| Checkmk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | Checkmk GmbH (previously tribe29 GmbH and Mathias Kettner GmbH) |
| Release | 2008 |
| Stable release | 2.5
/ April 28, 2026 |
| Written in | Python, C++ |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | IT infrastructure monitoring |
| License | GNU GPL v2 and other open-source licenses; Checkmk Enterprise License[1] |
| Website | checkmk |
| Repository | |
Checkmk is an open source IT infrastructure monitoring software system developed in Python and C++. It originated as an extension to Nagios and has since evolved into a self-contained monitoring platform.
Checkmk's server-side component run on Linux, or containerized as a Docker container. Agents (running on entities being monitored) exist for many different operating systems.
The software is available in four editions: an open source edition called Community, self-hosted commercial editions called Pro and Ultimate, and SaaS edition called Cloud. Checkmk Ultimate includes a multi-tenancy option designed for managed services providers.[2]
History
Checkmk originated in 2008 as an agent-substituting shell script for inetd, and was published in April 2009 under the GPL.[3] It was initially built on top of Nagios and added several new components to that system.[4] The open source edition (Checkmk Community) continues to use the Nagios core.[5]
Over time, the commercial editions replaced the core Nagios components with proprietary equivalents, including a custom monitoring core written in C++.[3]
The software was developed by Mathias Kettner GmbH, based in Munich, Germany.[6] In April 2019, the company was renamed tribe29 GmbH, and the product name was changed from "Check_MK" to "Checkmk". In April 2023, the company was renamed again to Checkmk GmbH.[6]
Checkmk GmbH follows an open-core model. Checkmk Community is available under open-source licenses, primarily GPLv2, while the commercial editions are licensed under the proprietary Checkmk Enterprise License.[1]
Editions
Checkmk Community is built on the Nagios monitoring core and is distributed under open-source licenses. The commercial editions — Pro, Cloud, and Ultimate — use a proprietary monitoring core (the Checkmk Microcore, or CMC) written in C++, which is designed to handle configuration changes without a restart and to support short-lived objects such as containers.
The software runs on Linux and is distributed as packages for Debian, Ubuntu, SLES, and Red Hat-based distributions, and as a Docker image.[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Checkmk EULA". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Checkmk editions". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- 1 2 Rieger, Götz (November 3, 2012). "Einfach mal Nagios – Netzwerk-Monitoring mit OMD und Check_MK". c't (in German). p. 190. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ↑ Huber, Mathias (March 9, 2011). "Nagios-Erweiterung Check_mk in Version 1.1.10". Linux Magazine (in German). Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ↑ Siering, Peter (May 31, 2017). "Monitoring-System Check_MK in frischer Version 1.4.0". Heise Online (in German). Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- 1 2 "Checkmk – our story". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Download". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.