# Inputs

Input plugins gather information from different sources. Some plugins collect data from log files, and others gather metrics information from the operating system. There are many different plugins, and they let you handle many different needs.

{% @mermaid/diagram content="graph LR
accTitle: Fluent Bit data pipeline
accDescr: A diagram of the Fluent Bit data pipeline, which includes input, a parser, a filter, a buffer, routing, and various outputs.
A\[Input] --> B\[Parser]
B --> C\[Filter]
C --> D\[Buffer]
D --> E((Routing))
E --> F\[Output 1]
E --> G\[Output 2]
E --> H\[Output 3]
style A stroke:darkred,stroke-width:2px;" %}

When an input plugin loads, an internal *instance* is created. Each instance has its own independent configuration. Configuration keys are often called *properties*.