# Definitions of Logstash Collector, Processor and Shipper **URL:** \ **Category:** Logstash\ **Created:** [August 1, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/definitions-of-logstash-collector-processor-and-shipper/95429 "2017-08-01T23:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sebastus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sebastus](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/sebastus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/definitions-of-logstash-collector-processor-and-shipper/95429/1 "2017-08-01T23:19:22Z")
I have seen reference to collectors, processors and shippers in various places, but I can't find a definition of either one. Have they always existed? Did they exist for a while as important artifacts and no longer are so important? Where are they mentioned in the documentation? (I could find nothing...) FWIW, they appear to be configuration variations of a Logstash instance. If the output is a queue, then the instance is a collector. If the input is a queue, then it's a processor? TIA, Greg ---
**Author:** ![bhatch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@bhatch](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/bhatch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/definitions-of-logstash-collector-processor-and-shipper/95429/2 "2017-08-02T18:46:51Z")
Try reading through this link, particularly the part about message queueing. [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/5.0/deploying-and-scaling.html#deploying-message-queueing](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/5.0/deploying-and-scaling.html#deploying-message-queueing) If you are using a pipeline that has a message queue, each tier has it's own purpose. How logstash is configured changes depending on what you want it to do. Collector = Pretty much replaced by beats instead of using logstash. This runs on the server that is generating the logs, and sends data to a shipper. There may be hundreds of these all sending data to the same shipper machine. Shippers = Receives data from lots of different sources and machines. Ideally does the minimal amount of processing possible (No filters) and then sends it off to a message queue such as Kafka or Redis. Processors (I believe this would be the same as indexer) = Pulls data from the message queue, applies whatever filters are necessary, and then inserts it into Elasticsearch. These tend to be more CPU hungry than the shippers. This creates a lot of extra servers to manage, but it offers a lot of benefits too. If all you need to do is log a few thousand messages per day, none of this would really apply. If you want to log 500 million messages per day, you won't be able to get away with a simple setup. ---
**Author:** ![magnusbaeck](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/magnusbaeck/32/44943_2.png) [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 9:40am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/definitions-of-logstash-collector-processor-and-shipper/95429/3 "2017-08-03T09:40:51Z")
With the exception of "shipper" I'd say that none of these terms are very established. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 9:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/definitions-of-logstash-collector-processor-and-shipper/95429/4 "2017-08-31T09:41:08Z")
Closed on August 31, 2017, 9:41am UTC This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.