Wazuh: Open XDR Platform Built on Top of OSSEC
Wazuh started as a fork of OSSEC — and then took off in its own direction. Today it’s a full-featured open-source XDR platform combining host-based intrusion detection, log analysis, vulnerability detection, compliance auditing, and SIEM features — all in one stack.
It still uses the agent-based architecture from OSSEC, but adds a modern backend with Elasticsearch, Kibana, a RESTful API, and scalable cluster support. If OSSEC is the engine, Wazuh is the dashboard, autopilot, and full cockpit.
And the best part? It’s still free and open source.
What Wazuh Brings to the Table
| Feature | What It Delivers in Practice |
| Centralized event pipeline | Combines logs, FIM, rootkits, agents, rules — all in one place |
| Threat detection | Real-time alerts from log parsing, anomaly detection, rule triggers |
| Security analytics dashboard | Full Kibana interface with dashboards, drilldowns, and search |
| Vulnerability detection | CVE checks across Windows and Linux endpoints |
| File integrity monitoring | Watches sensitive files for changes with baseline tracking |
| Compliance auditing | Built-in checks for PCI, HIPAA, GDPR, CIS, etc. |
| Active response | Automated actions like firewall blocks, script execution |
| Scalable architecture | Works on-prem, in the cloud, or hybrid — with cluster mode |
| RESTful API | Query agents, rules, alerts, and stats programmatically |
Who Uses Wazuh (And Why)
– MSSPs and SOCs building out multi-tenant detection environments
– Large enterprises replacing commercial SIEMs with open-source alternatives
– DevOps teams who want security telemetry in their pipelines
– Regulated industries needing full audit trails and compliance mappings
– Security researchers and red teamers who need customizable rules and agent behavior
Requirements & Architecture Overview
| Component | Details |
| Core stack | Wazuh Manager, Wazuh Agents, Filebeat, Elasticsearch, Kibana |
| Agent OS support | Linux, Windows, macOS, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX |
| Server OS | Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian preferred) |
| Dependencies | Docker (for simplified install), or manual packages |
| Deployment models | Single-node, multi-node cluster, or cloud-native (K8s, AWS, etc.) |
Quick Deployment (All-in-One with Docker)
# Clone the repo and run the stack
git clone https://github.com/wazuh/wazuh-docker.git
cd wazuh-docker
docker-compose -f generate-indexer-certs.yml run –rm generator
docker-compose up -d
Access Kibana UI at:
https://:5601
Default credentials: admin / admin
Agents can be deployed with a one-liner install script, configured to connect back to the Wazuh manager.
Real-World Feedback
“We replaced a $30k/year commercial SIEM with Wazuh. Yes, it took work — but now we own the stack.”
“Wazuh lets us combine log monitoring, vulnerability scans, and response triggers. And it scales.”
“The dashboards alone have made executive reporting way easier. And the agents just work.”
A Few Considerations
Expect some learning curve — this is a full platform, not a plug-and-play scanner
Rule tuning is essential to reduce alert fatigue
Hardware resources scale with number of agents and log volume
If you’re ready to manage your own detection infrastructure — and want flexibility without giving up visibility — Wazuh is one of the most complete open-source options out there.
