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Cacti vs StatsD: What are the differences?
Introduction
Cacti and StatsD are both monitoring tools that help track various metrics and performance data. However, there are some key differences between the two that should be noted.
Data Collection Method: Cacti is a graphing solution that collects data through SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), while StatsD is a network daemon that collects statistics and performance metrics using UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packets. This difference in data collection methods can impact the efficiency and real-time nature of the data being collected.
Graphing Capabilities: Cacti provides a robust graphing feature that allows users to create detailed visual representations of their data using RRDtool. On the other hand, StatsD focuses more on collecting and aggregating raw metrics without providing built-in graphing capabilities. Users often need to integrate StatsD with other tools like Grafana for visualization.
Alerting and Notification: Cacti has built-in alerting functionalities that allow users to set thresholds and receive notifications when metrics exceed defined limits. In contrast, StatsD lacks native alerting capabilities and requires integration with other monitoring tools for setting up alerts and notifications.
Storage Backend: Cacti stores its metrics data in RRD (Round-Robin Database) files by default, which are optimized for time-series data. StatsD, on the other hand, does not come with a built-in storage backend and typically relies on other databases like Graphite or InfluxDB for data persistence.
Ecosystem and Plugins: Cacti has a well-established community and a wide range of plugins available for extending its functionalities. On the contrary, StatsD has a smaller ecosystem and may require more customization or integration with other tools to meet specific monitoring requirements.
In Summary,
Cacti and StatsD differ in their data collection methods, graphing capabilities, alerting features, storage backends, and ecosystem support.
Pros of Cacti
- Free3
- Rrdtool based3
- Fast poller2
- Graphs from snmp1
- Graphs from language independent scripts1
Pros of StatsD
- Open source9
- Single responsibility7
- Efficient wire format5
- Handles aggregation3
- Loads of integrations3
- Many implementations1
- Scales well1
- Simple to use1
- NodeJS1
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Cons of Cacti
Cons of StatsD
- No authentication; cannot be used over Internet1