Real-Time Observability That Works at Scale

Netdata uses predictable per-node pricing with unlimited metrics, logs, and users - no volume-based charges. Traditional platforms charge per-host PLUS per-metric PLUS per-GB PLUS per-user, creating exponential cost growth. Netdata’s edge-native architecture eliminates data egress charges and centralized storage costs. Organizations achieve 90% cost reduction moving from platforms with volume-based pricing to Netdata’s flat per-node model.

Netdata trains 18 unsupervised k-means models per metric locally at the edge, using 6-hour training windows with 3-hour staggered intervals. An anomaly is only flagged when ALL 18 models agree - achieving 99% false positive reduction in anomaly detection. Traditional monitoring uses static thresholds or single-model ML. Netdata’s consensus-based approach provides highly accurate anomaly signals that appear as ribbons on every chart, helping engineers quickly identify unusual behavior during troubleshooting.

Most operational anomalies last 2-10 seconds - microbursts, transient spikes, cascading failures. Traditional 30-second monitoring misses 90% of these incidents by averaging them away. Per-second monitoring reveals the exact moment problems start, catches issues invisible to averaged data, and provides immediate feedback on changes. This is why Netdata’s 1-second collection with sub-2-second total latency enables 80% MTTR reduction - you see problems as they happen, not 30-60 seconds later.

Netdata does not currently provide native SLO/error budget management. However, you can export Netdata metrics to external SLO tools like Nobl9 or the Google SLO Toolkit via Prometheus endpoints. Netdata’s philosophy focuses on component-level reliability - catching issues before they violate SLOs through real-time anomaly detection and AI-powered root cause analysis. For infrastructure-focused SRE teams, this approach often proves more effective than aggregate service-level metrics.

Distributed tracing is planned for Q2 2026 with OTLP trace ingestion via the otel-plugin. Currently, Netdata excels at infrastructure observability (metrics + logs + ML) but requires separate tools like Jaeger or Tempo for distributed tracing. Organizations can use Netdata for infrastructure monitoring alongside dedicated APM tools for application-level tracing. The upcoming trace support will provide unified metrics-logs-traces correlation in a single platform.

Traditional monitoring centralizes all data in a single database, creating bottlenecks, exponential costs, and scaling challenges. Netdata distributes the code instead of centralizing the data - each node runs a complete observability engine with collection, storage, ML, and alerting. This edge-native approach delivers linear scaling (adding nodes doesn’t affect existing performance), data sovereignty (all data stays on-premises), and predictable costs (no volume-based charges). Learn more about Netdata’s distributed architecture.

Netdata deploys in 60 seconds per node with a one-line install command. Auto-discovery finds 800+ integrations automatically, algorithmic dashboards generate instantly, and 400+ pre-configured alerts start running immediately. For enterprise deployments: Week 1-2 (install agents and parents), Week 3-4 (migrate alerts), Week 5-8 (team adoption), Week 9-12 (decommission legacy tools). Most organizations achieve full production deployment in 4-8 weeks versus 2-8 months for traditional platforms. See our installation guide for details.

Yes. Netdata provides 40+ notification integrations including PagerDuty, Opsgenie, ServiceNow, Jira, Slack, Teams, Discord, and custom webhooks. You can also use Netdata alongside existing tools: export metrics to Prometheus for SLO calculation, visualize in Grafana via the Netdata datasource plugin, or keep your current APM for distributed tracing. Netdata’s open architecture ensures you’re never locked in - integrate with your existing stack or migrate incrementally.

Netdata is designed for complete data sovereignty - all metrics and logs stay on your infrastructure. Only metadata (node names, chart titles, alert configurations) synchronizes to Netdata Cloud for unified dashboards. This architecture satisfies GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and regional data residency requirements by design. Netdata is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and offers on-premises deployment for air-gapped environments. Learn more about Netdata’s security design.

Netdata provides predictable per-node pricing with unlimited metrics, unlimited logs, unlimited users, ML on every metric, 400+ pre-configured alerts, and AI capabilities. No volume charges, no surprise bills, no data egress fees. Organizations achieve 90% cost reduction compared to traditional monitoring platforms. Calculate your savings at netdata.cloud/pricing.

Netdata excels at infrastructure observability and is designed to complement specialized tools. For SLO management, export metrics to Nobl9 or Google SLO Toolkit. For distributed tracing (until Q2 2026), use Jaeger or Tempo. For application profiling, add Pyroscope or Parca. Netdata’s open architecture and 40+ integrations ensure you can build the right observability stack for your needs without vendor lock-in.

