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

How to Build an AI First Organization: Strategy, Culture, and Governance
Learn
6 Minute Read

How to Build an AI First Organization: Strategy, Culture, and Governance

Adopting an AI First approach transforms organizations by embedding intelligence into strategy, operations, and culture for lasting innovation and agility.
Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) Explained: Benefits, Core Services, and Industry Growth
Learn
4 Minute Read

Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) Explained: Benefits, Core Services, and Industry Growth

Discover how Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) help organizations close cyber skill gaps, improve resilience, and defend against modern threats.
IT Automation vs. Orchestration: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?
Learn
6 Minute Read

IT Automation vs. Orchestration: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?

Discover the key differences between IT automation and orchestration, their benefits, and best practices to optimize efficiency, scalability, and digital transformation.
AWS re:Invent Conference 2025: The Complete Guide
Learn
5 Minute Read

AWS re:Invent Conference 2025: The Complete Guide

Plan your AWS re:Invent 2025 experience in Las Vegas! Get key details on passes, venues, tips, and Splunk events for this leading cloud conference, Dec 1-5.
How Smart Robots Work: AI Perception, Planning & Execution Explained
Learn
7 Minute Read

How Smart Robots Work: AI Perception, Planning & Execution Explained

Explore the world of smart robots: how AI-driven perception, planning, and execution enable complex physical tasks, transforming operations and fostering human-machine collaboration.
Choosing the Right Load Balancing Approach for Your Network: Static, Dynamic, & Advanced Techniques
Learn
6 Minute Read

Choosing the Right Load Balancing Approach for Your Network: Static, Dynamic, & Advanced Techniques

Load Balancing is the process of distributing network traffic among available servers, with the objective of optimizing certain network operations.
What Is Prompt Injection? Understanding Direct Vs. Indirect Attacks on AI Language Models
Learn
4 Minute Read

What Is Prompt Injection? Understanding Direct Vs. Indirect Attacks on AI Language Models

Learn what prompt injection is, how direct and indirect attacks target AI language models, and discover best practices to protect your systems from these threats.
Energy-Efficient Computing: How To Cut Costs and Scale Sustainably in 2026
Learn
6 Minute Read

Energy-Efficient Computing: How To Cut Costs and Scale Sustainably in 2026

Energy efficient computing is an urgent challenge underscored by the exponential growth of AI use. Learn how to make computing operations more efficient.
How GSLB Improves Reliability and Performance Across Multi-Cloud Environments
Learn
7 Minute Read

How GSLB Improves Reliability and Performance Across Multi-Cloud Environments

Learn how Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) optimizes performance, ensures uptime, and delivers seamless user experiences across global applications.