Arkime vs Guymager
Arkime
arkime.comGuymager
guymager.sourceforge.ioSide by side
| Figure | Arkime | Guymager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Digital Forensics Software | 9.0 (#1) | 7.5 (#18) |
| Integrations | Arkime uses OpenSearch or Elasticsearch for indexed metadata and offers WISE threat-intelligence integration. | The maker lists Guymager as included on several forensic live CDs and virtual machines, including CAINE, TSURUGI, BACKBOX, Kali, GRML, ForLEx, SANS SIFT, and BitCurator. |
| Purpose | Arkime is an open-source network analysis and session search tool that passively watches network traffic and creates searchable session records. | Guymager is a forensic imager for acquiring media. |
| Support | The project offers a Slack workspace and office hours for questions, and GitHub Issues for bugs and feature requests. | The author accepts problem reports by email and asks users to attach the Guymager log file. |
Plans
In their own words
Arkime
Arkime is a free, open-source network analysis and session search tool that passively observes traffic and creates searchable session records. It parses layers 3–7 and indexes fields including protocols, DNS names, HTTP headers, TLS/JA4 fingerprints, file hashes, and GeoIP in OpenSearch or Elasticsearch. Operators can store full packets in standard PCAP format or use metadata-only capture, with rules to select traffic for saving. Users can search sessions, inspect packet data, and export results as PCAP or CSV. Cont3xt enriches supported indicators using commercial and OSINT sources, including VirusTotal, Censys, and Shodan; phone enrichment is limited to the U.S. Parliament groups clusters and displays cluster issues and Elasticsearch health. Capture can scale by adding machines or increasing CPU and disk. Arkime has no license fees or paid-only features. Installation guidance covers Linux, recommends Debian or Ubuntu LTS, and links to a container guide. OpenSearch or Elasticsearch is required for session metadata. Authentication options include basic, form, digest, header, and OIDC, while the project advises against anonymous authentication.
Guymager
Guymager has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.