Graphite vs Netdata

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?
FeatureGraphiteNetdata
CategoryMonitoring & StatusMonitoring & Status
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageJavaScriptGo
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 6,102★ 80,075
First released20082013
ReplacesDatadogDatadog, New Relic

Why pick each one

Choose Graphite if…

  • Simple metric protocol
  • Mature and stable
Graphite details

Choose Netdata if…

  • Instant insight out of the box
  • Beautiful real-time charts
  • Easy install
Netdata details

Frequently asked questions

Is Graphite or Netdata better?

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

Are Graphite and Netdata free and open-source?

Yes. Graphite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Netdata under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Graphite and Netdata with Docker?

Graphite: yes. Netdata: yes.

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