Diamond was created as a Python-based alternative to collectd, designed specifically for collecting and publishing system metrics to Graphite. The project emerged from the need for a more flexible, easier-to-extend metrics collector that could leverage Python’s extensive ecosystem.
The name “Diamond” suggests something precious and multifaceted—reflecting its role in collecting valuable metrics from many sources.
- Early development by Brightcove engineers
- Designed for Graphite integration
- Python-based for easy extensibility
- Moved to python-diamond organization on GitHub
- Community-driven development
- Expansion of collector plugins
- Widely adopted for Graphite stacks
- Integration with other backends added
- Active community contributions
¶ 2018-Present - Maintenance Mode
- Development slowed significantly
- Still used in legacy deployments
- Community recommends Telegraf or collectd for new projects
- Daemon: Python-based main process
- Collectors: Modular Python scripts for metric collection
- Handlers: Output modules for different backends
- System collectors: CPU, memory, disk, network
- Service collectors: Apache, Nginx, MySQL, etc.
- Custom collectors: User-defined Python scripts
Diamond is licensed under the MIT License, making it freely usable and modifiable.
Diamond is in maintenance mode:
- Infrequent releases
- Limited active development
- Still functional for existing deployments
- Community recommends Telegraf for new projects
| Feature |
Diamond |
collectd |
Telegraf |
| Language |
Python |
C |
Go |
| Memory |
~30 MB |
~10 MB |
~50 MB |
| Performance |
Moderate |
Excellent |
Excellent |
| Extensibility |
Easy (Python) |
Moderate © |
Easy (Go/Plugins) |
| Status |
Maintenance |
Active |
Active |
Diamond played an important role in the monitoring ecosystem:
- Made Graphite accessible to Python developers
- Demonstrated the value of plugin-based collectors
- Influenced later tools like Telegraf
For teams currently using Diamond:
- Telegraf: Most active development, extensive plugin ecosystem
- collectd: Lower resource usage, mature and stable
- Beats (Metricbeat): Best for Elastic Stack users
Any questions?
Feel free to contact us. Find all contact information on our contact page.