RRDtool (Round-Robin Database tool) was created by Tobi Oetiker in 1999. Tobi, a Swiss system administrator, needed a better way to store and graph time-series data for network monitoring. The tool was designed to solve the problem of ever-growing log files by using a fixed-size database structure.
The name “RRDtool” comes from “Round-Robin Database”—a reference to the circular buffer data structure that automatically ages old data.
- First public release by Tobi Oetiker
- Designed for MRTG (Multi Router Traffic Grapher)
- Revolutionary round-robin storage concept
- Became the standard for network monitoring
- Integration with major monitoring tools
- RRDtool 1.0 with improved features
- RRDtool 1.2 with Lua bindings
- Improved performance and reliability
- Integration with collectd, Nagios, Cacti
¶ 2011-Present - Legacy and Maintenance
- RRDtool 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 releases
- Maintenance mode, bug fixes
- Still widely used in existing installations
RRDtool’s key innovation is the round-robin archive (RRA):
- Fixed file size: Database never grows
- Automatic aggregation: High-resolution data rolls up to lower resolution
- Predictable storage: Know exactly how much space you need
A typical RRDtool setup might store:
- 1 sample per minute for 24 hours (1,440 samples)
- 1 sample per 5 minutes for 7 days (2,016 samples)
- 1 sample per hour for 31 days (744 samples)
- 1 sample per day for 365 days (365 samples)
Total: Always the same file size, no matter how long you run.
RRDtool is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) v2, ensuring it remains free and open source.
RRDtool is in maintenance mode:
- Occasional bug fix releases
- Still functional and reliable
- Newer alternatives available (Prometheus, InfluxDB, VictoriaMetrics)
- Many legacy systems depend on it
| Version |
Year |
Notable Changes |
| 1.0.x |
1999-2001 |
Initial releases |
| 1.1.x |
2002-2004 |
Performance improvements |
| 1.2.x |
2005-2010 |
Lua bindings, new features |
| 1.3.x |
2011-2014 |
Bug fixes |
| 1.4.x |
2014-2017 |
Minor improvements |
| 1.5.x |
2017-2019 |
Security fixes |
| 1.6.x |
2019-2021 |
Continued maintenance |
| 1.7.x |
2021-Present |
Current stable |
- MRTG: Network traffic graphs (RRDtool’s original purpose)
- Cacti: Web-based network monitoring
- collectd: Can use RRDtool for storage
- Nagios: Graphing via plugins
- OpenNMS: Enterprise network monitoring
- LibreNMS: Community network monitoring
RRD files have become a de facto standard:
.rrd extension- Binary format
- Self-describing (contains metadata)
- Portable across systems
| Tool |
Advantages over RRDtool |
| Prometheus |
Better query language, cloud-native |
| InfluxDB |
Better compression, SQL-like queries |
| VictoriaMetrics |
Better performance, Prometheus-compatible |
| TimescaleDB |
Full SQL, PostgreSQL extension |
Despite its age, RRDtool remains relevant:
- Simplicity: Easy to understand and use
- Predictability: Fixed storage requirements
- Reliability: Decades of proven operation
- Integration: Built into many monitoring tools
Any questions?
Feel free to contact us. Find all contact information on our contact page.