Auto-detect logs & metrics

Problem

New users faced significant friction when trying to see the value of Elastic Observability. Data ingestion is always a challenge, time consuming and technically complex. Most users simply wanted to ingest some log data as a starting point to validate the product and explore its capabilities, typically starting with system logs. The existing setup process created unnecessary barriers to that first moment of value.

Goal

Reduce the time-to-value for new users by creating a streamlined onboarding flow that automatically detects available data sources and guides users through ingestion with minimal manual configuration.

Solution

We designed a CLI-driven onboarding experience that scans the user's host for log and metric files, then guides them through a series of questions to configure data ingestion. With a single command, users can detect available data sources, assign them to the appropriate Elastic integrations, and automatically install the Elastic Agent.

The flow also provisions ready-to-use assets bundled with the integration packages, including dashboards for visualizing incoming data. This means users go from zero to insights in minutes, not hours.