Fluentd is an open-source data collector designed to simplify and unify the data collection and logging layer in systems. It allows users to collect, process, and unify log data from various sources for better analysis and understanding. With its strong ecosystem of plugins, Fluentd supports numerous data sources and outputs, making it highly flexible and adaptable to different environments. It is particularly popular in cloud and hybrid environments due to its capability to handle large volumes of data efficiently. Fluentd is part of the CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation), which underscores its significance and reliability in cloud-native logging infrastructure.