Skip to content
SPECIFICTION
Get listed

ISC Stork

isc.org

Free plan Open source WebmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit isc.org
Spec score 8.6 #2 of 25 in DHCP Management Software

What it is

ISC Stork is a free, open-source web interface for monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintaining Kea DHCP server configuration. It reports host and daemon health, including memory, CPU utilization, software versions, and uptime, and monitors DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pool use and high-availability status. With the required Kea hooks installed, administrators can manage reservations, subnets, and pools through its interface. Stork can display BIND configuration and DNS zone information, but DNS support is in early stages and it does not change BIND settings. Traffic activity can be exported to Prometheus for Grafana charts, and LDAP can be used for administrator authentication and authorization. A deployment uses a Stork server and agents installed on application servers; the server requires PostgreSQL. The server and agents communicate through TLS-encrypted gRPC channels. Stork expects the running Kea configuration to be authoritative, and the Kea Configuration Backend hook is incompatible with Stork management. It runs on most Linux and Unix platforms and macOS under the MPL 2.0 license. ISC offers free community help and paid professional support.

Spec sheet

What it does
Stork is a web dashboard for monitoring, troubleshooting and managing Kea DHCP plus monitoring and limited read-only management of BIND and PowerDNS.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Purpose
Stork provides a web-based graphical interface for monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintaining Kea DHCP server configuration.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Integrations
Stork can export traffic activity data to Prometheus for display in Grafana charts.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Support
ISC offers paid professional Stork support alongside free community help through the stork-users mailing list.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
License
Stork source is released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Headquarters
ISC lists PO Box 360, Newmarket, New Hampshire 03857, USA as its address.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Founded
1994Read 28 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Company
Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. is a Delaware 501(c)(3) nonprofit associated with wholly owned Internet Systems Corporation and was founded in 1994.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Architecture
A deployment uses one stork-server, agents on application servers and a PostgreSQL database; server-agent communication uses TLS-protected gRPC.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Audit findings
The audit reported seven security-impact vulnerabilities, including two high-severity denial-of-service issues, plus five hardening recommendations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · 7asecurity.com
Authentication
Documentation covers LDAP, OIDC, Kea basic authentication, HTTPS and mutual TLS; agent registration requires authorization or a protected token.Read 15 Oct 2026 · stork.readthedocs.io
BIND limitation
BIND configuration and zone data are currently displayed but Stork does not modify BIND information.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Company size
Crunchbase lists Internet Systems Consortium in the 11–50 employee band.Read 15 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
Current releases
ISC lists Stork 2.6.0 and 2.4.2 as current stable releases in October 2026, with 2.5.1 marked development.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Database requirement
The server uses PostgreSQL and can run on a POSIX system with Go and PostgreSQL; ISC mainly tests Ubuntu and RHEL LTS releases.Read 15 Oct 2026 · stork.readthedocs.io
DHCP features
Stork monitors DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pool utilization and high-availability status, and provides GUI management for reservations, subnets, and pools when the required Kea hooks are installed.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
DHCP pool monitoring
Stork tracks DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pool and shared-network utilization, including provisioned and assigned addresses.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
DNS support
Stork can display BIND configuration and DNS zone information, and the page says DNS support is in early stages.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
DNS zone support
Stork polls BIND and PowerDNS for zones and serials, supports zone and RR-type filters, compares serials and fetches zone contents.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Documentation depth
The Administrator Reference Manual covers installation, configuration, DHCP, DNS, API, security, troubleshooting and command-line tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · stork.readthedocs.io
Generated clients
The developer documentation describes generated Angular and Go API clients plus CRUD wrappers from Swagger definitions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · stork.readthedocs.io
Grant funding
ICANN awarded Internet Systems Consortium Inc. a $495,000 grant for open-source tools managing DHCP address assignments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · icann.org
Health monitoring
It reports host CPU, memory, operating-system data, software versions and uptime for monitored servers and daemons.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
High availability
It displays Kea high-availability relationships, roles and failover status.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Host reservations
Administrators can add, update and view Kea host reservations through the GUI when the Host Commands hook is installed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Independent implementation guide
A September 2026 tutorial confirms the server-plus-agent architecture, PostgreSQL dependency, REST API, port 8080 server interface and Prometheus/Grafana integration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · codexcity.com
Independent security audit
7ASecurity’s September–October 2025 review covered the web frontend, API, backend, agents, authentication, supply chain and threat model over 36.57 workdays.Read 15 Oct 2026 · 7asecurity.com
Installation packages
Quickstart instructions install isc-stork-server and isc-stork-agent from Cloudsmith repositories and manage them with systemd.Read 15 Oct 2026 · kb.isc.org
Kea limitation
Stork expects the running Kea configuration to be the configuration of record; the Kea Configuration Backend hook is incompatible with Stork management.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
License and platforms
Stork is open source under the MPL 2.0 license and runs on most Linux and Unix platforms as well as macOS.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Limit: deployment complexity
Ask Ubuntu commenters described package support and documentation for Ubuntu 22.04 as unclear and warned that old repositories could cause dependency problems.Read 15 Oct 2026 · askubuntu.com
Limit: Kea socket compatibility
ISC documents that Stork 2.4 with Kea 3.0 can fail to connect because of control-socket permissions; upgrading to Kea 3.0.3 or later is recommended.Read 15 Oct 2026 · kb.isc.org
Limit: maturity and setup
Homelab commenters described Stork as difficult to deploy or less mature than expected, with some choosing replacement interfaces or router-native UIs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
Limit: MFA
The independent audit listed missing multi-factor authentication as a medium hardening recommendation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · 7asecurity.com
Limit: monitoring versus management
Reddit users reported using Stork successfully for monitoring while keeping configuration management in Ansible or custom software, indicating management coverage can be limited.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
Logs and configuration
Users can open Kea log files and configuration files from Stork.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Maker history
ISC says it was founded in 1994 and lists its address as PO Box 360, Newmarket, NH 03857, USA.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Monitoring
Stork reports host and daemon health data including memory, CPU utilization, software versions, and uptime.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Praise: large deployment
A Reddit networking participant reported Stork and Prometheus/Grafana operating for an event venue with about 30,000 leases and potential growth to 60,000–80,000.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
Praise: reliability
An Ask Ubuntu user reported a two-pair Kea HA deployment using Stork as very reliable and stable, mainly for monitoring and statistics.Read 15 Oct 2026 · askubuntu.com
Prometheus and Grafana
Agents export DHCP and DNS traffic metrics in Prometheus format for Grafana dashboards and filtering.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Public API
Stork exposes a REST API documented with Swagger/OpenAPI and a gRPC agent API defined in agent.proto.Read 15 Oct 2026 · stork.readthedocs.io
Secure communications
The Stork server communicates with agents over gRPC channels secured with TLS encryption.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Security audit
ISC says an external Stork audit identified seven potential vulnerabilities, all fixed and verified in Stork 2.4.0; the audit assessed Stork as meeting SLSA 0.1 and Level 1 criteria of SLSA 1.0.Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Self-hosting
The software is designed for local deployment and ISC supplies RPM, Debian and Alpine packages plus source builds.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Subnet management
The GUI can add and modify Kea subnet and pool configuration with the Subnet Commands hook.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Support pricing
ISC publishes no dollar prices; annual support cost depends on service tier and deployment size, and Stork support is an add-on to Kea support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Supported operating systems
ISC states that Stork runs on most Linux and Unix platforms and macOS; Windows builds are discouraged in the installation documentation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · stork.readthedocs.io
Version security alerts
The interface highlights outdated software and versions with known vulnerabilities.Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org

