Node Exporter vs Vmstat Exporter
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?
Node Exporter
Prometheus exporter for hardware and OS metrics
VS
Vmstat Exporter
Prometheus exporter for assorted system metrics
| Feature | Node Exporter | Vmstat Exporter |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,680 | ★ 3,608 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Datadog Agent | Datadog Agent |
Why pick each one
Choose Vmstat Exporter if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Node Exporter or Vmstat Exporter better?
Node Exporter is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Vmstat Exporter if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Node Exporter and Vmstat Exporter free and open-source?
Yes. Node Exporter is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Vmstat Exporter under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Node Exporter and Vmstat Exporter with Docker?
Node Exporter: yes. Vmstat Exporter: yes.