Netdata improves alert quality through component-level monitoring and intelligent alert design. The 400+ pre-configured alerts target specific infrastructure components with dynamic thresholds (rolling windows, not fixed values), hysteresis (different trigger/clear thresholds), delay logic (filter transient spikes), and repeat control (prevent notification storms). Additionally, ML anomaly detection provides a separate signal visible on every chart - engineers can use anomaly information during investigation, and alerts can optionally reference anomaly data. This approach delivers more actionable alerts compared to generic threshold-based alerting.

Netdata has minimal learning curve by design. No query languages to learn (no PromQL, no SQL), no dashboards to build (algorithmic generation), no thresholds to tune (intelligent defaults). The NIDL framework (Nodes-Instances-Dimensions-Labels) provides point-and-click analysis without specialized skills. Junior engineers get the same visibility as senior SREs. Most teams are productive within 1 hour of first login. The AI Co-Engineer answers questions in natural language, making troubleshooting accessible to everyone. See our getting started guide for the 60-second quickstart.

Yes. Netdata’s edge-native architecture scales linearly from 1 to 100,000+ nodes. Each node operates independently with local ML, storage, and alerting. For centralization, deploy Netdata Parents in clusters of ~500 nodes each (2M metrics/second per cluster). Adding more nodes doesn’t affect existing performance - no architectural changes required. Organizations run Netdata at massive scale: 4.5+ billion metrics/second processed globally, with individual deployments exceeding 100,000 nodes. Learn about Netdata’s scalability architecture.

Nothing. Netdata Agents and Parents operate completely independently - they collect, store, analyze, alert, and serve dashboards locally without any cloud dependency. Netdata Cloud is a control plane for unified access and team collaboration, but all observability data stays on your infrastructure. If Cloud connectivity is lost, you access local dashboards directly at http://agent-ip:19999 or http://parent-ip:19999. When connectivity restores, everything synchronizes automatically. This architecture ensures zero data loss and continuous monitoring even during network partitions.

Netdata’s AI operates at the edge with complete data fidelity (no sampling), trains locally on every metric (not selected ones), and provides transparent ML models (not black box). The Anomaly Advisor evaluates millions of metrics in seconds, ranking them by severity - root cause typically appears in the top 30-50 results. AI Insights generates forensics-grade reports automatically. Unlike cloud-based AI that requires data centralization, Netdata’s edge-based approach eliminates latency, reduces costs, and maintains data sovereignty. Plus, you can bring your own LLM via Model Context Protocol for complete control.

Netdata’s Business plan includes: unlimited metrics (no per-metric fees), unlimited logs (no per-GB charges), unlimited users (no per-seat costs), unlimited retention (configure as needed), ML anomaly detection on every metric, 400+ pre-configured alerts, AI capabilities (10 free sessions/month), 800+ auto-discovered integrations, algorithmic dashboards, 40+ notification channels, RBAC and SSO, audit logs, and support. The only additional cost is AI credits beyond the free tier. No hidden fees, no volume charges, no surprise bills. See detailed pricing at netdata.cloud/pricing.

Yes. Start with the free Community plan (5 nodes, personal use only) or the 14-day Business plan trial (unlimited nodes, all features). Install Netdata in 60 seconds and experience the 90% cost reduction, improved alert quality, and 80% MTTR reduction firsthand. No credit card required for Community plan. For enterprise evaluation, we offer 30-day pilots with dedicated support. Start your free trial or contact sales for custom evaluation programs.

Netdata provides comprehensive Kubernetes monitoring with auto-discovery of pods, containers, services, nodes, and namespaces. Direct cgroups v1/v2 interface delivers per-second metrics for every container with complete lifecycle tracking. The Helm chart deploys DaemonSet (agents on every node) + Deployment (centralized parent) architecture with zero configuration. Netdata works with Docker, containerd, Podman, and LXC - any container technology. See our Kubernetes monitoring guide for deployment details.

Netdata provides what Prometheus + Grafana requires weeks to build: algorithmic dashboards (vs manual building), 400+ pre-configured alerts (vs writing from scratch), ML on every metric (vs manual thresholds), zero-configuration setup (vs extensive YAML), per-second collection (vs 10-30 second scrapes), and AI troubleshooting (vs manual investigation). Netdata can complement Prometheus (export via remote write) or replace it entirely. See our Prometheus comparison.