Graphite vs Hertzbeat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Graphite
Scalable real-time graphing and time series storage
VS
Hertzbeat
Real-time monitoring system with customizable templates
| Feature | Graphite | Hertzbeat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 72 · Good | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,119 | ★ 7,405 |
| First released | 2008 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Zabbix, Datadog |
What are Graphite and Hertzbeat?
Graphite
Graphite is a monitoring tool that stores numeric time series data and renders graphs of it on demand. It consists of Carbon for metric ingestion, Whisper for storage, and a Django-based web app for visualization.
- Time series storage with Whisper
- On-demand graph rendering
- Plain-text metric protocol
- Widely supported by collectors
Hertzbeat
HertzBeat is an open-source real-time monitoring system that checks websites, APIs, databases, servers, and more using customizable YAML templates. It includes alerting and a friendly dashboard with no agents required.
- Agentless monitoring
- Customizable YAML templates
- Threshold alerting
- Built-in dashboards
Graphite vs Hertzbeat: key differences
Graphite is written in JavaScript, while Hertzbeat is built with Java. Graphite is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Graphite is the more established project (first released 2008), while Hertzbeat arrived in 2022.
Why pick each one
Choose Graphite if…
- Simple metric protocol
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- Dated architecture
- Scaling requires extra components
Choose Hertzbeat if…
- No agents to deploy
- Flexible templates
Watch out for
- JVM resource needs
- Newer project
Frequently asked questions
Is Graphite or Hertzbeat better?
Neither is universally better. Hertzbeat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Graphite and Hertzbeat free and open-source?
Yes. Graphite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hertzbeat under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Graphite and Hertzbeat with Docker?
Graphite: yes. Hertzbeat: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Graphite or Hertzbeat?
Graphite has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.