Glances vs InfluxDB
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Glances
Cross-platform system monitoring at a glance
VS
InfluxDB
Purpose-built time series database for metrics and events
| Feature | Glances | InfluxDB |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,666 | ★ 31,754 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Datadog, AWS Timestream |
What are Glances and InfluxDB?
Glances
Glances is a cross-platform system monitoring tool that presents a wide range of host metrics in a terminal or web view. It targets administrators wanting a quick overview of a single machine. It is deployed via Docker, pip, or packages.
- Terminal and web monitoring views
- Wide range of metrics
- REST API and exporters
- Cross-platform support
InfluxDB
InfluxDB is an open-source time series database designed for high write and query loads of metrics, events, and analytics data. It powers monitoring dashboards, IoT data collection, and real-time analytics.
- High-throughput time series storage
- SQL and Flux query support
- Built-in retention policies
- Telegraf collector ecosystem
Glances vs InfluxDB: key differences
Glances is written in Python, while InfluxDB is built with Rust. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Glances versus MIT for InfluxDB. Glances is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for InfluxDB.
Why pick each one
Choose Glances if…
- Very easy to run
- Lightweight
- Good single-host overview
Watch out for
- Best for one host at a time
- Limited history
Choose InfluxDB if…
- Excellent for IoT and metrics
- Rich tooling and integrations
Watch out for
- Clustering reserved for enterprise
- Query language changes between versions
Frequently asked questions
Is Glances or InfluxDB better?
Glances is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider InfluxDB if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Glances and InfluxDB free and open-source?
Yes. Glances is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and InfluxDB under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glances and InfluxDB with Docker?
Glances: yes. InfluxDB: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glances or InfluxDB?
Glances has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for InfluxDB. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.