Monitoring Tools in Linux

Tools for monitoring Linux is critical in every setting, whether Linux or not, to maintain the infrastructure and network up and running. In this blog, we've assembled a list of the best 18+ Linux monitoring tools that will help you handle your applications and keep your system healthy. In this article, we have classified the tools into open source and closed source resources. Let's take a closer look at these monitoring applications to see what they can do with Linux systems.

Closed source Linux Monitoring Tools

1. Zenoss Cloud

Zenoss is a well-known network monitoring corporation. Since its establishment, this company has provided many tracking solutions, one of which is the closed-source Zenoss cloud package. Its cloud-based nature and ability to track fast-growing and large-scale enterprises are mostly used for scalable network monitoring. It provides a free trial, much like every other closed source tool.

Features:

  • Assists with the development of a simple and intelligent relationship infrastructure.
  • For any IT environment, it provides performance insights.
  • Endorses the use of new business tools
  • Improves performance by automating processes and streamlining operations.
  • Cloud migrations are made more comfortable.
  • Identifies problems and isolates them until they become a disaster. Identifies issues and separates them until they become a disaster.
  • Facilitates capacity optimization.
2. Nagios Network Analyzer

Network monitoring and data log monitoring tools are included in Nagios Network Analyzer to ensure that the network and processes are safe and running smoothly. When an abnormal process is found, Nagios Network Analyzer sends an automated notification to the IT center to be fixed as quickly as possible. The individualized display board in Nagios allows experts to concentrate on specific network areas. Nagios Core is the name of the free trial edition of Network Analyzer.

Features:

  • POP3, HTTP, SMTP, NNTP, and other network services are all monitored.
  • It has an easy-to-use plugin design that allows you to create custom service checks.
  • Enables you to describe the hierarchy of network hosts using patent hosts.
  • Rotates log files automatically.
  • Provides web-based configuration options.
  • Endorses redundant tracking activities.
  • Dashboards should be personalized to the needs of the user.
  • It facilitates capacity planning.
3. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor

Paessler is a German business that provides PRTG Network, a closed source network management tool. The PRTG network is made up of sensors that track SNMP, LAN, and cloud services and collect information from a multitude of sources. The expense is calculated based on the number of sensors you would like to license. The following is a breakdown of the costs for each. Paessler provides a PRTG 500 minimum surveillance package, which includes 500 sensors and one server monitor. It also provides the PRTG XL5 kit, including an infinite number of sensors and up to five server monitors. It also provides a free 30-day trial of the entire program.

Features

  • Provides information on under and overcapacity, which aids in better planning.
  • Provides an outline as well as detailed information about the condition and performance of machines.
  • In Linux networks, it quickly finds weak points and provides a clear view of traffic structure.
  • Installation is easy.
  • Compatible for a wide range of mobile devices.
  • English, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, and other languages are supported.
4. SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

NTA is a simple-to-use application that visualizes bandwidth monitoring to determine network unit capability and identify any pending IT problems. SolarWinds application is well-known for its colorful, searchable visual data. The performance analysis dashboard provides a simplified graphic display for analyzing detailed NetFlow. NTA also offers traffic-based warnings and assists in the detection of network risks. It's also available for a free 30-day trial.

Features

  • Notifies you if your bandwidth consumption hits a certain threshold.
  • On a single panel, it provides a comprehensive view of all network traffic.
  • To quickly define the challenges, drag, and drop network efficiency metrics.
  • Enable you to know how much bandwidth users and applications use.
  • Detailed network reports. 
  • It enables integrating with other SolarWinds products such as the user device tracker, network performance monitor, and network configuration manager.
  • Using the flow navigator module, you can create and access custom network traffic.
  • Nortel networks, vSwitch, VMware, NBAR2, NetFlow v5, and other vendors and technologies are supported.

Want to know more about Linux, visit here Linux Training

Open-Source Linux Monitoring Tools

1. Icinga 2

Nortel networks, vSwitch, VMware, NBAR2, NetFlow v5, and other vendors and technologies are supported. Icinga 2 runs on nearly every operating system and uses color-coded graphs to calculate large networks. It has a highly immersive visual monitoring interface that allows for simple monitoring.

