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

IT Service Performance Monitoring: Key Metrics, Best Practices, and Future Trends
Learn
6 Minute Read

IT Service Performance Monitoring: Key Metrics, Best Practices, and Future Trends

Monitor IT service performance to ensure reliability and efficiency. Learn key metrics, best practices, and how modern tools help optimize cloud-based IT systems.
The Complete Guide to CI/CD Pipeline Monitoring: Metrics, Tools, and Best Practices for Delivery Visibility
Learn
7 Minute Read

The Complete Guide to CI/CD Pipeline Monitoring: Metrics, Tools, and Best Practices for Delivery Visibility

Monitor CI/CD pipelines with key metrics, best practices, and tool integrations to boost reliability, agility, and software delivery performance.
Scattered Spider Isn’t a Glitch, It’s a Warning
Learn
5 Minute Read

Scattered Spider Isn’t a Glitch, It’s a Warning

Scattered Spider uses social engineering to exploit identity systems and disrupt business operations. Boards must act urgently to close these gaps.
12 Must-Have Data Analysis Tools for 2026 | Python, SQL & AI
Learn
12 Minute Read

12 Must-Have Data Analysis Tools for 2026 | Python, SQL & AI

Discover the 12 must-have data analysis tools for 2026. Compare options for Python, SQL, and AI to boost productivity, insights, and automation.
Black Hat 2025 & DEF CON 33: The Attendees’ Guide
Learn
4 Minute Read

Black Hat 2025 & DEF CON 33: The Attendees’ Guide

This blog post covers the basics of what you need to know about both Black Hat USA and Def Con.
Observability as Code: Why You Should Use OaC
Learn
4 Minute Read

Observability as Code: Why You Should Use OaC

Observability as Code (OaC) applies software development practices to observability, making it version-controlled, more consistent, and more secure. Learn more.
Unified Threat Management (UTM): The Complete Guide to Modern Cybersecurity Solutions
Learn
5 Minute Read

Unified Threat Management (UTM): The Complete Guide to Modern Cybersecurity Solutions

Discover how Unified Threat Management (UTM) simplifies cybersecurity by integrating multiple security tools to protect your business from evolving threats.
Understanding Attack Surfaces: What They Are and Why They Matter
Learn
4 Minute Read

Understanding Attack Surfaces: What They Are and Why They Matter

Learn what an attack surface is, why it matters, and how organizations can reduce risk by identifying and managing every exposure point, technical or human.
What Is Attack Surface Management? A Complete Guide To ASM
Learn
5 Minute Read

What Is Attack Surface Management? A Complete Guide To ASM

Understand Attack Surface Management (ASM), explore its 4-step lifecycle, real-world examples, best tools, and how it strengthens your security strategy.