collectd

What collectd is

collectd is a free, open-source daemon that periodically gathers performance metrics from systems and applications. It can collect information from operating systems, applications, logfiles, and external devices, then store the results or make them available over a network. The statistics can help monitor systems, investigate performance bottlenecks, and forecast future system load. It supports Linux and self-hosted use; the project’s download page also points Windows users to SSC Serv, a native application that collects and dispatches performance data through the collectd network protocol.

Written in C, collectd is designed for performance and portability, including on systems without a scripting language or cron daemon. Its homepage describes more than 100 plugins and optimizations for handling hundreds of thousands of metrics. Users can write metrics to RRD files, though collectd does not produce graphs from those files. Its monitoring is limited to simple threshold checks. The project offers source packages as GZip or BZip2 compressed tar archives, along with manpages, a getting started guide, specialized documentation, and a plugin list in the source README. Bug reports go to the project’s bug tracker, while its mailing list is for announcements and development discussions.

Who it suits

collectd suits people who need to gather system or application metrics across operating systems, applications, logfiles, or external devices. It is a fit for users who can work with a daemon and its documentation, and who are comfortable with threshold checks rather than broader monitoring functionality.

Limits

The free plan covers system and application metrics collection and storing metrics or making them available over the network. Monitoring is limited to simple threshold checks, and collectd does not generate graphs from RRD files.

Getting started

1. Visit https://collectd.org/.
2. Choose a source package in GZip or BZip2 compressed tar format.
3. Use the getting started guide and manpages to begin.
4. For Windows, follow the download page’s route to SSC Serv.

Verdict

Choose collectd if you need a free daemon to collect system and application metrics and can use its storage or network output. Look elsewhere if you need graph generation from RRD files or monitoring beyond simple threshold checks.