Hubble

B
B tier on Distributed Tracing ToolsScore 7.2 · #6 of 29
Android app
Not listed
Free plan
Yes
Runs on
api, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
cilium.io
The Hubble homepage

Summary

Hubble is a networking and security observability platform built on Cilium and eBPF. Its UI displays service dependencies and recent flow events in a graphical map. Flow visibility includes identity and label metadata, DNS-aware filtering, and protocol-specific information, which can help distinguish DNS, application, and Layer 4 or Layer 7 network failures. The CLI retrieves flow events from Hubble Relay or a local server. Relay can provide visibility across a cluster or multiple clusters in a ClusterMesh setup, while metrics and alerting can integrate with Prometheus, Grafana, and other monitoring systems. When APIs are exposed over TCP, connections between Hubble instances and Relay use mutual TLS by default. Hubble is free and open source, but requires Cilium in a Kubernetes cluster and observes only pods managed by Cilium. Layer 7 flow data is not redacted by default; Cilium offers options to redact HTTP query parameters, URL user information, and headers. The CLI installation guide lists Linux, macOS, and Windows downloads.

Who it is for

Hubble suits teams using Cilium that need network-flow visibility and troubleshooting across one or more clusters. It is also relevant to users who want to connect flow metrics and alerts to monitoring systems.

What is good

  • Graphical map shows service dependencies and recent flows.
  • Flow data includes identity and label metadata.
  • Relay supports visibility across multiple clusters.
  • Mutual TLS secures TCP API connections by default.
  • Free and open source.

What to know first

  • Requires Cilium in a Kubernetes cluster.
  • Observes only pods managed by Cilium.
  • Layer 7 flow data is not redacted by default.

Verdict

Hubble offers flow-level visibility and cluster-wide views for Cilium environments. Its Cilium requirement and default handling of Layer 7 data are important considerations.

Hubble plans and pricing

All plans
Hubble Free Open source observability layer of Cilium · Requires Cilium to be installed in a Kubernetes cluster docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on distributed tracing tools

Free plan
Yescilium.io
OpenTelemetry support
Yescilium.io
Service map
Yescilium.io
Deployment model
self_hostedcilium.io

Facts

Purpose
Hubble is a distributed networking and security observability platform built on Cilium and eBPF.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Service maps
Hubble UI provides a graphical service map for viewing service dependencies and recent flow events.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Flow visibility
Hubble provides network flow visibility with identity and label metadata, DNS-aware filtering, and protocol-specific insights.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Troubleshooting
Hubble can help identify whether failed communication is caused by DNS, an application, or a network problem at Layer 4 or Layer 7.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
CLI
The Hubble CLI can connect to Hubble Relay or a local server to retrieve flow events.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Integrations
Cilium documentation describes metrics and alerting integration with Prometheus, Grafana, and other monitoring systems.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Cluster visibility
Hubble Relay connects to Hubble instances to provide visibility across a cluster or across multiple clusters in a ClusterMesh scenario.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Transport security
When Hubble APIs are exposed over TCP, connections between Hubble instances and Relay are secured with mutual TLS by default.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Sensitive data
Layer 7 flow data is not redacted by default; Cilium provides options to redact HTTP query parameters, URL user information, and headers.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Requirements
Hubble observability requires Cilium to be installed, and only pods managed by Cilium are observable by Hubble.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Platform support
The Hubble CLI installation guide provides downloads for Linux, macOS, and Windows.docs.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026
Maker
Cilium was originally created by Isovalent.cilium.io · 1 Oct 2026

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