# How can I make the Logstash TCP input to separate messages that it listens on a TCP port?
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [May 30, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500 "2017-05-30T01:52:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ramuyko](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ramuyko)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500/1 "2017-05-30T01:52:27Z")
I want to send data to `Logstash` using the `TCP protocol`. And to send the data I'm using the `Node-RED`. A simple configuration for doing that looks like this:
In the `Logstash folder`, I created a file called `nodered.conf` with the following content:
```
input {
tcp {
port => "3999"
}
}
output {
stdout { codec => rubydebug }
}
```
Right now, I just want to print on my screen the information that the `Logstash` is receiving. That's why I used `stdout { codec => rubydebug }` on my output.
So, inside the `Logstash` folder, I started the Logstash with the following command:
`bin/logstash -f nodered.conf --config.reload.automatic`
The problem is that all the messages that I send to `Logstash` with the `Node-RED` are aggregated into a single message. For example, if I inject 5 messages with the `Node-RED` into my `TCP port 3999`, after redeploying the `Node-RED` I receive the following content on my `Logstash` terminal:
```
user@computer:/home/Dados/ELK/logstash-5.4.0$ bin/logstash -f nodered.conf --config.reload.automatic
Sending Logstash's logs to /home/Dados/ELK/logstash-5.4.0/logs which is now configured via log4j2.properties
[2017-05-29T15:14:52,388][INFO][logstash.pipeline] Starting pipeline {"id"=>"main", "pipeline.workers"=>4, "pipeline.batch.size"=>125, "pipeline.batch.delay"=>5, "pipeline.max_inflight"=>500}
[2017-05-29T15:14:52,417][INFO][logstash.inputs.tcp] Starting tcp input listener {:address=>"0.0.0.0:3999"}
[2017-05-29T15:14:52,430][INFO][logstash.pipeline] Pipeline main started
[2017-05-29T15:14:52,513][INFO][logstash.agent] Successfully started Logstash API endpoint {:port=>9600}
{
"@timestamp" => 2017-05-29T18:19:33.277Z,
"port" => 54316,
"@version" => "1",
"host" => "127.0.0.1",
"message" => "hellohellohellohellohello"
}
```
And I actually would like to see something like this without having to redeploy:
```
user@computer:/home/Dados/ELK/logstash-5.4.0$ bin/logstash -f nodered.conf --config.reload.automatic
Sending Logstash's logs to /home/Dados/ELK/logstash-5.4.0/logs which is now configured via log4j2.properties
[2017-05-29T15:27:24,168][INFO][logstash.pipeline] Starting pipeline {"id"=>"main", "pipeline.workers"=>4, "pipeline.batch.size"=>125, "pipeline.batch.delay"=>5, "pipeline.max_inflight"=>500}
[2017-05-29T15:27:24,191][INFO][logstash.inputs.tcp] Starting tcp input listener {:address=>"0.0.0.0:3999"}
[2017-05-29T15:27:24,200][INFO][logstash.pipeline] Pipeline main started
[2017-05-29T15:27:24,260][INFO][logstash.agent] Successfully started Logstash API endpoint {:port=>9600}
{
"@timestamp" => 2017-05-29T18:27:48.394Z,
"port" => 54518,
"@version" => "1",
"host" => "127.0.0.1",
"message" => "hello"
}
{
"@timestamp" => 2017-05-29T18:27:51.657Z,
"port" => 54546,
"@version" => "1",
"host" => "127.0.0.1",
"message" => "hello"
}
{
"@timestamp" => 2017-05-29T18:27:58.691Z,
"port" => 54600,
"@version" => "1",
"host" => "127.0.0.1",
"message" => "hello"
}
{
"@timestamp" => 2017-05-29T18:28:06.330Z,
"port" => 54656,
"@version" => "1",
"host" => "127.0.0.1",
"message" => "hello"
}
{
"@timestamp" => 2017-05-29T18:28:14.347Z,
"port" => 54682,
"@version" => "1",
"host" => "127.0.0.1",
"message" => "hello"
}
```
The conclusion is that I don't know how to make the `Logstash` interpret each message as a unique one instead of concatenating everything that it receives. I've tried using different codecs in my `nodered.conf` file but I didn't succeed. How can I make the Logstash see every message that it listens on a `TCP port` as a single one?
---
### Author:  [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2017, 5:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500/2 "2017-05-30T05:13:58Z")
Have you tried to simply end each message with a newline character? I don't think the tcp input supports adding an end-of-message marker when connections are closed.
---
### Author:  [@Ramuyko](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ramuyko)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500/4 "2017-05-30T05:57:05Z")
Do you mean adding a `/n`? I've tried that but it didn't work 😕 ... But I'm not sure if what I need to do to solve it is to add a marker when the connection is closed. My problem is actually that the messages don't stop concatenating while there's a connection. If I keep sending messages the Logstash keeps joining them without seeing them as new ones.
---
### Author:  [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2017, 7:48am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500/5 "2017-05-30T07:48:49Z")
> Do you mean adding a `/n`?
You mean `\n` but yes, a newline character. Exactly how are you sending the messages?
---
### Author:  [@Ramuyko](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ramuyko)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500/6 "2017-05-30T16:47:27Z")
Yeah, I meant `\n`... 😄
I actually solved this issue by changing my `Node-RED` diagram, it wasn't an issue with the `Logstash`. I had to add an extra node and concatenate it with `\n` as follows:
The code of the `function node` is this one:
> msg.payload = msg.payload + "\n";
> return msg;
So you were right! 🙂 It was just about adding `\n` to the string. But if I try to concatenate `\n` to my `string` directly inside the `injection node` with the `Node-RED` it doesn't work. I have to create an extra `function node` in this case.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-can-i-make-the-logstash-tcp-input-to-separate-messages-that-it-listens-on-a-tcp-port/87500/7 "2017-06-27T16:47:48Z")
This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.