Wazuh documentation provides a central hub for teams building and operating cloud native security visibility. This guide outlines how readers can navigate, search, and apply the content to harden endpoints, monitor threats, and automate response.
Whether you are new to the platform or extending integrations, the structured materials below help you locate configuration examples, API references, and operational best practices quickly.
Documentation Structure and Quick Access
The following table maps core paths, typical use cases, and expected outcomes so you can jump directly to what matters.
| Path | Primary Use Case | Key Content | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| /getting-started | Install and initial setup | Quick start guides, package repositories, hardware recommendations | Deploy a functional manager and agents in under 15 minutes |
| /user-manual | Daily operations and configuration | Sections, rules, decoders, CDB lists, active response | Tune alerts, reduce noise, and control agent behavior |
| /api-reference | Integrations and automation | REST API endpoints, authentication, schemas, examples | Query logs, create rules, and trigger actions programmatically |
| /security-updates | Vulnerability and patch guidance | CVE tracking, upgrade paths, backward compatibility notes | Assess risk and schedule upgrades with minimal disruption |
Installation and Initial Configuration
Effective Wazuh deployments begin with deliberate installation choices that match your operating environment. The documentation covers RPM and DEB packages, Docker images, and automated scripts for cloud providers.
Manager Setup
You will find step by step instructions for manager installation, including repository configuration, firewall adjustments, and verification commands. Pay attention to database and cluster prerequisites if you plan to scale or enable alert normalization across multiple nodes.
Agent Deployment
For agent deployment, the guide explains both manual and automated approaches using the Wazuh agent script. You can review OS-specific commands, certificate handling, and how to confirm that agents are reporting integrity checks, configuration compliance, and threat detection events to the manager.
Rules, Decoders, and Active Response
Fine tuned detection depends on mastering rules, decoders, and active response blocks in the Wazuh documentation. These components transform raw logs into meaningful alerts and automated containment actions.
Rule Development
The rules section describes the syntax, condition building, and group assignments that determine when an event triggers an alert. You can learn to write custom rules that reference fields like user, srcip, and command, and how to test them using the provided unit test examples.
Decoder Design
Decoders normalize disparate log formats into structured events. The documentation includes examples for common services, guidance on regex construction, and troubleshooting tips when fields are not extracted as expected.
Active Response Integration
Active response allows the platform to block suspicious IPs, isolate compromised hosts, or invoke custom scripts. Walkthroughs show how to integrate firewall commands, define delay thresholds, and protect critical endpoints from accidental self lockout.
API Usage and Automation
Modern security operations rely on APIs to scale monitoring and response. The API reference explains authentication, pagination, filters, and rate limits with concrete curl and Python samples.
You can retrieve agent statuses, manage policies, inject custom commands, and query results programmatically. The documentation highlights how to combine endpoints with orchestration tools so that alerts from Wazuh can trigger workflows in SIEMs, ticketing systems, and cloud functions.
Operational Best Practices and Next Steps
- Start with the getting started guide to validate installation and agent enrollment.
- Review the user manual sections most relevant to your environment, such as rules, decoders, and active response.
- Bookmark the API reference and integrate key endpoints into your existing playbooks.
- Track security updates and schedule regular upgrade tests to stay current with patches.
- Use custom rules and decoders to normalize proprietary logs and reduce false positives.
- Implement active response cautiously, with safeguards to avoid accidental isolation of critical systems.
- Enable centralized reporting and visualization to correlate alerts across distributed hosts.
FAQ
Reader questions
How do I verify that agents are properly connected to the manager?
Use the agent_control -l command on the manager to list all connected agents and their status. Confirm that the checksum version matches and that no pending configuration queues are reported in the logs.
What should I do if alerts are missing critical fields such as srcip or user?
Check the appropriate decoder for the log source and validate that fields are being extracted with regex groups. Compare sample input against the decoder test suite and adjust patterns to capture delimiters or optional segments.
Can I run the Wazuh API from behind a reverse proxy or load balancer?
Yes, you can place the API behind a reverse proxy, but you must preserve the original protocol, configure timeouts correctly, and maintain TLS termination with valid certificates. Review the API reference for headers, health check endpoints, and session handling guidance.
How do I safely upgrade the manager without disrupting connected agents?
Follow the documented upgrade path by backing up configuration and databases, rolling out updates during maintenance windows, and verifying agent reconnect behavior. Use rolling restarts where possible and monitor cluster status before fully switching traffic.