Plans and prices

Stork open-source software Free Open-source software available for free download Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org
Stork open-source software Free Self-hosted server and agents · PostgreSQL required · Kea/BIND integrations Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Kea/Stork support subscription Price not published Annual contract; quote based on service level and deployment size Gold, Silver, Bronze or Basic tiers · Stork support extra · Response SLAs vary Read 15 Oct 2026 · isc.org
Professional support for Stork Priced on request Pricing based on deployment size and service level Stork support is available with a Kea/Stork support subscription at additional cost Read 29 Sep 2026 · isc.org

Every ISC Stork plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free and open source under MPL 2.0
  • Monitors DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pools
  • Manages reservations, subnets, and pools with required hooks
  • Exports traffic activity to Prometheus
  • TLS-secured gRPC between server and agents

Limits

  • DNS support is in early stages
  • Does not modify BIND configuration
  • Requires PostgreSQL for the server
  • Kea Configuration Backend hook is incompatible with Stork management

Who it suits

Stork suits administrators who manage Kea DHCP services and want a web interface for health monitoring and configuration tasks. It also offers DNS visibility, Prometheus export, and LDAP integration, with the stated BIND and Kea configuration limitations to consider.

ISC Stork in depth

Read the full write-up

ISC Stork is a self-hosted web console for teams operating Kea DHCP servers, with limited BIND visibility alongside DHCP monitoring and management. It suits network administrators who want one operational view of pool capacity, service health, and selected Kea configuration tasks. The free open-source software is compelling for Kea estates, but its PostgreSQL-backed architecture and configuration-of-record rule narrow where it fits.

