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Packetbeat command reference

Packetbeat provides a command-line interface for starting Packetbeat and performing common tasks, like testing configuration files and loading dashboards.

The command-line also supports global flags for controlling global behaviors.

Use sudo to run the following commands if:

the config file is owned by root, or
Packetbeat is configured to capture data that requires root access

Some of the features described here require an Elastic license. For more information, see https://www.elastic.co/subscriptions and License Management.

Commands
`export`	Exports the configuration, index template, ILM policy, or a dashboard to stdout.
`help`	Shows help for any command.
`keystore`	Manages the secrets keystore.
`run`	Runs Packetbeat. This command is used by default if you start Packetbeat without specifying a command.
`setup`	Sets up the initial environment, including the index template, ILM policy and write alias, and Kibana dashboards (when available).
`test`	Tests the configuration.
`version`	Shows information about the current version.

Also see Global flags.

`export` command

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Exports the configuration, index template, ILM policy, or a dashboard to stdout. You can use this command to quickly view your configuration, see the contents of the index template and the ILM policy, or export a dashboard from Kibana.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat export SUBCOMMAND [FLAGS]

SUBCOMMANDS

config

Exports the current configuration to stdout. If you use the -c flag, this command exports the configuration that’s defined in the specified file.

dashboard

Exports a dashboard. You can use this option to store a dashboard on disk in a module and load it automatically. For example, to export the dashboard to a JSON file, run:

packetbeat export dashboard --id="DASHBOARD_ID" > dashboard.json

To find the DASHBOARD_ID, look at the URL for the dashboard in Kibana. By default, export dashboard writes the dashboard to stdout. The example shows how to write the dashboard to a JSON file so that you can import it later. The JSON file will contain the dashboard with all visualizations and searches. You must load the index pattern separately for Packetbeat.

To load the dashboard, copy the generated dashboard.json file into the kibana/6/dashboard directory of Packetbeat, and run packetbeat setup --dashboards to import the dashboard.

If Kibana is not running on localhost:5061, you must also adjust the Packetbeat configuration under setup.kibana.

template

Exports the index template to stdout. You can specify the --es.version flag to further define what gets exported. Furthermore you can export the template to a file instead of stdout by defining a directory via --dir.

ilm-policy: Exports the index lifecycle management policy to stdout. You can specify the --es.version and a --dir to which the policy should be exported as a file rather than exporting to stdout.

FLAGS

--es.version VERSION: When used with template, exports an index template that is compatible with the specified version. When used with ilm-policy, exports the ILM policy if the specified ES version is enabled for ILM.
-h, --help: Shows help for the export command.
--dir DIRNAME: Define a directory to which the template, pipelines, and ILM policy should be exported to as files instead of printing them to stdout.
--id DASHBOARD_ID: When used with dashboard, specifies the dashboard ID.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLES

packetbeat export config
packetbeat export template --es.version 8.16.0
packetbeat export dashboard --id="a7b35890-8baa-11e8-9676-ef67484126fb" > dashboard.json

`help` command

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Shows help for any command. If no command is specified, shows help for the run command.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat help COMMAND_NAME [FLAGS]

COMMAND_NAME: Specifies the name of the command to show help for.

FLAGS

-h, --help: Shows help for the help command.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

packetbeat help export

`keystore` command

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Manages the secrets keystore.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat keystore SUBCOMMAND [FLAGS]

SUBCOMMANDS

add KEY: Adds the specified key to the keystore. Use the --force flag to overwrite an existing key. Use the --stdin flag to pass the value through stdin.
create: Creates a keystore to hold secrets. Use the --force flag to overwrite the existing keystore.
list: Lists the keys in the keystore.
remove KEY: Removes the specified key from the keystore.

FLAGS

--force: Valid with the add and create subcommands. When used with add, overwrites the specified key. When used with create, overwrites the keystore.
--stdin: When used with add, uses the stdin as the source of the key’s value.
-h, --help: Shows help for the keystore command.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLES

packetbeat keystore create
packetbeat keystore add ES_PWD
packetbeat keystore remove ES_PWD
packetbeat keystore list

See Secrets keystore for more examples.

`run` command

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Runs Packetbeat. This command is used by default if you start Packetbeat without specifying a command.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat run [FLAGS]

Or:

packetbeat [FLAGS]

FLAGS

-I, --I FILE

Reads packet data from the specified file instead of reading packets from the network. This option is useful only for testing Packetbeat.

packetbeat run -I ~/pcaps/network_traffic.pcap

-N, --N

Disables publishing for testing purposes. This option disables all outputs except the File output.

