Glances vs Robusta
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
Robusta
Kubernetes observability and automated troubleshooting
| Feature | Glances | Robusta |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,666 | ★ 3,101 |
| First released | 2012 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Datadog, PagerDuty |
What are Glances and Robusta?
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
Robusta
Robusta enhances Prometheus alerts for Kubernetes with enriched context, automated troubleshooting, and notifications to Slack and other channels. It helps teams understand and respond to cluster issues faster.
- Enriched Kubernetes alerts
- Automated remediation playbooks
- Slack and Teams notifications
- Crash and OOM diagnostics
Glances vs Robusta: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Glances versus MIT for Robusta. Glances is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Robusta. Glances is the more established project (first released 2012), while Robusta arrived in 2021. Glances has the considerably larger community, at 33,666 GitHub stars versus 3,101. Glances lists first-class Docker deployment; Robusta does not.
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 Robusta if…
- Makes alerts actionable
- Strong Kubernetes focus
Watch out for
- Kubernetes only
- Best with Prometheus already running
Frequently asked questions
Is Glances or Robusta better?
Glances is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Robusta if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Glances and Robusta free and open-source?
Yes. Glances is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Robusta under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glances and Robusta with Docker?
Glances: yes. Robusta: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Glances or Robusta?
Glances has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Robusta. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.