Why We Open-Sourced Our Audit Logging Instead of Using Splunk

The quote from Splunk came in at $96,000 per year. For audit logging. Our CTO read the email, looked at me and said "we can build this." And for once, he was right. Sort of. The Enterprise Pricing Problem If you've ever priced enterprise logging solutions, you know the drill. Everything is "contact sales." You fill out a form, wait two days for a call, sit through a demo you dont need, and then get a quote that makes your eyes water. Here's what we were quoted in early 2025: Splunk Enterprise Se