From which component can log filtering/parsing be conducted?

Log filtering and parsing are typically conducted at the level of Heavy Forwarders within the Splunk ecosystem. Heavy Forwarders have the capability to process data before it is sent to Splunk Indexers. This means they can interpret and transform the data, applying filters and parsing rules to ensure that the incoming logs are properly formatted, enriched, or reduced based on the user’s specifications.

Heavy Forwarders have a full Splunk installation and can support complex tasks such as extracting fields, applying transformations, and routing data according to certain criteria. This makes them ideal for scenarios where pre-processing of log data is essential before it reaches the indexing stage.

In contrast, Universal Forwarders are lightweight and primarily designed for collecting and forwarding raw data to a Splunk instance without any parsing or filtering capabilities. Index Forwarders and Super Forwarders are not standard terminologies typically associated with Splunk's architecture, thereby limiting their applicability in the context of log filtering and parsing. The correct understanding of these components helps clarify why the Heavy Forwarder is recognized as the right choice for parsing and filtering logs.