How to Install Logstash as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Logstash is an open-source tool that ingests data from a variety of sources and transforms that data into a more "friendly" format.

To install Logstash as a Windows Service:

1. If necessary, download, install and configure Logstash.

   • You can grab the Logstash zip file and expand its contents to a location of your choice.

   • Ensure that Logstash starts properly when you run the "logstash.bat" file with the full path to your configuration file. For example, if your config file is called "C:\logstash\config\logstash.conf", then try running this from Logstash bin folder:

     logstash.bat -f C:\logstash\config\logstash.conf

   • This is important. AlwaysUp won't be able to run Logstash as a Windows Service if you can't start it from the command line in this step.

   • We placed the software in "C:\logstash" and we'll use that folder throughout this tutorial.

2. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

3. Start AlwaysUp.

4. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:

   

5. On the General tab:

   • In the Application field, enter the full path to the logstash.bat file (in your bin directory). Since we installed Logstash in "C:\logstash", our batch file is here:

     C:\logstash\bin\logstash.bat

   • In the Arguments field, enter -f followed by the full path to your Logstash configuration file. We'll enter:

     -f C:\logstash\config\logstash.conf

     Be sure to quote the file name if it contains a space.

   • In the Start the application dropdown, select Automatically but shortly after the computer boots. This setting will ensure that AlwaysUp launches Logstash after all critical services (such as networking and authentication) have been fully initialized.

   • And in the Name field, enter the name that you will call the application in AlwaysUp. We've stuck with the default of Logstash but you can specify another value if you like.

   

6. On the Logon tab, enter the user name and password of the Windows account you're logged into when you start Logstash. Logstash should run in this account to find its settings (environment variables, etc):

   

7. Click over to the Startup tab and check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. This informs AlwaysUp that Logstash needs the TCP/IP networking stack to operate:

   

8. Move to the Extras tab. If you wish to capture the text displayed on the command window created by logstash.bat (recommended, as you will no longer see the console when it's running in the background as a service), check the Capture output to this log file box and specify the full path to a file. We entered "C:\logstash\console-log.txt":

   

9. Click the Save button. In a couple of seconds, an application called Logstash will show up in the AlwaysUp window. It's not yet running though, and the state will be "Stopped":

   

10. To fire up Logstash, choose Application > Start "Logstash". The State column will soon transition to "Running" and the service will be available to all your applications:

    

11. And that's it! Next time your computer boots, your Logstash service will start up automatically, before anyone logs on.

    We encourage you to edit Logstash in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment.

    For example, setup email notifications, add a sanity check to detect network port failures, or periodically restart Logstash to cure memory leaks.

Logstash not working properly as a Windows Service?

• Review the output file you specified in step 8 for errors reported from Logstash.

• Consult the AlwaysUp Troubleshooter — our online tool that can help you resolve the most common problems encountered when running an application as a Windows Service.

• From AlwaysUp, select Application > Report Activity > Today to bring up an HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and Logstash. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains the more obscure messages.

• Browse the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.

• Contact us and we will be happy to help!