A license is required for each Splunk instance. With Splunk, you receive a license that specifies which features you can use and how much data can be indexed. Various Splunk License types include:

• The Splunk Enterprise license: Among all Splunk license types, Enterprise licenses are the most popular. These licenses give users access to all the features of Splunk Enterprise within a specified limit of indexed data or vCPU usage per day. These licenses include enterprise features such as authentication and distributed search. SEVERAL types of Splunk Enterprise licenses are available, including the Splunk for Industrial IoT license and Splunk Enterprise Trial license.
• The Free license: Under the Free license, Splunk Enterprise is COMPLETELY free to use with limited functionality. Some features are not available under this license, such as authentication. Only a limited amount of data can be indexed.
• The FORWARDER license: A Forwarder license enables unlimited forwarding of data, as well as a subset of the Splunk Enterprise features that are required for authentication, configuration management, and SENDING data.
• The Beta license: Each Splunk beta release requires a separate beta license, which cannot be used with other Splunk releases. With a beta license, Splunk Enterprise features are enabled for a specific beta release PERIOD.