Overview

Stork sits on top of an existing Kea deployment rather than replacing the DHCP server. A Stork server collects information from agents installed on application servers, giving operators browser access to DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 pool utilization, high-availability status, and selected configuration controls. Management of reservations, subnets, and pools depends on installing the required Kea hooks.

BIND support is deliberately observational. Stork displays BIND configuration and DNS zone information, but does not modify BIND configuration or other BIND data, and DNS support remains early-stage. Choose it as a DHCP operations console with some DNS context, not as a unified DNS administration system.

Key features

Health and capacity reporting

Host and daemon views include memory use, CPU utilization, software versions, and uptime. Pool utilization for both DHCP versions and high-availability status add the capacity and resilience signals an operator needs for day-to-day oversight. The scope is useful for Kea-focused operations, though it is not a general infrastructure monitoring platform.

Kea administration

When the appropriate hooks are present, the GUI handles reservations, subnets, and pools. That can reduce routine command-line work and provide a shared administrative surface. The important boundary is that Stork expects the running Kea configuration to be the configuration of record; its management is incompatible with the Kea Configuration Backend hook. Deployments built around that backend should look elsewhere or change their configuration approach.

Integrations and security

Traffic activity data can be exported to Prometheus for Grafana charts, extending Stork's operational data into an established visualization stack. LDAP integration supports administrator authentication and authorization. Server-to-agent communication uses TLS-encrypted gRPC channels, and ISC reports that an external audit's seven potential vulnerabilities were fixed and verified in Stork 2.4.0. The audit assessed the project against SLSA 0.1 and Level 1 criteria of SLSA 1.0.

Pricing

Stork open-source software — free. The MPL 2.0-licensed software is available for free download, with no seat, usage, or term limits stated. This is the natural choice for organizations able to run and support the deployment themselves.

Professional support for Stork — custom pricing. ISC prices support according to deployment size and service level, through a Kea/Stork support subscription at additional cost. It is for teams that need paid assistance rather than a different software tier; free community help is available through the stork-users mailing list.

Platforms

Stork is an on-premises, self-hosted deployment running on Linux and most Unix platforms as well as macOS, with a web interface. The server requires PostgreSQL, and agents must be installed on the application servers being managed. That component model is appropriate for infrastructure teams, but it adds operational work compared with a hosted service.

Who it's for

Stork is a strong fit for organizations already standardized on ISC Kea that need shared health, pool, and high-availability visibility, plus controlled GUI management. LDAP, Prometheus, and Grafana integrations make it more suitable for established operations environments. It is less suitable for teams wanting hosted delivery, full BIND administration, or Kea deployments whose source of truth is the Configuration Backend hook.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free MPL 2.0 software removes licensing cost and supports self-hosted control.

Pros: DHCPv4/v6 pool, failover, health, and uptime reporting concentrates useful Kea signals in one console.

Pros: LDAP, TLS-secured agent channels, and Prometheus export fit existing operational and security practices.

Cons: PostgreSQL, a Stork server, and per-application-server agents make deployment more involved than a single appliance.

Cons: BIND is read-only and early-stage, so DNS administrators still need another management tool.

Cons: The Configuration Backend hook cannot be used with Stork management, excluding a significant Kea configuration pattern.

Alternatives

For a broader set of DHCP and IPAM choices, see DHCP Management Software.

Subnetly is a freemium, cross-platform option with a free tier capped at 256 IPAM addresses, 10 subnets, two DHCP pools, two DNS zones, and 100 DNS records; choose it when those hosted-style quotas suit a smaller environment.

teemIP offers a free, open-source Community plan with downloads, documentation, and forum access; it is the alternative when an IPAM-oriented community project is preferable.

Cygna DDI is a paid DDI product with a trial and perpetual or subscription licensing; consider it when commercial procurement is required.

FluxDHCP, Jen Kea DHCP Management Console, SagaOS Kea Pilot, and Danbyte are free self-hosted alternatives; each is worth evaluating when its own deployment model or licensing better matches your environment.

BlueCat Horizon is a paid subscription DDI platform licensed by Unique Active IP, suited to organizations seeking a commercial orchestration product.

Verdict

Choose ISC Stork if you run Kea and want a no-license-cost console for DHCP health, pool capacity, failover status, and selected administration, with LDAP and Prometheus integration. Look elsewhere if you need full BIND control, hosted delivery, or Kea management built around the Configuration Backend hook; those constraints outweigh the attractive price for those deployments.

Verdict

Stork offers free monitoring and management for Kea deployments, with useful health reporting and integrations. Its requirements and configuration constraints matter: the server needs PostgreSQL, and Stork management is incompatible with the Kea Configuration Backend hook.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to ISC StorkAll alternatives →