SHSelfHostIndex

Cacti vs Shinken

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
CA Cacti RRDtool-based network graphing and monitoring solution VS SH Shinken Python monitoring framework compatible with Nagios
FeatureCactiShinken
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupRead-the-docs project
Health score85 · Excellent17 · At risk
CategoryMonitoring & StatusMonitoring & Status
LicenseGPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguagePHPPython
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, docker, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 1,871★ 1,135
First released20012009
ReplacesPRTG, SolarWindsSolarWinds

What are Cacti and Shinken?

Cacti

Cacti is a complete network graphing solution that harnesses RRDtool for data storage and graphing. It polls devices over SNMP and scripts, presenting historical performance data through a web interface.

  • RRDtool-based graphing
  • SNMP and script polling
  • Plugin architecture
  • Templating for devices

Read the full Cacti guide →

Shinken

Shinken is a monitoring framework written in Python and compatible with Nagios configurations and plugins. Its distributed architecture splits monitoring into specialized, scalable daemons.

  • Nagios configuration compatibility
  • Distributed daemon architecture
  • Scales across many pollers
  • Plugin support

Read the full Shinken guide →

Cacti vs Shinken: key differences

Cacti is written in PHP, while Shinken is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Cacti versus AGPL-3.0 for Shinken. Cacti is the more established project (first released 2001), while Shinken arrived in 2009. Cacti lists first-class Docker deployment; Shinken does not.

Why pick each one

Choose Cacti if…

  • Mature and reliable
  • Detailed graph templates

Watch out for

  • Dated interface
  • Configuration can be tedious
Cacti details

Choose Shinken if…

  • Scales horizontally
  • Reuses Nagios ecosystem

Watch out for

  • Development has slowed
  • Complex setup
Shinken details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cacti or Shinken better?

Cacti is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Shinken if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Cacti and Shinken free and open-source?

Yes. Cacti is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Shinken under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Cacti and Shinken with Docker?

Cacti: yes. Shinken: check the project docs for container support.

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