76,300+ GitHub Stars • 688M+ Docker Pulls • 1.5M Downloads Daily

The World’s Most Popular Open Source Monitoring Platform

Deploy complete infrastructure observability in 60 seconds. Zero configuration. Instant visibility. ML-powered insights from day one. Trusted by millions of engineers worldwide.

Deploy in 60 Seconds View on GitHub

Open Source Without the Complexity Tax

Get the flexibility you love with the simplicity you need

Deploy in 60 Seconds

One-line install. Auto-discovery. Instant dashboards. From installation to insights before your coffee gets cold.

True Real-Time Monitoring

Per-second data collection with 1-second visualization latency. See what’s happening now, not what happened 30 seconds ago.

ML on Every Metric

18 unsupervised models train automatically per metric. 99% false positive reduction through consensus-based anomaly detection.

Unified Platform

Metrics, logs, processes, connections - all in one interface. No context switching between fragmented tools.

Zero Configuration

800+ integrations auto-discovered. Algorithmic dashboards. No PromQL, no manual building, no query languages required.

Transparent Economics

Per-node pricing with no hidden costs. Unlimited metrics, logs, users. 90% cost reduction vs commercial solutions.

Trusted by DevOps teams worldwide

Why Millions Choose Netdata

Eliminate the Operational Tax of Traditional Open Source

While Prometheus + Grafana + ELK require dedicated teams and weeks of configuration, Netdata delivers complete observability instantly. No manual dashboard building, no query language expertise, no maintenance overhead - just deploy and monitor.

60 seconds to first dashboard vs days/weeks for LGTM stack

See Quick Start Guide

Catch Problems While They’re Still Seconds, Not Incidents

Most operational anomalies last 2-10 seconds. Minute-averaging hides 90% of incidents. Netdata’s per-second granularity reveals microbursts, transient issues, and cascading failures invisible to traditional monitoring - enabling proactive response before users feel impact.

×ばつ more granular than standard monitoring

Learn About Real-Time

Unified Intelligence Accelerates Resolution by 80%

Stop jumping between Grafana for metrics, Kibana for logs, and Jaeger for traces. Netdata unifies metrics, logs, processes, and network connections in one interface - with ML anomalies embedded and AI troubleshooting via natural language. Root cause typically surfaces in top 30-50 correlated metrics.

80% MTTR reduction through unified visibility

Explore AI Features

Scale From 10 to 10,000 Nodes Without Changing Architecture

Netdata distributes the code, instead of centralizing the data. Each agent operates independently while Parents aggregate without bottlenecks. Result: linear scalability with predictable performance - proven at 100,000+ node deployments processing 4.5+ billion metrics per second globally.

100,000+ node deployments in production

Understand Scalability

Debug Production Without SSH - Security Team Approved

Replace dozens of console tools (top, iostat, netstat, ss, df) with browser-based debugging. Same per-second precision, plus history and ML enrichment. Operations teams get visibility without infrastructure credentials. Reduce attack surface while accelerating troubleshooting.

Replaces 20+ console tools with unified interface

See Netdata Functions

Keep 90% More Budget While Gaining Superior Capabilities

Commercial solutions charge based on data volume, creating anxiety about collecting metrics. Traditional open source saves licensing costs but requires dedicated teams. Netdata delivers both: transparent per-node pricing with zero operational overhead and predictable costs that scale linearly with your infrastructure.

90% cost reduction vs Datadog/New Relic

View Pricing

Open Source Observability Comparison

How Netdata Compares to Traditional Open Source Stacks

See why millions choose Netdata over fragmented open source solutions

Capability

Netdata

Prometheus + Grafana + ELK

Time to First Dashboard

✅ 60 seconds
One-line install, instant visibility

⚠️ Days to weeks
Manual configuration, dashboard building

Data Granularity

✅ Per-second
True real-time, no sampling

⚠️ 10-30 seconds
Near real-time, misses transients

Configuration Required

✅ Zero
Auto-discovery, algorithmic dashboards

❌ Extensive
Collectors, exporters, dashboards

Query Language

✅ None
Point-and-click analysis

❌ PromQL + LogQL
Steep learning curve

ML Anomaly Detection

✅ Automatic
18 models per metric, edge-based

❌ Manual
Requires configuration and tuning

Unified Platform

✅ Metrics + Logs
Single interface, instant correlation

❌ Fragmented
3+ tools, context switching

Operational Overhead

✅ Zero
Self-managing, no maintenance

❌ Dedicated FTE
Constant tuning and scaling

Storage Efficiency

✅ 0.6 bytes/sample
Industry-leading compression

⚠️ 2-16 bytes/sample
Higher storage costs

AI Troubleshooting

✅ Included
Natural language via MCP

❌ Not Available
Manual investigation only

See Performance Benchmark

Open Source Excellence Meets Enterprise Capabilities

Built by Engineers, For Engineers

76,300+ GitHub stars. 615+ contributors. 1.5M downloads per day. Active Discord community. Transparent development. Your voice shapes the roadmap.

