Hubble
Hubble is a free, open-source networking and security observability platform for cloud native workloads, built on Cilium and eBPF.
What Hubble is
Hubble is a free, open-source networking and security observability platform for cloud native workloads, built on Cilium and eBPF. It discovers Kubernetes service dependencies at L3/L4 and L7, then presents data flows in a service map that users can visualize and filter. Visibility includes TCP connections, DNS queries, HTTP requests, Kafka communication, and other network or application protocol flows. Monitoring examples cover network behavior, policy activity, HTTP rates and latency, and DNS request and response activity. Security views can show connections blocked by network policy, services accessed from outside a cluster, and services resolving particular DNS names. Hubble provides node, cluster, and multi-cluster visibility; Hubble Relay enables cluster-wide or Cluster Mesh views. Its API normally runs on the node hosting the Cilium agent, while the CLI queries a local Unix Domain Socket. Hubble UI offers browser-based visualization and filtering. The project is self-hosted, licensed under Apache License, and supports Linux, macOS, and Windows tools. CLI, Server, Metrics, and Relay are stable; the UI is beta.
Good
- Open source under the Apache License
- Maps Kubernetes dependencies at L3/L4 and L7
- Shows TCP, DNS, HTTP, and Kafka flows
- Supports node, cluster, and multi-cluster visibility
- Provides browser-based Hubble UI
Watch out
- Hubble UI is beta
- Self-hosted deployment is required
- API defaults to a node-local socket
Who it suits
Hubble suits teams running Kubernetes and Cilium that need network and security visibility across nodes or clusters. It is intended for self-hosted cloud native environments.
Verdict
Hubble provides detailed Kubernetes network and security observability with service maps, flow data, and multi-cluster options. Treat the beta UI cautiously in critical production workloads.
Plans and prices
From Hubble's own pricing page, checked 5 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Hubble | Free | Open source · Apache License |
The facts
Each one read from Hubble's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API access
- By default, the Hubble API operates on the node where the Cilium agent runs, and the Hubble CLI queries it through a local Unix Domain Socket.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Compatibility
- The Hubble CLI is backward compatible with supported Cilium releases, and only the latest Hubble CLI version is maintained.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Deployment scope
- Hubble can provide visibility at node, cluster, or multi-cluster scope; Hubble Relay enables cluster-wide or Cluster Mesh visibility.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Flow visibility
- It provides visibility into individual TCP connections, DNS queries, HTTP requests, Kafka communication, and other network and application protocol flows.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Hubble is built on Cilium and eBPF; Cilium documentation names Prometheus and Grafana among monitoring systems that integrate with its metrics and alerting.checked 5 Oct 2026
- License
- The project is open source and licensed under the Apache License.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Metrics
- Its monitoring examples include network behavior, network policy observation, HTTP request and response rates and latency, and DNS request and response monitoring.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Hubble is a distributed networking and security observability platform for cloud native workloads, built on Cilium and eBPF.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Security configuration
- The documentation describes configuring TLS for the Hubble API and TLS client certificates when connecting Hubble UI to a TLS-enabled Relay.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Security observability
- Hubble can show connections blocked by network policy, services accessed from outside a cluster, and services resolving particular DNS names.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Service maps
- It automatically discovers Kubernetes service dependencies at L3/L4 and L7 and visualizes and filters data flows as a service map.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Stability
- The repository lists Hubble CLI, Server, Metrics, and Relay as stable, while Hubble UI is beta and should be used with caution in critical production workloads.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to the Cilium Slack #hubble channel to ask questions and share experiences with developers and users.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Web interface
- Hubble UI is a web interface for visualizing and filtering service dependencies and data flows, accessed through a browser.checked 5 Oct 2026
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