Features

  • Checks to see how the network services are up and running.
  • When there are outages, users are notified.
  • Monitoring of high-speed networks.
  • Produces performance data for tracking.
  • Scalable and extensible.
  • Multiple locations are monitored in broad, complex environments.
2. OpenNMS

In the late 1990s, OpenNMS was created as a management-oriented monitoring tool. In the late 1990s, OpenNMS was created as a management-oriented monitoring tool. It is proud of its notification system, which provides real-time notifications to the central control based on API monitoring results. It's compatible with industry-standard management software. Meridian and Horizon are the two editions of OpenNMS. The Horizon edition is free, although Meridian needs an annual subscription.

Features

  • Built with an event-driven architecture in mind.
  • It monitors latency and sends out notifications when it exceeds a specific threshold limit has been exceeded.
  • Immediately identifies service outages
  • Using generic collectors such as JSON and HTTP, it collects performance measurements from SNMP, WMI, and XMP.
  • Adaptable to every data collection framework for performance data.
  • Layer two network topologies are discovered.
  • The visualisation of backshift graphs aids in time Series Storage.
3. Cacti

Cacti is a well-known name in the world of open-source network management software. Multiple users may use it to track network devices and log network data; privacy settings allow users to be allocated specific objects. Cacti has a robust online support system that includes templates for using it on various devices. It is completely free since it is an open-source monitoring tool.

Features

  • All RRDTool graph objects are supported.
  • Auto-padding is supported.
  • Built-in SNMP support
  • Allows for the development of custom data-gathering scripts.
  • There are a number of graph templates to prefer.
  • Scripts are executed using a PHP-based poller.
  • To get a tree view, you can build graph hierarchies.
  • Users can be created and given various permissions by administrators.

Linux Certification Training

  • Master Your Craft
  • Lifetime LMS & Faculty Access
  • 24/7 online expert support
  • Real-world & Project Based Learning
4. Zabbix

Zabbix is a popular network management platform that works with Linux, Unix, Windows, and Solaris systems. It has become a go-to application for IT professionals. Zabbix is another well-known tracking service with a substantial online community.It has a tracking dashboard that can sense shifts in disc space, CPU load, and network operation so you can keep track of what's going on in your network.

Features

  • You can configure various severity levels.
  • Predicts use based on historical patterns, which aids capacity preparation.
  • Use graphs, network maps, and slideshows to make the data more visually appealing.
  • Aids in the discovery of anomalies and the analysis of root causes.
  • Can send a message and receive contact alerts from a wide range of channels.
  • Allows for personalizing the messages.
  • Encryption is strong for all Zabbix modules.
  • Multiple authentication mechanisms are available, including Active Directory and OpenLDAP.
  • It's easy to set up and use.
  • Can work well with third-party applications
  • Scans the network regularly for new devices to be added to the network map.
5. Pandora FMS

Pandora Flexible Monitoring System is a network monitoring tool that works with almost every operating system. It provides sensor add-ons and application integration solutions. The standard edition has a helpful graphical analysis that is typically missing from open-source network monitoring tools.

Features

  • The network is automatically mapped.
  • SNMP v3 polling
  • Integration of multiple applications at the same time
  • Network capacity management with NetFlow
  • MIB Explorer integrated with personalized MIB loading
  • To use data from the Data Warehouse, you are provided with the API to access the database.
  • Up to three years of historical graphs.
  • Computers running Windows and Unix are monitored.
  • IP addressing management (IPv4/IPv6) with integrated IPAM.
6. LibreNMS

LibreNMS is an open-source auto-discovering network monitoring system with a lot of features. It works with various operating systems, including Linux and FreeBSD, and network hardware from Brocade, Foundry, HP, Cisco, Juniper, and others.