Join millions of engineers worldwide

View on GitHub

Distributed Intelligence at the Edge

Each agent is a complete observability engine. Process data where it's generated. Scale linearly without bottlenecks. Proven at 100,000+ nodes.

4.5+ billion metrics/second globally

Learn Architecture

Validated Efficiency at Scale

University of Amsterdam study confirms: most energy-efficient monitoring solution with lowest CPU, RAM, and application impact - even at per-second collection.

Independently validated efficiency

Read Research

Enterprise-Grade Security by Design

SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Data sovereignty - all metrics stay on-premises. TLS everywhere. RBAC. SSO integration. Audit logging. Air-gapped deployment options.

GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS aligned

View Security

Truly Open Source - GPLv3+

Agent licensed under GPLv3+. Dashboard under NCUL1 (free with Netdata). No proprietary lock-in. Fork-friendly. Community-driven development. Transparent roadmap.

Free forever for unlimited nodes

Read License

Why Open Source Teams Choose Netdata

The benefits that matter most to engineering teams

Deploy in 60 Seconds

One-line install. Auto-discovery. Instant dashboards. From installation to insights before your coffee gets cold.

Skill Independence

Junior engineers get senior-level visibility automatically. No query language expertise required. Same powerful tools for everyone.

90% Cost Reduction

Transparent per-node pricing. Unlimited metrics, logs, users. No surprise bills based on data volume.

Data Sovereignty

All metrics stay on-premises. Only metadata travels to Cloud. GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS aligned by design.

True Real-Time

Per-second data collection with 1-second visualization latency. See what’s happening now, not 30 seconds ago.

ML on Every Metric

18 unsupervised models train automatically. 99% false positive reduction in anomaly detection. Root cause in top 30-50 results.

Unified Platform

Metrics, logs, processes, connections - all in one interface. No context switching between fragmented tools.

Linear Scalability

Grow from 10 to 10,000 nodes without changing architecture. Proven at 100,000+ node deployments.

AI Troubleshooting

Natural language queries via Model Context Protocol. Bring your own LLM. Root cause analysis in seconds.

Costa Tsaousis Interview: Homelab Show Insights

April 26, 2024

Costa Tsaousis Interview: Homelab Show Insights

Costa Tsaousis, recently shared his expertise on the pivotal role of real-time monitoring in modern IT landscapes on 'The Homelab Show'.

SafetyDetectives: An Interview-With-Costa-Tsaousis

April 1, 2024

SafetyDetectives: An Interview-With-Costa-Tsaousis

Discover Netdata's journey with CEO Costa Tsaousis: revolutionizing monitoring with real-time analytics, ML integration, and cybersecurity insights.

Hidden Costs Of Monitoring: Uncovering Expenses & Solutions

July 7, 2023

Hidden Costs Of Monitoring: Uncovering Expenses & Solutions

Discover the hidden costs of IT monitoring solutions. Learn how unexpected expenses can impact your budget & find strategies to optimize your monitoring tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Netdata really free and open source?

Yes. The Netdata Agent is licensed under GPLv3+ and free forever for unlimited nodes. The dashboard is licensed under NCUL1 (Netdata Cloud UI License), which is free to use with Netdata Agents and Parents. You can deploy, modify, and distribute Netdata without restrictions. Netdata Cloud (SaaS) offers additional features with a free Community tier (5 nodes, personal use only) and paid plans for larger deployments and commercial use.

How does Netdata compare to Prometheus + Grafana?

Netdata provides ×ばつ more granular data (per-second vs 10-30 seconds), requires zero configuration (vs days/weeks of setup), includes ML anomaly detection automatically (vs manual threshold tuning), and unifies metrics + logs in one platform (vs separate tools). Netdata benchmark testing shows 36% less CPU, 88% less RAM, and 97% less disk I/O at 4.6 million metrics/second. Prometheus excels at long-term storage and PromQL standardization; Netdata excels at real-time troubleshooting and zero-configuration deployment.

Does Netdata require a dedicated team to maintain?

No. Unlike traditional open source stacks (Prometheus + Grafana + ELK) that require dedicated FTEs for configuration, tuning, and scaling, Netdata is largely self-managing. Auto-discovery finds services automatically, algorithmic dashboards generate instantly, ML models train without tuning, and the WORM storage design eliminates maintenance windows. Users need to configure retention based on preference, set up collectors requiring credentials, and monitor resources for scaling Parents as infrastructure grows.

Can Netdata handle enterprise scale?

