Beats (Filebeat, Metricbeat) in Elasticsearch - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to specify the input type for Filebeat.

Elasticsearch

filebeat.inputs:
- type: [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ametric

Bdatabase

Chttp

Dlog

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'metric' instead of 'log' for Filebeat input type.

The input type log is used in Filebeat to collect log files.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to enable Metricbeat system module.

Elasticsearch

metricbeat.modules:
- module: system
  [1]: true

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aenabled

Bactive

Cstart

Drun

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'active' or 'start' instead of 'enabled'.

The key enabled is used to activate a Metricbeat module.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the Filebeat output configuration to send data to Elasticsearch.

Elasticsearch

output.elasticsearch:
  hosts: ["[1]"]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Alocalhost:9200

B127.0.0.1:5601

Clocalhost:8080

D127.0.0.1:5044

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong port like 8080 or 5601 which are for other services.

Elasticsearch listens on port 9200 by default, so the host must include this port.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure Filebeat to read logs from /var/log and exclude .gz files.

Elasticsearch

filebeat.inputs:
- type: log
  paths:
    - [1]
  exclude_files: [[2]]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"/var/log/*.log"

B"/var/log/*.gz"

C"/var/log/*.txt"

D"/var/log/*.json"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Including .gz files instead of excluding them.

Filebeat reads log files matching /var/log/*.log and excludes compressed files *.gz.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a Metricbeat configuration that collects CPU metrics every 10 seconds and sends to Elasticsearch at localhost:9200.

Elasticsearch

metricbeat.modules:
- module: system
  metricsets: [[1]]
  period: [2]
output.elasticsearch:
  hosts: ["[3]"]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"cpu"

B"10s"

Clocalhost:9200

D"memory"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong metricsets like 'memory' instead of 'cpu'.

Setting period to wrong format or value.

Using wrong Elasticsearch host or port.

The cpu metricset collects CPU data, 10s sets the collection interval, and localhost:9200 is the Elasticsearch host.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of Filebeat in the Elastic Stack?

easy

A. To visualize data in dashboards

B. To collect system metrics like CPU and memory usage

C. To collect and ship log files from servers

D. To store data in Elasticsearch

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Filebeat's role

   Filebeat is designed to collect log files from servers and forward them.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from Metricbeat

   Metricbeat collects system metrics, not logs.

3. Final Answer:

   To collect and ship log files from servers -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Filebeat = log collection [OK]

Hint: Filebeat = logs, Metricbeat = metrics [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Filebeat with Metricbeat
• Thinking Filebeat visualizes data
• Assuming Filebeat stores data

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to start Filebeat on a Linux system?

easy

A. sudo systemctl start filebeat

B. filebeat run start

C. start filebeat service

D. service filebeat enable

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify standard Linux service start command

   On modern Linux systems, services are started with 'sudo systemctl start servicename'.

2. Step 2: Match with Filebeat service

   Filebeat service is named 'filebeat', so the command is 'sudo systemctl start filebeat'.

3. Final Answer:

   sudo systemctl start filebeat -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   systemctl start filebeat = correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use systemctl to manage services on Linux [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect command order
• Confusing 'start' with 'enable'
• Using non-standard service commands

3. Given this Filebeat configuration snippet:

filebeat.inputs:
- type: log
  paths:
    - /var/log/syslog
output.elasticsearch:
  hosts: ["localhost:9200"]

What will Filebeat do when started?

medium

A. Store logs locally without sending

B. Collect system metrics and send to Elasticsearch

C. Send logs to a remote Logstash server

D. Collect logs from /var/log/syslog and send to Elasticsearch at localhost:9200

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze input configuration

   The input type is 'log' and path is '/var/log/syslog', so Filebeat collects logs from this file.

2. Step 2: Analyze output configuration

   Output is set to Elasticsearch at 'localhost:9200', so logs are sent there.

3. Final Answer:

   Collect logs from /var/log/syslog and send to Elasticsearch at localhost:9200 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Input logs + output Elasticsearch = Collect logs from /var/log/syslog and send to Elasticsearch at localhost:9200 [OK]

Hint: Check input type and output host to predict behavior [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing logs with metrics
• Assuming output is Logstash
• Ignoring the paths setting

4. You configured Metricbeat to collect CPU metrics but see no data in Elasticsearch. Which of these is a likely cause?

medium

A. Metricbeat service is not running

B. Filebeat is collecting logs instead of metrics

C. Elasticsearch is not installed

D. Metricbeat configuration file is empty

Solution

1. Step 1: Check Metricbeat service status

   If Metricbeat is not running, it cannot collect or send metrics.

2. Step 2: Consider other options

   Filebeat collecting logs is unrelated; Elasticsearch not installed would cause errors; empty config would cause no collection.

3. Final Answer:

   Metricbeat service is not running -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Service running = data sent [OK]

Hint: Always verify Metricbeat service is active [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing Filebeat and Metricbeat roles
• Ignoring service status
• Assuming Elasticsearch absence without error

5. You want to monitor both system logs and CPU metrics on a server using Beats. Which setup is best?

hard

A. Run Filebeat and Metricbeat but send data to different Elasticsearch clusters

B. Run Filebeat for logs and Metricbeat for CPU metrics, both sending to Elasticsearch

C. Run Metricbeat for logs and Filebeat for metrics

D. Run only Filebeat configured for logs and metrics

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify Beats roles

   Filebeat collects logs; Metricbeat collects system metrics like CPU.

2. Step 2: Choose correct combination

   Running both Beats with their proper roles and sending data to the same Elasticsearch cluster is best for unified monitoring.

3. Final Answer:

   Run Filebeat for logs and Metricbeat for CPU metrics, both sending to Elasticsearch -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Filebeat = logs + Metricbeat = metrics [OK]

Hint: Use Filebeat for logs and Metricbeat for metrics together [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing roles of Filebeat and Metricbeat
• Sending data to separate clusters unnecessarily
• Assuming one Beat can do both well