LibreNMS Features:

  • FDP, LLDP, OSPF, BGP, SNMP, CDP, and ARP are among the protocols used to auto-discover networks.
  • It has a responsive Web user interface and customizable dashboards.
  • A Unix agent is supported.
  • It provides a billing system for traffic.
  • Permits for network expansion through horizontal scaling.
  • It facilitates alerting systems with a great deal of flexibility and customizability.
  • It supports Android and iOS apps with core functions.
  • Collectd, SmokePing, RANCID, NfSen, and Oxidized can be integrated.
  • HTTP, LDAP, Radius, MySQL, and Active Directory are some of the authentication methods used.
7. Iftop

iftop is an open-source bandwidth monitoring application that shows consumption on a graphical interface. It monitors current bandwidth usage by pairs of hosts and tracks network traffic on a named interface. It counts all IP packets that flow through the filter by default. The following are some of the best features of an iftop tool.

Features

  • 802.1q VLANs, IPv4 and IPv6, and "tun" interfaces are all supported.
  • The shell escape feature can be deleted if required.
  • Bandwidth limits are flexible.
  • Destination host, host source, IP address, bandwidth limit, host interface, IP network block, filter rules, bandwidth rate, sorting order, and
  • bandwidth usage overview are all monitored and displayed.
  • It's easy to run it in promiscuous mode.
  • Data from the port is displayed.
  • Support for configuration files.
8. Prometheus

Prometheus is compatible with Linux and Unix systems, and it comes with several free network monitoring features, such as graphical simulation. It has a built-in PromQL feature that allows for personalized and user-friendly interface visualization. While Prometheus lacks Cacti and Zabbix's community interest, it is used by large corporate networks and is expected to gain popularity in the coming years.

Features

  • Multiple graph modes and dashboards are supported.
  • Target is found by server discovery or the static setup.
  • Allows you to drive time series into an intermediate gateway.
  • The time-series data is collected using a pull model over HTTP.
  • There's no need to rely on distributed storage.
  • The nodes of a single server are autonomous.

Subscribe to our youtube channel to get new updates..!

9. Observium Community

For small servers, Observium Community is a Linux network monitoring tool. It has a team of online experts who send out updates and patches to device software on a biannual basis. It also uses SNMP network monitoring and supports a broad range of operating systems.

Features

  • Alerting at the Threshold.
  • Support for an enhancement of Devices.
  • Billing.
  • Integration with the External Environment.
  • Accounting for Traffic.
  • Auto-Discovery.
  • Most of the time, it's easy to run it on a personal server.
  • Disaster Recovery and Capacity Planning.
10. Monitorix

Monitorix is a small server monitoring utility initially developed for Linux, but it now works on every Unix-based operating system. It only runs on small servers and has extensive monitoring capability. Over time, its applications have become more robust, and it can now track anything from network capabilities to disk drive heat to data use, ensuring the network's operational performance.

Features

  • Simple to set up and use
  • Approximately 20 hardware temperature sensors are supported.
  • Monitors the usage and system load average.
  • There is no restriction on the number of command-line utilities and cores that can be used.
  • There will be up to nine directories in each group or graph.
  • IPv6 and IPv4 statistics are used.
  • For each graph, there are selectable ID sensors.
  • Can submit a monthly traffic report to each individual.
  • The actual URL of each remote server is hidden.
  • Statistics about the file cache are presented.
  • Visual trend analysis of color-coded graphs
  • Allows you to build remote server groups.
11. DSat

dstat is a powerful tool for producing Linux system resource statistics that can substitute any of the article's resources. It has certain additional functions, such as counters, and is extremely extensible. Users who are familiar with Python can quickly create their plugins.

Features

  • Interrupts per device are displayed.
  • Simultaneously represents statistics
  • Orders counters and highly-extensible
  • Supports grouping and summarising of block/network devices.
  • Combines the data from the tools netstat, iostat, ifstat, vmstat, and mpstat.
  • Work is based on precise timeframes.
  • Color output for various units is supported.
12. Htop

Htop (the H stands for Hisham, the designer) is a versatile control software mounted on Linux and Unix-based systems to accurately and reliably track small-network use. Htop isn't an excellent surveillance application, but it's useful for delivering live updates in plain English on network operation and storage space. Furthermore, htop uses an intuitive color-coding scheme if you don't want to parse through many tracking alerts.

