The Akvorado homepage
Score6.5
Rank#11 of 31
Free planNo
Runs onAPI, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web

Summary

Akvorado is a free network-flow monitoring tool that enriches traffic data and makes it available through a web interface. It receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow flows. Its inlet sends data to Kafka, and its outlet parses and enriches the flows before sending them to ClickHouse. SNMP can retrieve exporter and interface details, while IPinfo or MaxMind can add geographic information. Optional BGP routes received through BMP can add AS numbers, AS paths, and communities. A Grafana plugin is available, and the inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints. Akvorado is written in Go and provides its four components in a single binary or Docker image, but it requires Kafka and ClickHouse. Recommended resources are 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM. The console expects an authenticating proxy to provide user headers; relational data can use SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL. Without a configured database, data is kept in memory and lost on restart. Downgrading is not supported; the software is licensed under AGPLv3.

Who it is for

Akvorado suits teams that operate network infrastructure and need to explore enriched flow data. It is most appropriate for users able to provide Kafka, ClickHouse, and the recommended system resources.

What is good

  • Receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow.
  • SNMP and geographic enrichment add flow context.
  • Optional BMP routes add AS numbers, paths, and communities.
  • Grafana plugin is available.
  • Metrics are exposed through HTTP endpoints.

What to know first

  • Requires Kafka and ClickHouse.
  • Recommended configuration includes 8 vCPUs and 16 GB RAM.
  • Downgrading is not supported.
  • Without a configured database, data is lost on restart.

Verdict

Akvorado provides a free flow-data pipeline with enrichment and web exploration, but deployment requires supporting services and planning for its storage behavior. Review the resource guidance and the no-downgrade limit before adopting it.

Compared on bandwidth monitoring software

SNMP monitoring
Yesakvorado.net
Historical data retention
unlimitedakvorado.net

Facts

Purpose
Akvorado receives network flows, enriches them with interface and geographic information, and provides a web interface to explore the data.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Flow formats
It supports NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Processing pipeline
Its inlet receives flows and sends them to Kafka; the outlet parses and enriches them before exporting them to ClickHouse.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Metadata
Akvorado can use SNMP to retrieve exporter and interface details, and can use IPinfo or MaxMind for geographic information.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Routing data
The outlet can optionally receive BGP routes through BMP to add AS numbers, AS paths, and communities to flow data.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Visualization integration
A Grafana plugin is available.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Deployment
Akvorado is written in Go and provides its four components in a single binary or Docker image; it requires Kafka and ClickHouse.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Linux binary
The installation documentation says prebuilt binaries are provided for Linux x86-64.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
System requirements
The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
Upgrade limit
Downgrading is not supported.akvorado.net · 3 Oct 2026
License
Akvorado is licensed under AGPLv3.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Support
The project directs users to its documentation and GitHub Discussions for help.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Maker
Akvorado is developed by Free, described as a French ISP.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Flow protocols
It receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow flows.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Data pipeline
The outlet sends enriched flows to ClickHouse via Kafka.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Enrichment
It uses SNMP for exporter and interface details and supports geographic information from IPinfo or MaxMind.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Requirements
Akvorado requires Kafka 1.0 or later, ClickHouse 22.4 or later, and Docker Engine 23 or later for the Docker setup.demo.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Recommended resources
The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM; AMD64 or ARM64 is listed for the CPU architecture.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Authentication
The console expects an authenticating proxy to supply user headers and lists options including Authelia, Authentik, Keycloak, and OAuth2 Proxy.demo.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Storage options
The console supports SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL for its relational database; without a configured database, its data is held in memory and lost on restart.demo.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
Monitoring
The inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints.demo.akvorado.net · 4 Oct 2026
License and maker
Akvorado is developed by Free, a French ISP, and is licensed under AGPLv3.github.com · 4 Oct 2026
Integration
A Grafana plugin is available for Akvorado.github.com · 4 Oct 2026

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