ISC Stork

Overview

ISC Stork is a browser-based operations console for teams running Kea DHCP servers. It is best suited to administrators who want a shared view of address pools and service health, plus a few Kea management tasks. Its open-source license and focused DHCP tools are appealing, but deployment requires server-side components and its Kea configuration constraint matters.

Stork is an operational layer for an existing deployment, not a replacement DHCP server. It monitors DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pools and high-availability status, and offers management of reservations, subnets, and pools when the required Kea hooks are installed.

Its BIND support is narrower: Stork can display configuration and DNS zone information, but cannot modify BIND settings or other information. DNS support is still in its early stages, so it is a useful companion for visibility rather than a complete DNS management console.

Key features

Service and capacity monitoring

Stork reports host and daemon health, including memory, CPU utilization, software versions, and uptime. Together with pool utilization and high-availability status, that gives network operators a practical way to spot service or capacity concerns. It is focused on DHCP operations, rather than a broad infrastructure monitoring suite.

Kea management and configuration constraint

With the necessary Kea hooks installed, administrators can manage reservations, subnets, and pools through the GUI. That can reduce the need to handle those tasks through separate configuration workflows. The trade-off is important: Stork expects the running Kea configuration to be the configuration of record, and the Kea Configuration Backend hook is incompatible with Stork management. Teams relying on that backend should look elsewhere for management.

Integrations and access

Traffic activity data can be exported to Prometheus for Grafana charts, while LDAP integration supports administrator authentication and authorization. The server communicates with agents installed on application servers over gRPC channels secured with TLS. This architecture provides encrypted agent communication, but it also means a deployment involves more than installing a single web interface.

Stork is open source under the MPL 2.0 license and runs on most Linux and Unix platforms as well as macOS. ISC says an external audit found seven potential vulnerabilities, all fixed and verified in Stork 2.4.0; the audit assessed Stork against SLSA 0.1 and Level 1 criteria of SLSA 1.0.

Pricing

Stork open-source software: free. The software is available for free download, making it the natural choice for teams able to deploy and maintain it themselves. The free plan does not include professional support.

Professional support for Stork: custom pricing, based on deployment size and service level. Support is available through a Kea/Stork support subscription at additional cost, so it is the option for operators who need paid assistance rather than community help. ISC also offers free community help through the stork-users mailing list.

Platforms

Stork is self-hosted and deployed on-premises, with a web interface. Its deployment uses a Stork server and agents on application servers, and the server requires PostgreSQL. It runs on Linux and Unix platforms and macOS; the architecture and database dependency make it a better fit for teams prepared to operate supporting infrastructure than for users seeking a hosted service.

Who it's for

Stork suits organizations already operating Kea that want DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 monitoring, high-availability visibility, and GUI access to selected management tasks. It is also useful where Prometheus and Grafana are part of the monitoring workflow or LDAP is needed for administrator access.

It is a weaker fit for teams that need BIND configuration changes from the same console, depend on the Kea Configuration Backend hook, or do not want to maintain a server, agents, and PostgreSQL. ISC, founded in 1994 and based in Newmarket, New Hampshire, offers paid professional support as well as community help.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Free, open-source software: MPL 2.0 licensing and free download make it accessible to teams that can self-manage deployment.
• Useful Kea operational coverage: pool utilization, high-availability status, host and daemon health, and selected GUI management cover practical DHCP administration needs.
• Established integrations: Prometheus export, Grafana charting, LDAP, and TLS-secured agent channels support common operational workflows.

Cons

• Multi-component deployment: a server, agents, and PostgreSQL add operational overhead compared with a standalone interface.
• Management depends on Kea configuration choices: the running configuration must be authoritative, and the Kea Configuration Backend hook is incompatible with Stork management.
• BIND is view-only and early-stage: it cannot edit BIND configuration, limiting its value for teams seeking unified DHCP and DNS administration.

Alternatives

DHCP Management Software is the category directory for comparing tools in this area.

Subnetly is worth considering when a freemium IP address management option with a free tier is a better match; its Free plan is free and caps usage at 256 IPAM addresses, 10 subnets, two DHCP pools, one private DNS zone, and one public DNS zone.

teemIP may suit teams looking for a broader open-source IPAM-oriented option; its Community plan is free forever and includes open-source code, installation, GitHub and wiki access, and a community forum.

SagaOS Kea Pilot is another free, self-hosted Kea-oriented option to compare when you want software with no paid tiers or usage limits stated.

Danbyte may appeal to teams seeking a free, self-hosted open-source option with all features included and no seat license, enterprise tier, or license expiry.

Jen Kea DHCP Management Console is an alternative for self-hosted users running ISC Kea with MySQL or MariaDB on Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, or Docker.

SpatiumDDI is a free, self-hosted option from Montréal-based SpatiumNorth, which builds infrastructure software in the open.

DacatDHCP is a fit to consider for a Windows-based local DHCP service limited to IPv4.

Infoblox Cloud Network Automation is an alternative for organizations considering token-based licensing, with pricing based on an allowance over an agreement term.

Verdict

Choose ISC Stork if your team runs Kea, can support its server-and-agent architecture, and wants free monitoring plus selected GUI management without adopting the Kea Configuration Backend hook. Its strongest case is practical visibility into DHCP health and capacity at no software cost. Look elsewhere if you need BIND editing, depend on the incompatible Kea backend, or want to avoid self-hosted infrastructure.