Features

  • Htop runs on Linux, OpenBSD, Dragonfly BSD, macOS, and FreeBSD.
  • It can handle real-time signals.
  • Custom scripts are supported.
  • Provides delay accounting metrics for a different operating system, including Solaris, Linux, and others.
  • Color preferences can be met through an interactive and personalized user interface.
  • It offers information on a multitude of metrics, including load average, uptime, and so on.
13. BMW-NG

The next monitoring tool is one of the most simple and adaptable Linux monitoring solutions available. The Bandwidth Monitor–Next Generation (BWM-NG) does not have any graphical enhancements or fancy color coding. It is, however, a valuable application for small-network Linux experts who are mainly concerned with bandwidth monitoring.

Features

  • GPL2 license
  • Supports a large number of devices and interfaces, all of which can be blacklisted if necessary.
  • Output can be viewed in plain console formats such as CSV or HTML.
  • The configuration file can be customized to fit your essentials.
  • Average, maximum, errors and total sum are some of the parameters displayed.
14. EtherApe

EtherApe is a network monitoring application for Linux and Unix platforms. EtherApe is the perfect choice for IT professionals who choose to monitor smaller networks with fewer numbers and a jargony script. It will read packets from the network and files and monitor devices such as WLAN, FDDI, ISDN, and more.

Features 

  • Along with FDDI, Token Ring, ISDN, PPP, SLIP, and WLAN devices, it supports IP, link layers, and TCP modes.
  • Protocols are displayed in a color-coded format.
  • Filters traffic and displays only the data that is necessary.
  • Capable of reading packets from a file or a live network.
  • Scrollkeeper and rarian are also compatible.
  • End-to-end IP and port-to-port TCP are supported.
  • The traffic statistics for each node are displayed in the summary dialogue.
  • It's simple to set the persistence time for nodes.
  • ICMP, IGMP, UDP, IDP, PP, RSVP, GRE, EON, TELNET, FTP, HTTP, NETBIOS, SNMP, TRAIN, LOOP, VINES, and others are among the frame and packet types it supports.
15. IBMonitor

For smaller units, Ibmonitor is a terminal-based program that monitors bandwidth consumption and simple Linux network updates. It performs fundamental network analysis and summarises all network data. It uses color-coded text, much like htop, and there are several online forums where you can learn more about the features.

Features

  • The total volume of data transmitted with each interface is displayed.
  • Exhibits the amount of data transmitted, received, and overall bandwidth used by each interface.
  • The total value of all interfaces is calculated and displayed.
  • It displays how much bandwidth has been used per-interface since the start of a specific utility.
  • Displays output and functions that are suitable for xterm or other 80 x 24 consoles.

Linux Certification Training

Weekday / Weekend Batches

Conclusion

We have now reached the end of this article by covering the open source and closed source Linux monitoring tools. The tools that we have listed are explained in detail along with its features to provide you with sufficient knowledge to choose your preferences meeting your requirements. Using these several tools, you can now secure your machines and maintain the system's health conditions.

Find our upcoming Linux Certification Training Online Classes

  • Batch starts on 7th Jun 2023, Weekday batch

  • Batch starts on 11th Jun 2023, Weekend batch

  • Batch starts on 15th Jun 2023, Weekday batch

Global Promotional Image
 

Categories

Request for more information

Saritha Reddy
Saritha Reddy
Research Analyst
A technical lead content writer in HKR Trainings with an expertise in delivering content on the market demanding technologies like Networking, Storage & Virtualization,Cyber Security & SIEM Tools, Server Administration, Operating System & Administration, IAM Tools, Cloud Computing, etc. She does a great job in creating wonderful content for the users and always keeps updated with the latest trends in the market. To know more information connect her on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook.