Splunk Light: An Introduction and Beginner's Guide

Splunk Light was a version of Splunk’s flagship log search and analysis software that launched in 2015, designed specifically for small IT environments. Splunk Light enabled users to gather and correlate date from all types of sources, formats, and locations. In addition to logfile search and analysis, Splunk Light’s alerts and dashboards helped users get started with critical IT monitoring & observability features quickly and easily.

If you were thinking about trying Splunk Light, you can get all of the benefits of that platform in Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud (depending on your deployment preference).

Splunk Light End-of-Life (EoL)

In March 2020, it was announced that Splunk Light and Splunk Light Cloud would reach End-of-Sale on May 1, 2020 and eventually would reach End-of-Support and End-of-Life. Customers of Splunk Light and Splunk Light Cloud have the option to migrate to Splunk Enterprise.

Per the announcement, the End-of-Life Timetable was as follows:

Splunk Light vs Splunk Light Cloud

In September of 2015, the cloud service (SaaS) version of Splunk Light was made available. This deployment option included the same benefits of the original on-premises version of Splunk Light, but without the headaches of purchasing, setting up, and maintaining a server. As mentioned previously, both Splunk Light and Splunk Light Cloud were officially End-of-Life’d in June 2021.

Splunk Light vs Splunk Light Free

There were a variety of differences between Splunk Light and Splunk Light Free. This table elaborates on the differences.

Features
Splunk Light Free
Splunk Light
Daily Indexing Volume
Up to 500MB
Up to 20GB
Search and Reporting
Yes
Yes
Dashboards
Yes
Yes
Alerting
No
Yes
Accounts
1 Admin
Up to 5, Admin and User
Add-ons
Yes
Yes

Splunk Light vs Splunk Enterprise

Differences between Splunk Light and Splunk Enterprise included:

Features
Splunk Enterprise
Splunk Light
Maximum daily indexing volume
Unlimited
20GB
Maximum users
Unlimited
5
Data collection add-ons
Yes
Yes
Apps
Yes
No
Monitoring and alerting
Yes
Yes
Dashboards and reports
Yes
Yes
Search and analysis
Yes
Yes
Automatic data enrichment
Yes
Yes
Anomaly detection
Yes
Yes
Scalability
Unlimited
Single Server
Access control
Customizable
User and Admin only

Related Articles

What is ABAC? Attribute Based Access Controls, Explained
Learn
5 Minute Read

What is ABAC? Attribute Based Access Controls, Explained

Learn what Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) is, how it works, and why it offers flexible, fine-grained access management for today’s dynamic organizations.
What Is Natural Language Processing? A Complete Guide to NLP
Learn
9 Minute Read

What Is Natural Language Processing? A Complete Guide to NLP

Discover what natural language processing (NLP) is, how it works, key techniques, real-world applications, and the main challenges facing the field today.
AI Use Cases for the SOC: How Generative AI Transforms Security Operations
Learn
4 Minute Read

AI Use Cases for the SOC: How Generative AI Transforms Security Operations

Generative AI is helping SOC teams detect threats faster, reduce triage time, and empower analysts. Learn how it's transforming core security operations.
IT Service Delivery Explained: Key Processes, Best Practices, and Technologies for Enterprises
Learn
6 Minute Read

IT Service Delivery Explained: Key Processes, Best Practices, and Technologies for Enterprises

Discover the essentials of IT service delivery, including frameworks, best practices, roles, and technologies to optimize performance and support digital transformation.
Top 10 SIEM Use Cases Today: Real Examples and Business Value
Learn
8 Minute Read

Top 10 SIEM Use Cases Today: Real Examples and Business Value

Explore 10 real-world SIEM use cases — from log aggregation to insider threat detection — with examples, benefits, and tips for implementation.
Qualitative vs Quantitative: Which Research Method is Right for You?
Learn
8 Minute Read

Qualitative vs Quantitative: Which Research Method is Right for You?

Learn the differences, uses, and benefits of qualitative vs. quantitative research. Discover how to choose the right method for your data and projects.
Four Database Types You Need to Know
Learn
7 Minute Read

Four Database Types You Need to Know

Discover the four main database types, their features, strengths, and best use cases — plus tips on choosing the right one for your application or business.
8 Kubernetes Certifications to Boost Your Cloud Career in 2026: Costs, Levels & Resources Compared
Learn
8 Minute Read

8 Kubernetes Certifications to Boost Your Cloud Career in 2026: Costs, Levels & Resources Compared

Explore 8 top Kubernetes certifications by level with details on costs, prerequisites, providers, and exam formats — ideal for cloud and DevOps careers.
What Is Detection as Code (DaC)? Benefits, Tools, and Real-World Use Cases
Learn
9 Minute Read

What Is Detection as Code (DaC)? Benefits, Tools, and Real-World Use Cases

Learn how Detection as Code transforms security rule management with Git, CI/CD, and automation. See real examples and tools to get started.