Yes. Netdata is proven at 100,000+ node deployments processing 4.5+ billion metrics per second globally. The distributed edge-native architecture scales linearly - adding nodes adds observability without affecting existing performance. Each agent operates independently while Parents aggregate without bottlenecks. We’re SOC 2 Type 2 certified with enterprise features including RBAC, SSO, audit logging, and on-premises deployment options.

What’s the catch with free open source?

There is no catch. The Netdata Agent is GPLv3+ licensed and free forever. We monetize through Netdata Cloud (SaaS) which provides centralized management, team collaboration, infrastructure-level dashboards, and managed AI features. The free Community tier supports 5 nodes (personal use only). Larger deployments and commercial use require paid plans (with volume discounts) or on-premises deployment. Your observability data always stays on your infrastructure - only metadata travels to Cloud.

How does Netdata achieve per-second monitoring without high overhead?

Netdata’s architecture is optimized for efficiency: (1) Edge processing keeps data local, (2) Industry-leading compression (0.6 bytes/sample), (3) WORM storage eliminates compaction overhead, (4) ML runs as low-priority background tasks, (5) Intelligent spreading of work over time. The University of Amsterdam study validated Netdata as the most energy-efficient monitoring solution with lowest CPU, RAM, and application impact - even at per-second collection.

Can I use Netdata with my existing monitoring tools?

Yes. Netdata integrates with existing observability stacks through multiple paths: (1) Export metrics to Prometheus, InfluxDB, Graphite, OpenTSDB, TimescaleDB, (2) Ingest metrics via OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, StatsD, (3) Use Grafana datasource plugin for visualization, (4) Stream data to Parents for centralization. Many organizations use Netdata for real-time troubleshooting while keeping existing tools for long-term storage or compliance.

What about logs? Does Netdata replace ELK?

Netdata provides comprehensive log management through direct systemd-journal (Linux) and Windows Event Log access - eliminating expensive pipelines and centralized clusters. This achieves 90% cost reduction vs Elasticsearch/Splunk while providing ×ばつ more accurate analysis (1M entries analyzed vs 5K). For organizations requiring centralized log storage or advanced search, Netdata complements ELK by providing real-time log access and correlation with metrics.

How do I get started with Netdata?

Deploy in 60 seconds with one command: wget -O /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh https://get.netdata.cloud/kickstart.sh && sh /tmp/netdata-kickstart.sh. The installer auto-discovers your infrastructure, generates dashboards instantly, and begins ML training within 15 minutes. For Kubernetes, use our Helm chart. For Docker, run docker run -d --name=netdata -p 19999:19999 netdata/netdata. Access dashboards at http://localhost:19999 or connect to Netdata Cloud for centralized management.

What support options are available?

Can Netdata run in air-gapped environments?

Yes. Netdata Agents operate completely offline with local dashboards at http://localhost:19999. For centralized dashboards in air-gapped environments, deploy Netdata Parents (same software as Agents, configured as aggregation points) or use Netdata Cloud On-Premises - a complete control plane hosted in your datacenter. All observability data stays within your security perimeter. Only Netdata Cloud SaaS requires internet connectivity.

How does Netdata handle security and compliance?

Netdata is SOC 2 Type 2 certified with architecture designed for compliance: (1) All metrics stay on-premises (data sovereignty), (2) TLS encryption everywhere, (3) Zero-trust architecture, (4) RBAC with granular permissions, (5) SSO integration (LDAP/AD, Okta, OIDC), (6) Comprehensive audit logging, (7) Forward Secure Sealing for logs. We align with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA (BAA available), and PCI DSS requirements. Air-gapped deployment options available for maximum security isolation.

What’s the difference between Netdata Agent and Netdata Cloud?

Netdata Agent is the open source monitoring software (GPLv3+) installed on each system. It collects metrics, stores data locally, runs ML, evaluates alerts, and serves local dashboards. Agents work completely offline. Netdata Cloud is a SaaS control plane that unifies multiple Agents/Parents, providing centralized management, team collaboration, infrastructure-level dashboards, RBAC, SSO, and managed AI features. Cloud never stores your metrics - only metadata (hostnames, chart titles). Queries are distributed to Agents/Parents in real-time.

Can I contribute to Netdata?

How does Netdata pricing work?

Open Source Agent: Free forever for unlimited nodes. Netdata Cloud Community: Free for 5 nodes (personal use only). Homelab: Unlimited nodes for personal use only. Business: Per-node pricing (billed yearly or monthly) with volume discounts, includes unlimited metrics/logs/users, ML, AI sessions, RBAC, SSO - for freelancers, professionals, and businesses. Enterprise On-Premises: Custom pricing for air-gapped deployments. All plans use transparent per-node pricing - no charges for data volume, metrics, logs, or users. See full pricing details.