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?
Cacti
RRDtool-based network graphing and monitoring solution
VS
Shinken
Python monitoring framework compatible with Nagios
| Feature | Cacti | Shinken |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,852 | ★ 1,136 |
| First released | 2001 | 2009 |
| Replaces | PRTG, SolarWinds | SolarWinds |
Why pick each one
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.