Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

What is a key feature of the Universal Forwarder in Splunk?

1. It performs indexing

2. It handles data input

3. It is used for managing Splunk Web

4. It is a heavy-duty forwarder

The correct answer is: It handles data input

The Universal Forwarder in Splunk is specifically designed for handling data input from various sources and transmitting this data to other Splunk components, such as indexers or other forwarders. Its lightweight and efficient architecture allows it to collect and forward log data without performing indexing, which is a more resource-intensive process. By focusing on collecting data from source systems and forwarding it, the Universal Forwarder plays a crucial role in ensuring that real-time data can be ingested into Splunk for monitoring and analysis. While other components in a Splunk deployment, like indexers, are responsible for indexing data—or heavy forwarders can perform some indexing to relieve load from indexers—the Universal Forwarder's primary function is solely to gather data. This specialization makes it an ideal choice for environments where minimizing overhead on data sources is essential.