In which phase does the settings in props.conf typically get applied?

The settings in props.conf are primarily applied during the input phase. This phase is crucial as it is where data is first received and processed before it becomes searchable. In this phase, Splunk applies configurations for data parsing and transformation such as field extraction, timestamp recognition, character encoding, and applying sourcetypes.

This is important because the manipulations and configurations defined in props.conf ensure that data is organized and structured correctly from the very beginning of its lifecycle within Splunk. Proper parsing at this early stage helps prevent issues later on in the search and reporting phases, ensuring that analysts have accurate and relevant data when querying. By handling configurations in the input phase, Splunk optimally prepares incoming data for future operations.