Freedom251 › Network Traffic Analysis Software

Akvorado

Free plan APILinuxMacSelf-hostedWeb

What Akvorado is

Akvorado is free network-flow monitoring software that receives traffic data, enriches it, and presents it through a web interface. It accepts NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow. Its inlet sends flows to Kafka; the outlet parses and enriches them before exporting them to ClickHouse. SNMP can retrieve exporter and interface details, while IPinfo or MaxMind can supply geographic information. Optional BGP routes received through BMP can add AS numbers, AS paths, and communities. A Grafana plugin is available, and the inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints. Akvorado is written in Go and provides its four components in a single binary or Docker image, but it requires Kafka and ClickHouse. The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM. The console expects an authenticating proxy to provide user headers and supports SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL for relational data; without a configured database, data is held in memory and lost on restart. Downgrading is not supported. Akvorado is licensed under AGPLv3.

Who it suits

Akvorado suits teams monitoring network flows that can operate Kafka and ClickHouse. Its documentation and GitHub Discussions are the listed help channels.

What it does well

Receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow
Enriches flows with SNMP and geographic data
Grafana plugin is available
Licensed under AGPLv3

What to know first

Requires Kafka and ClickHouse
Console expects an authenticating proxy
Data is lost on restart without a configured database
Downgrading is not supported

Getting started

Open https://akvorado.net/.
Prepare Kafka 1.0 or later and ClickHouse 22.4 or later.
Choose the single binary or Docker image deployment route.
For Docker setup, provide Docker Engine 23 or later.
Configure an authenticating proxy to supply console user headers.
Configure SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL for relational data retention.

Verdict

Akvorado provides a flow-processing pipeline with enrichment and web-based exploration, at no listed price. Account for its database, proxy, and resource requirements before deployment.

Questions

How much does Akvorado cost?

Akvorado is free and has a free plan.

Which flow formats does it receive?

It receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow flows.

What does Akvorado require?

It requires Kafka and ClickHouse. The listed versions are Kafka 1.0 or later and ClickHouse 22.4 or later; Docker setup requires Docker Engine 23 or later.

Which operating systems or architectures are supported?

Platforms include Linux, macOS, web, API, and self-hosted. Prebuilt binaries are provided for Linux x86-64, and AMD64 or ARM64 CPU architecture is listed.

Does Akvorado integrate with Grafana?

A Grafana plugin is available for Akvorado.

What happens if no relational database is configured?

Console data is held in memory and lost on restart. The console supports SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL.

Facts from Akvorado's own pages

Authentication: The console expects an authenticating proxy to supply user headers and lists options including Authelia, Authentik, Keycloak, and OAuth2 Proxy. · demo.akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Data pipeline: The outlet sends enriched flows to ClickHouse via Kafka. · akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment: Akvorado is available as a Docker image or a prebuilt binary; the documented prebuilt binary is for Linux x86-64. · demo.akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Enrichment: It uses SNMP for exporter and interface details and supports geographic information from IPinfo or MaxMind. · akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Flow formats: It supports NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow. · akvorado.net, 3 Oct 2026
Flow protocols: It receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow flows. · akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Integration: A Grafana plugin is available for Akvorado. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
License: Akvorado is licensed under AGPLv3. · github.com, 3 Oct 2026
License and maker: Akvorado is developed by Free, a French ISP, and is licensed under AGPLv3. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Linux binary: The installation documentation says prebuilt binaries are provided for Linux x86-64. · akvorado.net, 3 Oct 2026
Maker: Akvorado is developed by Free, described as a French ISP. · github.com, 3 Oct 2026
Metadata: Akvorado can use SNMP to retrieve exporter and interface details, and can use IPinfo or MaxMind for geographic information. · akvorado.net, 3 Oct 2026
Monitoring: The inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints. · demo.akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Processing pipeline: Its inlet receives flows and sends them to Kafka; the outlet parses and enriches them before exporting them to ClickHouse. · akvorado.net, 3 Oct 2026
Purpose: Akvorado collects network flows, enriches them with metadata, and provides a web interface to explore the data. · akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Recommended resources: The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM; AMD64 or ARM64 is listed for the CPU architecture. · akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Requirements: Akvorado requires Kafka 1.0 or later, ClickHouse 22.4 or later, and Docker Engine 23 or later for the Docker setup. · demo.akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Routing data: It can optionally receive BGP routes through BMP to obtain AS numbers, AS paths, and communities. · akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Storage options: The console supports SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL for its relational database; without a configured database, its data is held in memory and lost on restart. · demo.akvorado.net, 4 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to its documentation and GitHub Discussions for help, and asks them to read troubleshooting guidance before opening a discussion. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
System requirements: The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM. · akvorado.net, 3 Oct 2026
Upgrade limit: Downgrading is not supported. · akvorado.net, 3 Oct 2026
Visualization integration: A Grafana plugin is available. · github.com, 3 Oct 2026

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