Top Splunk frequently asked interview questions

In this post we will look at Splunk Interview questions. Examples are provided with explanation.

What is Splunk?
Explain the concept of query in Splunk?
What is the most recent version of Splunk?
What is a Splunk App?
What is a Splunk Forwarder and what are the different types of Splunk Forwarders?
What is the lookup command in Splunk?
What are some of the most important configuration files in Splunk?
How does Splunk compare to Spark?
What are the components of Splunk and how is it structured?
What does the Splunk Summary Index represent?
What are the typical port numbers used by Splunk?
What is a Splunk Indexer and what are the steps involved in Splunk Indexing?
What are the different types of Splunk Licenses?

What is Splunk?

Splunk is a software platform that enables users to collect, store, index, search, analyze, visualize, and report on data from any source. It is used for a variety of purposes, including security, IT operations, and business analytics. Splunk enables users to quickly and easily access and analyze data from any source, regardless of format or location. It provides powerful search capabilities, allowing users to quickly find the data they need. Splunk also offers advanced analytics and visualization capabilities, allowing users to quickly identify trends and correlations in their data. Additionally, Splunk provides a range of tools for automating data collection, indexing, and analysis. This allows users to quickly and easily access and analyze data from any source, regardless of format or location. Splunk is used by organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises, to gain insights from their data.

Explain the concept of query in Splunk?

A query in Splunk is a search command used to retrieve data from an index. Queries are written in Splunk's Search Processing Language (SPL). SPL is a powerful language that allows users to quickly and easily search for data in their Splunk index. Queries can be used to search for specific terms, phrases, and patterns in the data. They can also be used to filter the data, aggregate results, and perform calculations. For example, the following query will return all events that contain the term "error":

index=* error

This query can be further refined by adding additional search terms or filters. For example, the following query will return all events that contain the term "error" and were generated by a specific application:

index=* error source="application_name"

Additionally, SPL provides a range of functions and operators that can be used to further refine queries. For example, the following query will return all events that contain the term "error" and were generated by a specific application within the last 24 hours:

index=* error source="application_name" | eval time_diff=now()-_time | where time_diff<86400

What is the most recent version of Splunk?

The most recent version of Splunk is Splunk Enterprise 8.0. This version of Splunk offers a range of new features and enhancements, including improved performance, scalability, and security. Splunk Enterprise 8.0 also includes a new user interface, which makes it easier to find and analyze data. Additionally, Splunk Enterprise 8.0 includes a range of new data sources, including Apache Kafka, Amazon Kinesis, and Google Cloud Platform. Splunk Enterprise 8.0 also includes a range of new features and enhancements to existing features, such as improved search performance, improved data ingestion, and improved data visualization. Splunk Enterprise 8.0 also includes a range of new security features, such as enhanced authentication and authorization, improved data protection, and improved audit logging.

What is a Splunk App?

A Splunk App is a collection of related Splunk features, such as dashboards, reports, and data inputs, that are designed to help users quickly and easily access and analyze data. Splunk Apps are typically created by third-party developers and are available for download from the Splunk App Store. Splunk Apps can be used to quickly and easily access and analyze data from any source, regardless of format or location. Splunk Apps can also be used to automate data collection, indexing, and analysis. Additionally, Splunk Apps can be used to quickly and easily create custom dashboards and reports.

What is a Splunk Forwarder and what are the different types of Splunk Forwarders?

A Splunk Forwarder is a software component that collects data from remote sources and forwards it to a Splunk indexer. Splunk Forwarders can be used to collect data from a variety of sources, including log files, network devices, and databases. Splunk Forwarders can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. There are two types of Splunk Forwarders: Universal Forwarders and Heavy Forwarders. Universal Forwarders are lightweight and designed to collect data from a single source. They are typically used to collect data from log files and network devices. Heavy Forwarders are more powerful and can be used to collect data from multiple sources. They are typically used to collect data from databases and other complex data sources. Additionally, Heavy Forwarders can be used to pre-process data before it is sent to the indexer. For example, the following Splunk configuration file can be used to configure a Heavy Forwarder to collect data from a MySQL database:

[inputs.mysql]
host = <hostname>
port = <port>
database = <database>
username = <username>
password = <password>
index = <index>

What is the lookup command in Splunk?

The lookup command in Splunk is used to retrieve data from external sources and add it to the search results. The lookup command can be used to retrieve data from CSV files, databases, and other external sources. The lookup command can also be used to join data from multiple sources. For example, the following lookup command can be used to join data from a CSV file and a database:

| lookup <csv_file> <field1> as <field2> | lookup <database> <field3> as <field4>

The lookup command can also be used to enrich search results with additional data. For example, the following lookup command can be used to enrich search results with data from a CSV file:

| lookup <csv_file> <field1> as <field2> | table <field2>, <field3>

The lookup command can also be used to perform calculations on the data. For example, the following lookup command can be used to calculate the average of a field in a CSV file:

| lookup <csv_file> <field1> as <field2> | stats avg(<field2>)

What are some of the most important configuration files in Splunk?

