Jen Kea DHCP Management Console is a free, open-source web interface for administering ISC Kea DHCP Server. From a browser, operators can manage leases, reservations, subnets, and infrastructure, with a dashboard for subnet utilization, lease activity, server status, HA state, and alerts. Lease tools include filtering, releasing, stale-lease cleanup, dynamic-to-reservation conversion, and CSV import or export. Subnet and pool edits are applied over SSH after Kea validation, a host backup, multi-server preflight, and rollback protection. Optional IPv6 support covers leases, devices, reservations, pools, timers, and metrics. Alerts can go to channels including email, Slack, Telegram, Discord, and webhooks; optional plugins add functions such as network discovery and local DNS synchronization. Jen uses MySQL or MariaDB for Kea data and connects through the Control Agent or direct daemon sockets. Guided installation is recommended on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, and Docker deployment is supported. The project is aimed at homelab and small-business operators managing a handful of servers, not large fleets. It is solo-maintained, without dedicated security staff or paid support.
Who it is for
Jen suits homelab and small-business operators managing a handful of ISC Kea servers. It is not designed for large fleets.
What is good
- Free and licensed under GPL v3
- Lease, reservation, and subnet management
- Optional IPv6 support
- Supports TOTP MFA, passkeys, and audit logs
- Ubuntu installer and Docker deployment
What to know first
- No dedicated security team or paid support
- Only the latest release receives security fixes
- No professional external penetration test
Verdict
Jen offers broad DHCP management features for smaller self-hosted environments, including optional IPv6 and several access controls. Operators should weigh its stated support and security-assurance limits before relying on it.
Get started with Jen Kea DHCP Management Console
- Use the guided installer on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, or deploy with Docker.
- Provide ISC Kea with MySQL or MariaDB for Kea data.
- Connect Jen to Kea through the Control Agent or direct daemon control sockets.
- Use SSH for configuration and service operations.
What the free plan stops at
There is no paid support, and the project targets operators managing a handful of servers rather than large fleets. Security fixes are provided only for the latest released version.
Questions about Jen Kea DHCP Management Console
Does Jen cost anything?
Jen is free and open source under the GPL v3 license.
What does it manage?
It provides browser-based management for ISC Kea DHCP Server, including leases, reservations, subnets and infrastructure.
How can it be deployed?
The recommended guided installer runs on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04. Docker deployment is also supported.
What does Jen require to connect to Kea?
It uses the Control Agent or direct daemon control sockets, MySQL or MariaDB for Kea data, and SSH for configuration and service operations.
Does it support IPv6 and DHCP failover?
Optional IPv6 support includes leases, devices, reservations, subnet pools, timers and metrics. DHCP failover is listed as supported.
What security and support arrangements does the project describe?
Security features include access roles, per-subnet controls, TOTP MFA, passkeys, trusted devices, rate limiting, session timeouts and audit logs. The project has no dedicated security team or paid support; only the latest release receives security fixes.
Jen Kea DHCP Management Console plans and pricing
All plansCompared on DHCP management software
- Deployment
- on-premises
- Reservation management
- Yes
- DHCPv6 support
- Yes
- DHCP failover
- Yes
- Audit logs
- Yes
