# Running filebeat as a non root user

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/running-filebeat-as-a-non-root-user/53753>\
**Category:** Beats\
**Tags:** filebeat\
**Created:** [June 23, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/running-filebeat-as-a-non-root-user/53753 "2016-06-23T09:00:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sai\_Birada](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/sai_birada/32/142367_2.png) [@Sai\_Birada](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Sai_Birada)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/running-filebeat-as-a-non-root-user/53753/1 "2016-06-23T09:00:57Z")

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I am planning to install filebeat on some client machines to monitor user login's on those boxes. But due to some strict security policy i need to run filebeat as a non root user. I read that its not yet possible to run filebeat as a non root user, is it true? Or there is a way to install and run filebeat as a non root user?.

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**Author:** ![Sai\_Birada](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/sai_birada/32/142367_2.png) [@Sai\_Birada](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Sai_Birada)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2016, 10:19am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/running-filebeat-as-a-non-root-user/53753/2 "2016-06-23T10:19:06Z")

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After some successful testing, found that filebeat can be run as a non root user, if that user had enough previleges over the filebeat folder. Cool..

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**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:** [June 29, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/running-filebeat-as-a-non-root-user/53753/3 "2016-06-29T20:01:09Z")

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Indeed, Filebeat has no particular requirements on what user it runs as except that that user obviously needs to be able to read the directories and files that are monitored.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 9:01am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/running-filebeat-as-a-non-root-user/53753/4 "2016-07-14T09:01:26Z")

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