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Akvorado

akvorado.net

WebmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit akvorado.net
Spec score 8.1 #4 of 26 in Network Traffic Analysis Software

What it is

Akvorado is free network-flow software that receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow records, enriches them, and exposes the results through a web interface. Its inlet forwards incoming flows to Kafka. The outlet parses and augments them before sending data to ClickHouse. SNMP can supply exporter and interface details, while IPinfo or MaxMind can add geographic information. Optional BGP routes received through BMP contribute AS numbers, AS paths, and communities. A Grafana plugin is available, and the inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose HTTP metrics. Written in Go, Akvorado is delivered as a single binary or Docker image, but deployment requires Kafka and ClickHouse. Recommended resources are 8 vCPUs, 100 GB disk, and 16 GB RAM, with AMD64 or ARM64 listed. The console expects an authenticating proxy to provide user headers. Relational data can use SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL; without one, data remains in memory and disappears on restart. Downgrades are unsupported. The license is AGPLv3.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Akvorado collects network flows, enriches them with metadata, and provides a web interface to explore the data.Read 4 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Deployment
Akvorado is available as a Docker image or a prebuilt binary; the documented prebuilt binary is for Linux x86-64.Read 4 Oct 2026 · demo.akvorado.net
Support
The project directs users to its documentation and GitHub Discussions for help, and asks them to read troubleshooting guidance before opening a discussion.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
License
Akvorado is licensed under AGPLv3.Read 3 Oct 2026 · github.com
Maker
Akvorado is developed by Free, described as a French ISP.Read 3 Oct 2026 · github.com
Authentication
The console expects an authenticating proxy to supply user headers and lists options including Authelia, Authentik, Keycloak, and OAuth2 Proxy.Read 4 Oct 2026 · demo.akvorado.net
Data pipeline
The outlet sends enriched flows to ClickHouse via Kafka.Read 4 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Enrichment
It uses SNMP for exporter and interface details and supports geographic information from IPinfo or MaxMind.Read 4 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Flow formats
It supports NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow.Read 3 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Flow protocols
It receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow flows.Read 4 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Integration
A Grafana plugin is available for Akvorado.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
License and maker
Akvorado is developed by Free, a French ISP, and is licensed under AGPLv3.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Linux binary
The installation documentation says prebuilt binaries are provided for Linux x86-64.Read 3 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Metadata
Akvorado can use SNMP to retrieve exporter and interface details, and can use IPinfo or MaxMind for geographic information.Read 3 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Monitoring
The inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints.Read 4 Oct 2026 · demo.akvorado.net
Processing pipeline
Its inlet receives flows and sends them to Kafka; the outlet parses and enriches them before exporting them to ClickHouse.Read 3 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Recommended resources
The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM; AMD64 or ARM64 is listed for the CPU architecture.Read 4 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Requirements
Akvorado requires Kafka 1.0 or later, ClickHouse 22.4 or later, and Docker Engine 23 or later for the Docker setup.Read 4 Oct 2026 · demo.akvorado.net
Routing data
It can optionally receive BGP routes through BMP to obtain AS numbers, AS paths, and communities.Read 4 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Storage options
The console supports SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL for its relational database; without a configured database, its data is held in memory and lost on restart.Read 4 Oct 2026 · demo.akvorado.net
System requirements
The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM.Read 3 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Upgrade limit
Downgrading is not supported.Read 3 Oct 2026 · akvorado.net
Visualization integration
A Grafana plugin is available.Read 3 Oct 2026 · github.com

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow
  • SNMP and geographic enrichment
  • Optional BGP route metadata
  • Grafana plugin available
  • Unlimited historical retention

Limits

  • Requires Kafka and ClickHouse
  • Data lost on restart without database
  • Downgrading is unsupported
  • Recommended resources are substantial

Who it suits

It suits operators managing network-flow visibility on Linux, macOS, or self-hosted infrastructure who can provide Kafka, ClickHouse, and proxy authentication.

Verdict

Akvorado offers a defined flow-processing pipeline with multiple enrichment sources and web exploration. Plan its infrastructure, authentication proxy, and persistent database before deployment.

Where Specifiction places it

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