Side by side
Glances vs runit
Both stand on process monitoring software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source AndroidAPILinux+4
Glances covers a broad set of system metrics and offers several ways to monitor remotely or export statistics. Check its Python requirement and optional dependency setup against the features you need.
Visit Glances Free plan Open source LinuxMacSelf-hosted
runit provides init and service-supervision tools across several Unix systems, with an option to use its supervision without replacing the current init scheme. It is free, and its documented UDP logging limit is worth noting.
Visit runitThe facts
| Glances | runit | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | Android, API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | nicolargo.github.io | smarden.org |
| On process monitoring software | #1 of 26 | #3 of 26 |
Glances: what it does well
- Monitors CPU, memory, network, disks, sensors and uptime.
- Remote checks available through terminal, Web UI or API.
- Exports statistics to files, databases, brokers or REST.
- Documents Docker and Podman monitoring support.
- Free and open source under LGPL version 3.
What to know first
- Glances 4 requires Python 3.10 or later.
- Web interface dependencies are not included by default.
- Features such as exports and MCP need optional dependencies.
runit: what it does well
- Restarts services when their run program exits.
- Provides commands to control supervised services.
- Supports resource limits through chpst.
- Can supervise up to 1,000 service subdirectories.
- Manual installation without root access is documented.
What to know first
- UDP logging is unreliable outside private networks.
- Installation is provided from source.
- Other Unix systems may require adaptation.
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