Sensu vs Shinken: What are the differences?

# Introduction

Sensu and Shinken are both open-source monitoring tools designed to provide infrastructure monitoring solutions for organizations. While they both aim to achieve similar objectives, there are key differences that set them apart. Below are the main differences between Sensu and Shinken.

1. **Architecture**: Sensu is designed with a more modern and flexible architecture that supports plugins written in any programming language. On the other hand, Shinken follows a more traditional monolithic architecture with a focus on scalability through distributed monitoring.

2. **Scalability**: Sensu is well-suited for large-scale environments due to its decentralized nature and support for dynamic scaling. Shinken, on the other hand, has a modular design that allows for scalability but may require more manual configuration to achieve the same level of scalability as Sensu.

3. **Community Support**: Sensu has a larger and more active community compared to Shinken, resulting in more readily available resources, plugins, and community-contributed integrations. This can be beneficial for users looking for extensive support and documentation.

4. **Alerting Mechanisms**: Sensu provides more advanced alerting mechanisms, including event handlers and mutators, which allow for greater customization and control over alerting workflows. Shinken, while capable of basic alerting, may require additional plugins or configurations for more complex alerting requirements.

5. **Monitoring Flexibility**: Sensu offers greater flexibility in monitoring diverse environments and systems by supporting a wide range of plugins and integrations. Shinken, while versatile, may have limitations in terms of out-of-the-box integrations, particularly for newer technologies or specialized use cases.

6. **Ease of Configuration**: Sensu has a reputation for being more straightforward in terms of configuration and setup, making it easier for new users to get started quickly. Shinken, while powerful, may have a steeper learning curve and require more manual configuration, especially for users unfamiliar with its architecture.

In Summary, the key differences between Sensu and Shinken lie in their architecture, scalability, community support, alerting mechanisms, monitoring flexibility, and ease of configuration.