BCC vs Inspektor Gadget
BCC
github.comInspektor Gadget
inspektor-gadget.ioSide by side
| Figure | BCC | Inspektor Gadget |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · eBPF Observability Tools | 7.9 (#12) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Linux requirement | The installation guide says Linux kernel 4.1 or newer is generally required, along with specified kernel configuration options. | Gadgets developed by the project require Linux kernel 5.10 or later with BTF enabled. |
| Purpose | BCC is a toolkit for creating efficient kernel tracing and manipulation programs using eBPF. | Inspektor Gadget is a set of tools and a framework for eBPF-based data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts. |
Plans
In their own words
Inspektor Gadget
Inspektor Gadget is an open-source toolkit and framework for collecting eBPF data and inspecting Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts. Its gadgets package eBPF programs as OCI images that can be deployed to examine systems. The toolkit enriches low-level kernel data with context such as Kubernetes pod and container names, and can export collected information to observability tools. WebAssembly modules can process data and customize operators; developers can also use the framework through a Go library. In Kubernetes, it runs as a DaemonSet, with one pod on each cluster node. Project gadgets require Linux kernel 5.10 or later with BTF enabled. Supported Kubernetes environments include Minikube, AKS, EKS, GKS, OpenShift, and Talos; AWS Fargate, Azure Container Instances, and GKE Autopilot are listed as unsupported. Official image-based gadgets are signed, and operators can restrict which gadgets may run by digest, tag, or image prefix. Inspektor Gadget has no long-term support releases: only the latest release receives maintenance and security updates.