In Splunk, what defines an alert?

An alert in Splunk is defined as a notification that is triggered based on predefined search conditions. This means that when certain criteria are met in the data being monitored, Splunk generates an alert to inform users of significant events or anomalies. Alerts can be configured to run searches at specified intervals, and based on the results, they can notify users via email, script execution, or other channels.

The nature of alerts distinguishes them from other functionalities in Splunk. Reports, for example, are generated on demand and typically do not provide real-time notifications based on search conditions. Similarly, visualizations focus on representing data trends and insights from historical data rather than alerting users to specific events or conditions as they occur. The mention of a supported app indicates a broader scope and does not specifically pertain to how alerts function within Splunk.