Configuration files are an important part of Splunk, as they are used to define how Splunk should collect, store, and analyze data. Splunk configuration files are typically stored in the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local directory. The most important configuration files in Splunk are inputs.conf, outputs.conf, and props.conf. inputs.conf is used to define the data inputs that Splunk should collect. It is used to configure data sources, such as log files, network devices, and databases. For example, the following inputs.conf file can be used to configure Splunk to collect data from a MySQL database:

[inputs.mysql]
host = <hostname>
port = <port>
database = <database>
username = <username>
password = <password>
index = <index>

outputs.conf is used to define the data outputs that Splunk should send data to. It is used to configure destinations, such as files, databases, and Splunk indexers. For example, the following outputs.conf file can be used to configure Splunk to send data to a MySQL database:

[outputs.mysql]
host = <hostname>
port = <port>
database = <database>
username = <username>
password = <password>

How does Splunk compare to Spark?

Splunk and Spark are both powerful data processing and analytics platforms. Splunk is a data processing and analytics platform that enables users to quickly and easily access and analyze data from any source, regardless of format or location. It provides powerful search capabilities, allowing users to quickly find the data they need. Splunk also offers advanced analytics and visualization capabilities, allowing users to quickly identify trends and correlations in their data. Spark is an open-source data processing and analytics platform that enables users to quickly and easily process and analyze large amounts of data. It provides powerful distributed computing capabilities, allowing users to quickly and easily process and analyze large amounts of data. Additionally, Spark offers a range of machine learning and graph processing capabilities, allowing users to quickly and easily identify patterns and correlations in their data.
Overall, Splunk and Spark are both powerful data processing and analytics platforms. However, Splunk is better suited for searching and analyzing data from any source, while Spark is better suited for processing and analyzing large amounts of data.

What are the components of Splunk and how is it structured?

Splunk is composed of several components that work together to enable users to quickly and easily access and analyze data from any source, regardless of format or location. The main components of Splunk are the Splunk Enterprise Server, Splunk Indexers, Splunk Forwarders, and Splunk Apps.
The Splunk Enterprise Server is the main component of Splunk. It is responsible for managing the Splunk Indexers, Splunk Forwarders, and Splunk Apps. It is also responsible for providing the user interface for Splunk.
Splunk Indexers are responsible for indexing and storing data. They are typically deployed on-premises or in the cloud.
Splunk Forwarders are responsible for collecting data from remote sources and forwarding it to the Splunk Indexers. They can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Splunk Apps are collections of related Splunk features, such as dashboards, reports, and data inputs, that are designed to help users quickly and easily access and analyze data. Splunk Apps are typically created by third-party developers and are available for download from the Splunk App Store.

What does the Splunk Summary Index represent?

The Splunk Summary Index is a special index that stores summary information about the data stored in the Splunk index. The Summary Index is used to improve the performance of searches and reduce the amount of data that needs to be processed. The Summary Index is populated by the summarization commands, such as stats, chart, and timechart. For example, the following search command will populate the Summary Index with summary information about the data stored in the Splunk index:

index=* | stats count by host

The Summary Index can also be populated manually using the summaryindex command. For example, the following search command will populate the Summary Index with summary information about the data stored in the Splunk index:

index=* | summaryindex count by host

The Summary Index can be used to quickly and easily access summary information about the data stored in the Splunk index. It can also be used to improve the performance of searches and reduce the amount of data that needs to be processed.

What are the typical port numbers used by Splunk?

Splunk typically uses two port numbers: 8089 and 9997. Port 8089 is used for communication between Splunk components, such as the Splunk Web interface, Splunk forwarders, and Splunk indexers. Port 9997 is used for communication between Splunk forwarders and Splunk indexers. Additionally, Splunk can be configured to use different port numbers. For example, the following configuration file can be used to configure Splunk to use port 8090 for communication between Splunk components:

[splunktcp]
port = 8090

The port numbers used by Splunk can be configured in the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local/inputs.conf file. For example, the following configuration file can be used to configure Splunk to use port 8090 for communication between Splunk components:

[splunktcp]
port = 8090

By configuring the port numbers used by Splunk, users can ensure that Splunk is able to communicate securely and efficiently.

What is a Splunk Indexer and what are the steps involved in Splunk Indexing?

A Splunk Indexer is a software component that is responsible for indexing data from remote sources and storing it in a Splunk index. The steps involved in Splunk Indexing are as follows:
1. Data Collection: The Splunk Indexer collects data from remote sources, such as log files, network devices, and databases.
2. Data Parsing: The Splunk Indexer parses the collected data into individual events.
3. Data Indexing: The Splunk Indexer indexes the parsed data and stores it in a Splunk index.
4. Data Searching: The Splunk Indexer enables users to quickly and easily search for data in the Splunk index.
5. Data Analysis: The Splunk Indexer enables users to quickly and easily analyze the data in the Splunk index.
By using a Splunk Indexer, users can quickly and easily access and analyze data from any source, regardless of format or location.

What are the different types of Splunk Licenses?

Splunk offers a range of different types of licenses, including Free, Lite, Standard, Enterprise, and Premium. The Free license is a limited version of Splunk that is available for free. It is designed for small-scale use and is limited to a maximum of 500MB of data per day. The Lite license is a more powerful version of Splunk that is designed for small-scale use. It is limited to a maximum of 1GB of data per day. The Standard license is a more powerful version of Splunk that is designed for medium-scale use. It is limited to a maximum of 10GB of data per day. The Enterprise license is a more powerful version of Splunk that is designed for large-scale use. It is limited to a maximum of 100GB of data per day. The Premium license is the most powerful version of Splunk and is designed for enterprise-level use. It is limited to a maximum of 1TB of data per day.

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