Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Nagios Core VS OpenNMS

Compare Nagios Core VS OpenNMS and see what are their differences

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Nagios Core logo Nagios Core

Nagios Core is a fastest-growing IT Infrastructure monitoring and alerting solution that is created for all sizes of businesses.

OpenNMS logo OpenNMS

Project home page of OpenNMS - a java based network managememnt platform developed under the Open Source model
  • Nagios Core Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-31
  • OpenNMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

Nagios Core features and specs

  • Open Source
    Nagios Core is free to use and modify, allowing organizations to customize it according to their needs without licensing costs or fees.
  • Extensibility
    Nagios Core supports a wide range of plugins and add-ons which enable users to extend its functionality to meet specific monitoring needs.
  • Active Community
    Being around for a long time, Nagios Core boasts a large and active community that contributes to a vast repository of plugins and provides support through forums and documentation.
  • Stable and Reliable
    Nagios Core is a mature tool that has been used in production environments for many years, known for its stability and reliability in monitoring critical infrastructure.
  • Scalable
    It can be scaled up with the help of Nagios Remote Plugin Executor (NRPE) and other techniques to monitor a large number of hosts and services.

Possible disadvantages of Nagios Core

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Nagios Core may be challenging for new users due to its configuration complexity and the need for understanding various settings and files.
  • Manual Configuration
    Setup and configuration can be labor-intensive as it requires manual editing of text files, which can be cumbersome for large environments.
  • Limited GUI
    The user interface of Nagios Core is quite basic and may not be as user-friendly or visually appealing as some other monitoring solutions.
  • Scalability Concerns
    While Nagios Core can scale, managing a large number of hosts may require significant resources and additional backend tools, such as mod_gearman, to handle the load efficiently.
  • Feature Limitations
    Compared to commercial solutions or more modern open-source alternatives, Nagios Core may lack advanced features such as predictive analytics or built-in automation.

OpenNMS features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenNMS is an open-source network management system, which means it is free to use and modify. This allows organizations to save on licensing costs and tailor the software to their specific needs.
  • Customization
    Being open-source and highly modular, OpenNMS offers extensive customization options. Users can add plugins and scripts to adapt the system to their unique requirements.
  • Scalability
    OpenNMS can scale to monitor very large networks, making it suitable for both small businesses and enterprise environments. It supports distributed monitoring environments for large-scale deployments.
  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    The platform provides a wide range of monitoring capabilities, including performance monitoring, fault detection, and service assurance across various types of network devices and applications.
  • Community and Support
    OpenNMS has an active community and extensive documentation, providing users with a wealth of resources for troubleshooting and development. Professional support options are also available from the developers.

Possible disadvantages of OpenNMS

  • Complexity
    The advanced features and flexibility of OpenNMS come with a steep learning curve. It can be complex to set up and configure, particularly for users without a strong background in network management.
  • Resource Intensive
    OpenNMS can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial hardware resources, especially as the scope of monitoring and the size of the network grows.
  • User Interface
    Some users may find the user interface less intuitive or outdated compared to commercial alternatives. This can impact the ease of navigation and the overall user experience.
  • Initial Investment in Setup
    While the software itself is free, deploying OpenNMS can require a significant time investment for setup and configuration. Organizations may also need to invest in training for their technical staff.
  • Limited Proprietary Integration
    Integration with some proprietary systems and devices may be limited, potentially requiring additional customization or the use of third-party tools to achieve full compatibility.

Analysis of OpenNMS

Overall verdict

  • OpenNMS is a solid choice for network monitoring and management.

Why this product is good

  • OpenNMS is an open-source network management platform that offers a comprehensive suite of features for monitoring network health, performance, and outages. It is highly customizable and scalable, catering to both small businesses and large enterprises. Its open-source nature means it benefits from contributions from a large community, leading to continuous improvements and updates. The platform also supports a wide range of network protocols and has robust reporting and alerting features.

Recommended for

    OpenNMS is recommended for IT professionals, network administrators, and businesses that require scalable and customizable network monitoring solutions. It is suitable for organizations with varying levels of network complexity and those that value the flexibility and community support that come with open-source software.

Nagios Core videos

HomeLab #2 - Monitoring my Homelab with Nagios Core

OpenNMS videos

OpenNMS 101 - Module 6: SNMP Review

More videos:

  • Review - OpenNMS 101 - Module 2: Getting Started (Horizon 19 and later)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Nagios Core and OpenNMS)
Monitoring Tools
38 38%
62% 62
Log Management
43 43%
57% 57
Network & Admin
33 33%
67% 67
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Nagios Core and OpenNMS

Nagios Core Reviews

The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: Nagios Core is an open source network monitoring tool designed as the basis for other monitoring and alerting software offered by Nagios. The solution is primarily a performance check tool that schedules and executes checks for network performance across the entire infrastructure. As the event processor for performance checks used by other Nagios software,...
10 Best Linux Monitoring Tools and Software to Improve Server Performance [2022 Comparison]
Nagios Core is an open-source Linux/Unix systems monitoring and alerting tool that can be extended through custom plugins, providing flexible Linux server monitoring. It remotely executes different plugins (executables or scripts) on your Linux server using the NRPE (Nagios Remote Plugin Executor) add-on, which gives you comprehensive monitoring data, including OS metrics,...
Source: sematext.com

OpenNMS Reviews

The Best Nagios Alternatives for Server, Application and Network Monitoring
OpenNMS earns our recommendation for its extensive support for monitoring solutions and systems, making it a versatile choice for organizations with diverse monitoring needs. The partnership with larger companies ensures seamless integration and robust support, enhancing the reliability of the platform. OpenNMS's commitment to open-source principles fosters a...
10 Best Open Source Monitoring Software for IT Infrastructure
OpenNMS got built-in reporting, which means you can view the report in a beautiful dashboard and chart. Overall, OpenNMS got an excellent user interface.
Source: geekflare.com
Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools and Software (Linux/Windows)
For example, there are many other open source monitoring tools that exist such as OpenNMS, Cacti, and Zennos and you have to consider the benefits of each one from the perspective of your requirement.
Best Linux Network Monitoring Tools for 2020
OpenNMS has been around since the late 1990s, when it was established as a management-oriented open-source monitoring tool for businesses and large networks. It has since acquired a formidable online community with a streamlined process of modifications and improvements. OpenNMS prides itself on its notification system, which provides live updates to the central control...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenNMS seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Nagios Core mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Nagios Core yet. Tracking of Nagios Core recommendations started around Jul 2021.

OpenNMS mentions (1)

  • iTerm2 and the Gap Between Developers and Users
    Up until recently, I was at OpenNMS, an open source network monitoring project that was Doing It Right™ for a very long time, even with a commercial component. However, since being acquired, it has kind of lost its direction as it fumbled around trying to work on a new product, and I've watched it slowly sink into obscurity as it has failed to engage meaningfully with its community. It's still a great tool with a... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Nagios Core and OpenNMS, you can also consider the following products

Catchpoint - Catch issues before they impact your business

The Dude - MikroTik is a Latvian company which was founded in 1996 to develop routers and wireless ISP systems. MikroTik now provides hardware and software for Internet connectivity in most of the countries around the world.

Exoprise - Exoprise provides Digital Experience Monitoring for enterprise SaaS applications like Microsoft 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Active Directory, SSO, Okta, Box, and more!

Pandora FMS - Pandora FMS: Opensource monitoring software

Infovista - Infovista is a network performance management system that test network, automate network operations, and control the enterprise edges easily and quickly.

cStatus - Monitor and scan a network.