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Elastic Docs ›Winlogbeat Reference [6.1] ›Setting up and running Winlogbeat

Winlogbeat commands

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Winlogbeat commands

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Winlogbeat provides a command-line interface for running the Beat and performing common tasks, like testing configuration files and loading dashboards. The command-line also supports global flags for controlling global behaviors.

export

Exports the configuration or index template to stdout.

help

Shows help for any command.

run

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

setup

Sets up the initial environment, including the index template, Kibana dashboards (when available), and machine learning jobs (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 or index template to stdout. You can use this command to quickly view your configuration or the contents of the index template.

SYNOPSIS

winlogbeat 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.
template
Exports the index template to stdout. You can specify the --es.version and --index flags to further define what gets exported.

FLAGS

--es.version VERSION
When specified along with template, exports an index template that is compatible with the specified version.
-h, --help
Shows help for the export command.
--index BASE_NAME
When specified along with template, sets the base name to use for the index template. If this flag is not specified, the default base name is winlogbeat.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLES

winlogbeat export config
winlogbeat export template --es.version 6.1.4 --index myindexname

help command

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

SYNOPSIS

winlogbeat 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

winlogbeat help export

run command

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

SYNOPSIS

winlogbeat run [FLAGS]

Or:

winlogbeat [FLAGS]

FLAGS

-N, --N
Disables the publishing of events to the defined output. This option is useful only for testing Winlogbeat.
--cpuprofile FILE
Writes CPU profile data to the specified file. This option is useful for troubleshooting Winlogbeat.
-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 Winlogbeat.
--memprofile FILE
Writes memory profile data to the specified output file. This option is useful for troubleshooting Winlogbeat.
--setup
Loads the sample Kibana dashboards. If you want to load the dashboards without running Winlogbeat, use the setup command instead.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

winlogbeat run -e --setup

Or:

winlogbeat -e --setup

setup command

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Sets up the initial environment, including the index template, Kibana dashboards (when available), and machine learning jobs (when available).

  • The index template ensures that fields are mapped correctly in Elasticsearch.
  • The Kibana dashboards make it easier for you to visualize Winlogbeat data in Kibana.
  • The machine learning jobs contain the configuration information and metadata necessary to analyze data for anomalies.

Use this command instead of run --setup when you want to set up the environment without actually running Winlogbeat and ingesting data.

SYNOPSIS

winlogbeat setup [FLAGS]

FLAGS

--dashboards
Sets up the Kibana dashboards only.
-h, --help
Shows help for the setup command.
--machine-learning
Sets up machine learning job configurations only.
--template
Sets up the index template only.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

winlogbeat setup --dashboards

test command

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Tests the configuration.

SYNOPSIS

winlogbeat test SUBCOMMAND [FLAGS]

SUBCOMMANDS

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

FLAGS

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

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

winlogbeat test config

version command

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Shows information about the current version.

SYNOPSIS

winlogbeat version [FLAGS]

FLAGS

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

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

winlogbeat version

Global flags

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These global flags are available whenever you run Winlogbeat.

-E, --E "SETTING_NAME=VALUE"

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

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

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

-c, --c FILE
Specifies the configuration file to use for Winlogbeat. The file you specify here is relative to path.config. If the -c flag is not specified, the default config file, winlogbeat.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 "publish" displays all the "publish" related messages.
-e, --e
Logs to stderr and disables syslog/file output.
--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 in the Beats Platform Reference for more information.
-v, --v
Logs INFO-level messages.
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