Which configuration file is critical for setting up data inputs on a receiver?

The configuration file that is critical for setting up data inputs on a receiver is the inputs.conf file. This file is specifically designed to define the data sources that Splunk should monitor and index. It contains configuration entries that specify where to look for data, the type of data input (e.g., files, network inputs, or scripts), and other attributes like the source type of the incoming data.

When configuring a receiver, it is essential to use inputs.conf to indicate the data inputs that you want Splunk to manage. For example, if you're configuring a universal forwarder to send logs to a Splunk instance, you'll set up appropriate entries in inputs.conf on the receiver to ensure that the incoming data from various sources is correctly ingested and processed.

In contrast, while the other configuration files such as outputs.conf, props.conf, and transforms.conf play important roles in data routing, formatting, or transformation, they are not used to define the initial data inputs. Outputs.conf is primarily involved in specifying where to send data, props.conf handles data parsing and field extraction, and transforms.conf is used for manipulating event data and fields after they are ingested.