No. 6 of 29 ·Network Simulation Software

Kathará

Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Kathará is ranked #6 of 29 in network simulation software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

Kathará plans and pricing

All plans

Free open-source software Free No paid plans or usage limits stated kathara.org · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on network simulation software

Free plan: Yes
Simulation model: emulation
Deployment options: desktop
Automation API: Yes

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The record

Purpose: Kathará is an open-source container-based network emulation system for interactive lessons and demos, sandbox testing of production networks, and network protocol development.
Network model: It emulates network devices as containers interconnected by virtual Layer-2 LANs.
Deployment backends: Network scenarios can run using Docker or Kubernetes as the backend virtualization system.
Network images: Built-in images include Quagga, FRRouting, Bind, P4, and OpenVSwitch, and users can also use their own container images.
Python APIs: The PyPI package provides programmatic APIs for using Kathará features from custom code.
Operating systems: The download page lists Linux distributions, macOS with Intel or Apple Silicon, and Windows 10 and 11 as supported platforms.
Linux distribution support: Debian and Ubuntu installations are available through apt, with precompiled packages for other listed distributions.
Intended users: The project says it is used in courses and projects and describes use in teaching, production-network sandbox testing, and protocol development.
Security reporting: The security policy asks users to report suspected vulnerabilities by issue or email and says a response will arrive within 48 hours.
Security patch coverage: The security policy says patches are released only for the last version and lists version 3.8.3 as supported.
Operational requirement: Kathará depends on Docker by default and its troubleshooting page says rootless Docker and Podman are unsupported.
Support channel: The project directs bug reports to its GitHub repository and security-relevant reports to the Kathará mailing list.
Configuration options: Settings include IPv6 enablement, terminal behavior, volume-mount policy, remote Docker connection details, and Kubernetes API connection parameters.
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Network Simulation Software in 2026#6 of 29

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Sources

kathara.org· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/KatharaFramework/Kathara· checked 4 Oct 2026
kathara.org/download.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/KatharaFramework/Kathara/blob/main/SECU· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/KatharaFramework/Kathara/wiki/troublesh· checked 4 Oct 2026
kathara.org/man-pages/kathara.conf.5.html· checked 4 Oct 2026