?
What companies use Splunk?
See which teams inside your own company are using Azure Application Insights or Splunk.
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What tools integrate with Azure Application Insights?
What tools integrate with Splunk?
    No integrations found

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