Graphite

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What Graphite is

Graphite stores numeric time-series data and renders graphs on demand for monitoring websites, applications, business services, and networked servers. It is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, and can be run as a self-hosted system. Its three components receive, store, and present data: Carbon handles incoming metrics, Whisper stores them, and graphite-web renders graphs and dashboards. Carbon accepts plaintext, Pickle, and AMQP data. Graphs and data can be returned as raw images, CSV, XML, or JSON, and dashboards can show multiple graphs over a shared time range and be saved. Teams configure data retention and precision in advance with storage schemas; the documented default keeps two hours of minutely data. The installation documentation includes a Docker command and lists a UNIX-like operating system among basic requirements. The project also describes an ecosystem of integrations and third-party tools, with documentation on feeding data through tools and APIs. LDAP authentication is an optional web application feature that requires an additional dependency. Windows is not natively supported, though the documentation describes using Docker or a Vagrant virtual machine. Support options include Stack Exchange, official documentation, and GitHub issues.

Who it suits

Graphite may suit teams monitoring websites, applications, business services, or networked servers that want to store time-series data and generate graphs. It is aimed at teams prepared to run a self-hosted system and configure retention schemas.

What it does well

Free under the Apache 2.0 license.
Accepts plaintext, Pickle, and AMQP data.
Outputs raw images, CSV, XML, and JSON.
Dashboards can show and save multiple graphs.

What to know first

Retention and precision must be configured in advance.
Native Windows support is unavailable.
LDAP authentication requires an additional dependency.

Limits

Storage schemas determine retention and precision in advance. The default schema stores two hours of minutely data.

Getting started

Open the Graphite website
Prepare a UNIX-like operating system or use Docker
Install Graphite with the provided Docker command
Send metrics to Carbon using plaintext, Pickle, or AMQP
Configure storage schemas for retention and precision
Use graphite-web to render graphs and save dashboards

Verdict

Graphite combines time-series storage with graph and dashboard rendering, several ingestion methods, and multiple output formats. Its self-hosted setup, advance retention configuration, and lack of native Windows support are key considerations.

Questions

Is Graphite free?

Yes. Graphite is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.

Which platforms does it support?

Its listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted, and web. Native Windows is unsupported, though Windows can run it through Docker or a Vagrant virtual machine.

How does Graphite receive data?

Carbon accepts plaintext, Pickle, and AMQP methods for sending time-series data.

What formats can Graphite output?

Graphs and data can be returned as raw images, CSV, XML, and JSON.

Does it provide dashboards?

Yes. Dashboards display multiple graphs over a shared time range and can be saved.

Facts from Graphite's own pages

Components: Graphite consists of Carbon for receiving time-series data, Whisper for storing it, and graphite-web for rendering graphs and dashboards. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Dashboards: The dashboard interface displays multiple graphs over a shared time range and supports saved dashboards. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026
Data formats: Graphite can return graphs and data as raw images, CSV, XML, and JSON. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Data ingestion: Carbon supports plaintext, Pickle, and AMQP methods for sending data. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026
Deployment: The installation documentation offers a Docker command and lists a UNIX-like operating system among Graphite’s basic requirements. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026
Founded: 2006 · graphiteapp.org, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: Documented collection tools include collectd, Diamond, Telegraf, and StatsD-compatible tools. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026
License: Graphite is released under the Apache 2.0 open-source license. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Origin: Graphite was designed and written by Chris Davis at Orbitz in 2006 as a side project. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Output formats: Graphite can output graphs as raw images, CSV, XML, and JSON for embedding in pages or dashboards. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: Graphite stores numeric time-series data and renders graphs on demand for monitoring websites, applications, business services, and networked servers. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Retention: Data retention and precision are configured in advance through storage schemas; the documentation says the default schema stores two hours of minutely data. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026
Security feature: The installation documentation lists LDAP authentication as an optional web application feature requiring an additional dependency. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to Stack Exchange community support, official documentation, or GitHub issues. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Use cases: Teams use Graphite to track performance of websites, applications, business services, and networked servers. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Who it serves: The project describes teams using Graphite to monitor websites, applications, business services, and networked servers. · graphiteapp.org, 11 Oct 2026
Windows support: Native Graphite on Windows is unsupported; the documentation describes running it on Windows through Docker or a Vagrant virtual machine. · graphite.readthedocs.io, 11 Oct 2026

Where Graphite stands on Freedom251

Metrics Monitoring Tools#14 of 37
Time-Series Databases#14 of 36