The syslog protocol has been in use for decades as a way to transport messages from network devices to a logging server, typically known as a syslog server. Due to its longevity and popularity, the syslog protocol has support on most major operating systems, including macOS, Linux, and Unix.

How do Syslogs work?

Syslog is a standard for sending and receiving notification messages–in a particular format–from various network devices. … The messages are sent across IP networks to the event message collectors or syslog servers. Syslog uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), port 514, to communicate.

What RFC 3164?

Syslog was first standardized by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) in 2001, when the team published a Request for Comments titled “The BSD Syslog Protocol” (RFC 3164). “The Syslog Protocol” (RFC 5424), a more modern syslog standard, was later published in 2009, and obsoleted RFC 3164.