How it works...

Modular inputs are bundled as Splunk apps and, once installed, contain all the necessary configuration and code to display them in the Data inputs section of Splunk. In this recipe, you installed a modular input application that allows for periodic execution of commands. You configured the command to execute every minute and to index the results of the command each time, giving the results a source type of cp01_modular_input.

Modular inputs can be written in several languages and need to follow only a set of interfaces that expose the configuration options and runtime behaviors. Depending on the design of the input, they will either run persistently or run at an interval and will send data to Splunk as they receive it.

You can find several other modular inputs, including REST API, SNMP, and PowerShell, on the Splunk Apps site (https://splunkbase.splunk.com).