Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

What is the best description of a HEC token?

1. A part of an interactive dashboard where values can change

2. An authentication method

3. An event stream from a web app

4. A batch file from a web app

The correct answer is: An authentication method

A HEC (HTTP Event Collector) token is indeed an authentication method used in Splunk for securely sending data to the Splunk platform via HTTP. When an application or service wants to send data to Splunk, it must present a valid HEC token. This ensures that only authorized applications can push data, thereby enhancing the security of the data ingestion process. Using HEC tokens simplifies the process of data intake while allowing developers to implement fine-grained access controls and monitoring. This is particularly useful in modern applications where data is often generated in distributed environments and needs to be sent to a central logging solution like Splunk. The other options do not accurately describe the function or purpose of a HEC token. While interactive dashboard elements, event streams, and batch files are relevant in the context of data handling and analysis, they do not pertain to the authentication and security role that HEC tokens fulfill.