Auditbeat command referenceedit

Auditbeat provides a command-line interface for starting Auditbeat 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
  • Auditbeat is configured to capture data that requires root access
Commands

export

Exports the configuration or index template to stdout.

help

Shows help for any command.

keystore

Manages the secrets keystore.

run

Runs Auditbeat. This command is used by default if you start Auditbeat 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 commandedit

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

auditbeat 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 auditbeat.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLES

auditbeat export config
auditbeat export template --es.version 6.3.2 --index myindexname

help commandedit

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

SYNOPSIS

auditbeat 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

auditbeat help export

keystore commandedit

Manages the secrets keystore.

SYNOPSIS

auditbeat 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

auditbeat keystore create
auditbeat keystore add ES_PWD
auditbeat keystore remove ES_PWD
auditbeat keystore list

see Secrets keystore for more examples.

run commandedit

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

SYNOPSIS

auditbeat run [FLAGS]

Or:

auditbeat [FLAGS]

FLAGS

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

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

auditbeat run -e --setup

Or:

auditbeat -e --setup

setup commandedit

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 Auditbeat 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 Auditbeat and ingesting data.

SYNOPSIS

auditbeat setup [FLAGS]

FLAGS

--dashboards
Sets up the Kibana dashboards only. This option loads the dashboards from the Auditbeat 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.
--machine-learning
Sets up machine learning job configurations only.
--template
Sets up the index template only.

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

auditbeat setup --dashboards

test commandedit

Tests the configuration.

SYNOPSIS

auditbeat test SUBCOMMAND [FLAGS]

SUBCOMMANDS

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

FLAGS

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

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

auditbeat test config

version commandedit

Shows information about the current version.

SYNOPSIS

auditbeat version [FLAGS]

FLAGS

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

Also see Global flags.

EXAMPLE

auditbeat version

Global flagsedit

These global flags are available whenever you run Auditbeat.

-E, --E "SETTING_NAME=VALUE"

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

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

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

-c, --c FILE
Specifies the configuration file to use for Auditbeat. The file you specify here is relative to path.config. If the -c flag is not specified, the default config file, auditbeat.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.