In Splunk, how do apps differ from add-ons?

The distinction between apps and add-ons in Splunk is primarily centered around their functionality and purpose within the Splunk ecosystem. Apps are designed to provide a comprehensive user interface that includes dashboards, visualizations, and other features that enhance the user experience when working with data. They often come with pre-built reports and dashboards tailored for specific use cases or data types.

On the other hand, add-ons serve a different purpose by concentrating mainly on data inputs and the extraction of data from various sources. They provide the necessary components to collect, parse, and index data so that it can be utilized by the Splunk platform effectively. While add-ons may include some modular inputs or configurations that facilitate data acquisition, they do not generally include visualizations or dashboards aimed at presenting that data to the end user.

This clear delineation helps users understand when to utilize an app versus when to incorporate an add-on based on their specific needs, whether that be for data visualization or for data ingestion and processing. Each plays a crucial role in the overall functionality of Splunk, contributing to a more robust data analysis environment.