Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

What is one of the key differences between the Universal Forwarder and Heavy Forwarder?

1. Universal Forwarder does not perform data transformation

2. Heavy Forwarder cannot send data to the indexer

3. Universal Forwarder is used only for searching data

4. Heavy Forwarder only collects logs

The correct answer is: Universal Forwarder does not perform data transformation

One of the key differences between the Universal Forwarder and Heavy Forwarder is that the Universal Forwarder does not perform data transformation. The Universal Forwarder is designed to be lightweight and efficient for the primary purpose of collecting and forwarding logs to a Splunk indexer without altering the data format. It only collects data and sends it in its original state, ensuring that it minimizes resource consumption on the system it runs on. In contrast, the Heavy Forwarder has more capabilities, including data transformation and parsing, which means it can modify the data before it is sent to the indexer. This includes filtering, tagging, and applying field extractions, making it more suitable for environments where preprocessing of data is needed before indexing. This distinction emphasizes the Universal Forwarder's role as a simple data collector, in comparison to the Heavy Forwarder's more complex data handling features. Understanding this difference is crucial for properly configuring and optimizing Splunk deployments based on your organization's data ingestion needs.