-O, --O

Read packets one by one by pressing Enter after each. This option is useful only for testing Packetbeat.

--cpuprofile FILE

Writes CPU profile data to the specified file. This option is useful for troubleshooting Packetbeat.

-devices

Prints the list of devices that are available for sniffing and then exits.

-dump FILE

Writes all captured packets to the specified file. This option is useful for troubleshooting Packetbeat.

-h, --help

Shows help for the run command.

--httpprof [HOST]:PORT

Starts an http server for profiling. This option is useful for troubleshooting and profiling Packetbeat.

-l N

Reads the pcap file N number of times. The default is 1. Use this option in combination with the -I option. For an infinite loop, use 0. The -l option is useful only for testing Packetbeat.

--memprofile FILE

Writes memory profile data to the specified output file. This option is useful for troubleshooting Packetbeat.

--system.hostfs MOUNT_POINT

Specifies the mount point of the host’s filesystem for use in monitoring a host. This flag is depricated, and an alternate hostfs should be specified via the hostfs module config value.

-t

Reads packets from the pcap file as fast as possible without sleeping. Use this option in combination with the -I option. The -t option is useful only for testing Packetbeat.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

packetbeat run -e

Or:

packetbeat -e

`setup` command

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Sets up the initial environment, including the index template, ILM policy and write alias, and Kibana dashboards (when available)

The index template ensures that fields are mapped correctly in Elasticsearch. If index lifecycle management is enabled it also ensures that the defined ILM policy and write alias are connected to the indices matching the index template. The ILM policy takes care of the lifecycle of an index, when to do a rollover, when to move an index from the hot phase to the next phase, etc.
The Kibana dashboards make it easier for you to visualize Packetbeat data in Kibana.

This command sets up the environment without actually running Packetbeat and ingesting data. Specify optional flags to set up a subset of assets.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat setup [FLAGS]

FLAGS

--dashboards: Sets up the Kibana dashboards (when available). This option loads the dashboards from the Packetbeat package. For more options, such as loading customized dashboards, see Importing Existing Beat Dashboards in the Beats Developer Guide.
-h, --help: Shows help for the setup command.
--index-management: Sets up components related to Elasticsearch index management including template, ILM policy, and write alias (if supported and configured).

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLES

packetbeat setup --dashboards
packetbeat setup --index-management

`test` command

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Tests the configuration.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat test SUBCOMMAND [FLAGS]

SUBCOMMANDS

config: Tests the configuration settings.
output: Tests that Packetbeat can connect to the output by using the current settings.

FLAGS

-h, --help: Shows help for the test command.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

packetbeat test config

`version` command

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Shows information about the current version.

SYNOPSIS

packetbeat version [FLAGS]

FLAGS

-h, --help: Shows help for the version command.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

packetbeat version

Global flags

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These global flags are available whenever you run Packetbeat.

-E, --E "SETTING_NAME=VALUE"

Overrides a specific configuration setting. You can specify multiple overrides. For example:

packetbeat -E "name=mybeat" -E "output.elasticsearch.hosts=['http://myhost:9200']"

This setting is applied to the currently running Packetbeat process. The Packetbeat configuration file is not changed.

-c, --c FILE

Specifies the configuration file to use for Packetbeat. The file you specify here is relative to path.config. If the -c flag is not specified, the default config file, packetbeat.yml, is used.

-d, --d SELECTORS

Enables debugging for the specified selectors. For the selectors, you can specify a comma-separated list of components, or you can use -d "*" to enable debugging for all components. For example, -d "publisher" displays all the publisher-related messages.

-e, --e

Logs to stderr and disables syslog/file output.

-environment

For logging purposes, specifies the environment that Packetbeat is running in. This setting is used to select a default log output when no log output is configured. Supported values are: systemd, container, macos_service, and windows_service. If systemd or container is specified, Packetbeat will log to stdout and stderr by default.

--path.config

Sets the path for configuration files. See the Directory layout section for details.

--path.data

Sets the path for data files. See the Directory layout section for details.

--path.home

Sets the path for miscellaneous files. See the Directory layout section for details.

--path.logs

Sets the path for log files. See the Directory layout section for details.

--strict.perms

Sets strict permission checking on configuration files. The default is -strict.perms=true. See Config file ownership and permissions for more information.

-v, --v

Logs INFO-level messages.

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Packetbeat command reference