Watchflare

Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hostedWeb

What Watchflare is

Watchflare is open-source, self-hosted software for monitoring servers, tracking package inventory, and sending alerts. Its agents collect CPU, memory, disk, network, load, temperature, disk I/O, and swap metrics every 30 seconds. Optional Docker or Podman monitoring adds per-container CPU, memory, and network measurements. It scans about 30 package managers daily, records package changes, and detects available updates for supported managers. Set host-specific thresholds for CPU, memory, disk, load, and temperature, or configure host-offline alerts. Notifications can go by email or through Shoutrrr-supported channels such as Discord, Slack, Telegram, Matrix, Ntfy, Gotify, and generic HTTP. The Hub and PostgreSQL database with TimescaleDB run on infrastructure you control, with a web dashboard embedded in the Hub. Deploy with Docker Compose or as a standalone binary. Linux agents support distributions using systemd; macOS agents use Homebrew. The free self-hosted plan costs nothing and runs on your own hardware.

Who it suits

Watchflare suits administrators who want server metrics, package tracking, and alerts on infrastructure they control. It supports Linux systems using systemd and macOS 11 or later, with x86_64 and ARM64 agents.

What it does well

Collects host metrics every 30 seconds.
Optional Docker and Podman container monitoring.
Daily scans across about 30 package managers.
Email and multiple Shoutrrr notification channels.
Free self-hosted plan runs on your hardware.

What to know first

Windows support is planned, not listed as available.
Container metrics are not buffered during outages.
Documented Docker deployment requires Engine 20.10+ and Compose v2+.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free self-hosted	Free to self-host · Runs on your own hardware	Free

As watchflare.io lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

Watchflare combines host monitoring, package inventory, and configurable alerts in a self-hosted system. Its free plan and user-controlled infrastructure may suit teams comfortable operating the Hub and database themselves.

Facts from Watchflare's own pages

Alerts: Users can set host-specific thresholds for CPU, memory, disk, load, and temperature, plus host-offline alerts. · docs.watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Containers: Opt-in container monitoring reports per-container CPU, memory, and network metrics through Docker or Podman. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Data control: The Hub and database run on infrastructure the user controls, and agents communicate only with the Hub; the maker says there is no usage tracking or telemetry. · docs.watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment: The Hub can be deployed with Docker Compose or as a standalone binary, and the web dashboard is embedded in the Hub. · docs.watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Integrations: Notifications can be sent by email or through Shoutrrr-supported channels including Discord, Slack, Telegram, Matrix, Ntfy, Gotify, and generic HTTP. · docs.watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
License and support: Watchflare is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and the maker directs users to GitHub for issues and pull requests. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Live metrics: Agents collect CPU, memory, disk, network, load, temperature, disk I/O, and swap metrics every 30 seconds. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Maker: The site credits Kilian PICHARD as the builder; the pages opened did not state a headquarters or founding year. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Outage handling: Agents buffer metrics in a configurable 10 MB default write-ahead log and replay them on reconnect; container metrics are not buffered. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Package inventory: Watchflare scans about 30 package managers daily, records package changes, and detects available updates for supported managers. · docs.watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Purpose: Watchflare is open-source, self-hosted server monitoring that collects host metrics and package inventory and sends alerts. · docs.watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Requirements: The Hub requires Docker Engine 20.10+ with Compose v2+ for the documented Docker deployment; Linux and macOS agents support x86_64 and ARM64. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Security: The product documents TLS 1.3, HMAC-SHA256 signed requests with anti-replay, JWT sessions, and bcrypt passwords. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Storage: Metrics are stored in PostgreSQL with TimescaleDB, on a user-controlled Docker volume by default or an external TimescaleDB instance. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026
Supported systems: The agent supports Linux with systemd and macOS through Homebrew; Windows support is planned. · watchflare.io, 4 Oct 2026

Where Watchflare stands on Freedom251

Container Monitoring#34 of 51