Monitoring a Linux system involves tracking system metrics (CPU, memory, disk, network), application health, logs, and alerting. There are many tools available for monitoring, from lightweight CLI utilities to full-stack observability platforms.
For public service status pages, see Status Pages.
| Tool | Technical Stack | License | Setup Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adagios | Python, Docker | AGPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Alerta | Python | Apache-2.0 | Setup |
| Beszel | Go | MIT | Setup |
| Cacti | PHP | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| cAdvisor | Go | Apache-2.0 | Setup |
| checkmk | Python, PHP | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| dashdot | Node.js, Docker | MIT | Setup |
| EdMon | Java | MIT | Setup |
| eZ Server Monitor | PHP, Shell | GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| glances | Python | GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Grafana | Go | AGPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Healthchecks | Python | BSD-3-Clause | Setup |
| Icinga | C++ | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| LibreNMS | PHP | GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Linux Dash | Node.js, Go, Python, PHP | MIT | Setup |
| Monit | C | AGPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Munin | Perl, Shell | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| Naemon | C | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| Nagios | C | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| Netdata | C | GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| NetXMS | Java, C++, C | LGPL-3.0/GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Observium Community Edition | PHP | QPL-1.0 | Setup |
| openITCOCKPIT Community Edition | Deb packages, Docker | GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Performance Co-Pilot | C | LGPL-2.1/GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| PHP Server Monitor | PHP | GPL-3.0 | Setup |
| PhpSysInfo | PHP | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| Prometheus | Go | Apache-2.0 | Setup |
| Riemann | Java | EPL-1.0 | Setup |
| rtop | Go | MIT | Setup |
| ruptime | Shell | AGPL-3.0 | Setup |
| Scrutiny | Go | MIT | Setup |
| Sensu | Go | MIT | Setup |
| Status | Python | MIT | Setup |
| Thruk | Perl | GPL-1.0 | Setup |
| Uptime Kuma | Node.js | MIT | Setup |
| Wazuh | C | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
| Zabbix | C | GPL-2.0 | Setup |
Above tools are commonly used for monitoring many systems at once. As a Linux admin you also need to be familiar with Basic Command-Line Monitoring Tools.
| Tool | Type | Best For | Latest Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prometheus | Metrics + alerting | Metrics scraping and alerting at scale | 3.8.1 (LTS 3.5.0) |
| Grafana | Dashboards | Visualization and alerting | 12.3.2 |
| Zabbix | Full suite | All-in-one monitoring | 7.4.6 |
| Icinga | Classic monitoring | Custom checks + APIs | 2.15.1 |
| Nagios | Classic monitoring | Plugin-driven checks | 4.5.11 |
| Monit | Lightweight watchdog | Local service monitoring | 5.35.2 |
| ELK Stack | Log management | Log search + dashboards | 9.1.4 (Elastic Stack) |