# Windows Event logs (winlog)

{% hint style="info" %}
**Supported event types:** `logs`
{% endhint %}

The *Windows Event logs* (`winlog`) input plugin lets you read Windows Event logs.

## Configuration parameters

The plugin supports the following configuration parameters:

| Key              | Description                                                                                                                               | Default |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- |
| `channels`       | A comma-separated list of channels to read from.                                                                                          | *none*  |
| `db`             | Set the path to save the read offsets. (optional)                                                                                         | *none*  |
| `interval_sec`   | Set the polling interval for each channel. (optional)                                                                                     | `1`     |
| `interval_nsec`  | Set the polling interval for each channel in nanoseconds. (optional)                                                                      | `0`     |
| `string_inserts` | Whether to include string inserts in output records.                                                                                      | `true`  |
| `threaded`       | Indicates whether to run this input in its own [thread](/manual/administration/multithreading.md#inputs).                                 | `false` |
| `use_ansi`       | Use ANSI encoding for Event Log messages. This can help on older Windows versions that return blank strings with wide-character decoding. | `false` |

If `db` isn't set, the plugin will read channels from the beginning on each startup.

## Configuration examples

### Configuration file

Here is a minimum configuration example.

```yaml
pipeline:
  inputs:
    - name: winlog
      channels: setup,Windows Powershell
      interval_sec: 1
      db: winlog.sqlite

  outputs:
    - name: stdout
      match: '*'
```

```
[INPUT]
  Name         winlog
  Channels     Setup,Windows PowerShell
  Interval_Sec 1
  DB           winlog.sqlite

[OUTPUT]
  Name   stdout
  Match  *
```

Some Windows Event Log channels, like `Security`, require administrative privileges for reading. In this case, you need to run Fluent Bit as an administrator.

### Command line

If you want to do a test, you can run this plugin from the command line:

```shell
fluent-bit -i winlog -p 'channels=Setup' -o stdout
```


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