Graylog Sidecar for Windows

Overview

Graylog Sidecar is a lightweight helper that centralizes the management of log collector programs on Windows endpoints. It runs alongside collectors and acts as a supervising agent, pulling configuration data from a Graylog server and applying it to the local collector processes. By centralizing configuration and lifecycle control, it reduces manual setup and helps maintain consistent log collection across many machines.

How it operates

The Sidecar runs as a small daemon that:

• Requests configuration files from the Graylog backend and verifies them before applying.
• Starts, monitors, and restarts configured collector processes to keep log forwarding reliable.
• Maps centrally stored configuration to individual collectors so settings remain uniform across hosts.

This arrangement separates configuration control (handled centrally) from log collection execution (handled locally), making deployments and updates simpler and less error-prone.

Main advantages

• Centralized configuration that ensures uniform collector settings across your fleet.
• Automatic supervision of collector processes to improve uptime and reduce manual intervention.
• Support for a range of log agents, allowing flexibility in which collectors you deploy.
• Available at no cost under a free license, which lowers the barrier to adoption.

Compatible collectors

• Filebeat
• NXLog

These agents are commonly used with the Sidecar, but the Sidecar can be extended to manage other supported collectors as well.

Suggested alternative

SHAREit (Free) — listed as an alternative option and available under a free license. While SHAREit is not a log collection tool, it has been mentioned as a freestanding, cost-free option in some contexts. If your goal is strictly log management, consider alternatives specifically built for log collection and forwarding.