openITCOCKPIT

openITCOCKPIT is a self-hosted monitoring platform for teams responsible for mixed infrastructure and applications. It suits organizations that want to bring Nagios-compatible checks and Prometheus metrics into one system. Its breadth is the draw; server-platform support and service limits should guide the edition choice.

Overview

A web frontend and JSON API handle configuration and visualization for Nagios, Naemon and Prometheus, with user permissions. Naemon is the monitoring engine and is described as 100% compatible with Nagios, which makes openITCOCKPIT a plausible fit for teams already invested in that monitoring model. Prometheus integration adds exporter management, alert rules and graphical configuration.

The platform covers servers, virtual machines, network devices, applications, containers, cloud environments and IoT. That range is useful when a team needs a shared view across different kinds of infrastructure, but may be more system than a narrowly defined monitoring task requires.

Key features

The cross-platform agent monitors CPU, memory, disks, network interfaces, services, processes and temperature sensors, along with QEMU and Docker containers on Windows, Linux and macOS. Server auto-discovery, process monitoring and container monitoring broaden its usefulness across varied estates.

Users can build and share dashboards, then generate availability and SLA reports manually or on a schedule in PDF, HTML or CSV. Integrations include Grafana, Prometheus, PagerDuty, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, ServiceNow, Slack, i-doit, Checkmk and Nagios Core, offering routes into existing observability and notification workflows.

The editions comparison includes LDAP/Active Directory, single sign-on, multi-tenancy and role-based access control. The product and agent use TLS/SSL by default; HTTPS and TLS client authentication are also listed. The maker provides an email address for vulnerability reports, and lists high-impact vulnerabilities affecting versions before 5.5.2 and 5.4.0, so version management matters.

Pricing

The Community Edition is free and provides free infrastructure and application monitoring. It is the sensible starting point for teams that can work within Community's server-platform coverage: Ubuntu and Debian are supported there.

Bronze costs €1 a year and includes 1,000 services. Silver is €3.50 a year for 5,000 services and two satellites; Gold is €5 a year for 10,000 services and five satellites; Platin is €10 a year for 30,000 services and 10 satellites. These tiers progressively raise capacity and satellite allowances, making them relevant as monitored estates grow. Red Hat/Enterprise Linux support is an Enterprise subscription feature, so teams requiring those server platforms need to account for a subscription rather than assuming Community will suffice.

Specific has custom pricing for tailored service and satellite needs, with an offer available by contacting the maker. Enterprise subscriptions allow one production master system; Silver level and above permit up to two additional development or test systems. Basic subscription support includes up to five requests per contract period, while higher tiers list 25 or 50 cases per year and response times. Check the service, system and support terms against operational requirements before choosing a tier.

Platforms

The platform list includes API, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows. Supported operating systems include Windows, macOS, Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux, CentOS, SLES and openSUSE, but the Enterprise distinction for Red Hat/Enterprise Linux is important. The homepage lists an iOS app release dated July 1, 2026.

Who it's for

openITCOCKPIT is strongest for organizations that want configurable, self-hosted monitoring spanning infrastructure and applications, especially where Nagios compatibility, Prometheus metrics, access controls, dashboards and scheduled reports belong in the same workflow. It is a weaker match for teams that need a highly constrained service monitor or cannot accommodate the server-platform and subscription boundaries.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad coverage across servers, networks, applications, containers, cloud and IoT gives mixed estates one monitoring platform.
• Pros: Naemon's stated Nagios compatibility and Prometheus configuration support suit teams combining established checks with metrics monitoring.
• Pros: Shared dashboards, scheduled SLA reports, integrations and identity controls support operational collaboration and access management.
• Cons: Community server support is limited to Ubuntu and Debian; Red Hat/Enterprise Linux requires an Enterprise subscription.
• Cons: Enterprise subscriptions constrain production to one master system, while service and satellite allowances vary by tier.
• Cons: Basic support is capped at five requests per contract period, which may not suit teams needing frequent vendor assistance.

Alternatives

Infrastructure Monitoring is the category to browse if you want to compare tools beyond this platform.

Choose Netdata if its free plan's limit of five active connected nodes and one active custom dashboard per room fits a smaller deployment. Checkmk is worth considering for its free Community plan, which includes 2,000+ pre-built integrations, up to about 100 hosts and community support. Sensu Go offers a free tier capped at 100 nodes and one site. Checkmate is a free, self-hosted option with all features, no monitor limits and 12 alert channels. Icinga offers a free, open-source edition with unlimited hosts and services and no subscription requirement.

Mackerel may suit a small deployment if its free-plan caps—five standard and micro hosts total, 500 metrics, one day of retention, 10 monitoring rules and one custom dashboard—are adequate. MetricsHub is an alternative built around an open-source OpenTelemetry project. Prometheus is a free, open-source monitoring and alerting toolkit for teams seeking that toolkit rather than openITCOCKPIT's broader combined platform.

Verdict

Choose openITCOCKPIT if you need a self-hosted system that unites Nagios-compatible monitoring, Prometheus metrics, broad infrastructure coverage and reporting. Its central advantage is that range; look elsewhere if your required server platform, service scale or support expectations do not fit the subscription terms.