Naemon vs Smokeping
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Naemon | Smokeping |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 69 · Good |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 173 | ★ 1,967 |
| First released | 2014 | 2003 |
| Replaces | SolarWinds, PRTG | PRTG |
What are Naemon and Smokeping?
Naemon
Naemon is a host and service monitoring tool based on the Nagios core, designed for improved performance and modern features. It checks the availability of resources and alerts on outages.
- Nagios-compatible checks
- Improved performance
- Livestatus query interface
- Large plugin compatibility
Smokeping
SmokePing measures network latency and packet loss, storing and graphing the results to reveal connection quality over time. Its distinctive smoke graphs visualize jitter and loss for troubleshooting.
- Latency and packet loss graphs
- Distinctive smoke visualization
- Multiple probe types
- Alerting on degradation
Naemon vs Smokeping: key differences
Naemon is written in C, while Smokeping is built with Perl. Smokeping is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Naemon. Smokeping is the more established project (first released 2003), while Naemon arrived in 2014. Smokeping has the considerably larger community, at 1,967 GitHub stars versus 173. Smokeping lists first-class Docker deployment; Naemon does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Naemon if…
- Faster than classic Nagios
- Reuses Nagios plugins
Watch out for
- Text-file configuration
- Needs add-ons for a modern UI
Choose Smokeping if…
- Excellent for connection quality
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Single-purpose tool
- Dated UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Naemon or Smokeping better?
Smokeping is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Naemon if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Naemon and Smokeping free and open-source?
Yes. Naemon is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Smokeping under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Naemon and Smokeping with Docker?
Naemon: check the project docs for container support. Smokeping: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Naemon or Smokeping?
Smokeping has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Naemon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.