Checkmk
Checkmk is a monitoring platform for hybrid IT environments and applications, developed in Python and C++. Originally released in 2009 as an extension to Nagios, it has since evolved into a standalone system that integrates infrastructure monitoring with application-level metrics. The software is developed by Checkmk GmbH (formerly tribe29), headquartered in Munich, Germany.
| Checkmk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | Checkmk GmbH (previously tribe29 GmbH and Mathias Kettner GmbH) |
| Initial release | 2008 |
| Stable release | 2.4
/ May 6, 2025 |
| Written in | Python, C++ |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | IT infrastructure monitoring |
| License | GNU GPL v2 and other open-source licenses; Checkmk Enterprise License[1] |
| Website | checkmk.com |
| Repository | |
Checkmk is a monitoring platform for hybrid IT environments and applications, developed in Python and C++. Originally released in 2009 as an extension to Nagios, it has since evolved into a standalone system that integrates infrastructure monitoring with application-level metrics. The software is developed by Checkmk GmbH (formerly tribe29), headquartered in Munich, Germany.[2]
History
[edit]Checkmk was developed in 2008 by Mathias Kettner in Munich, Germany.[2][3] It was developed as an extension for the Nagios monitoring system to provide alternative configuration and performance capabilities.[4][5] The initial version, then styled as Check_MK, was released in April 2009 under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
In 2019, the developing company, Mathias Kettner GmbH, rebranded as tribe29 GmbH and changed the product name to Checkmk.[6] In April 2023, the company was renamed Checkmk GmbH. In February 2025, the company announced a strategic investment from the growth equity firm PSG Equity.[7]
Editions
[edit]In March 2026, the software nomenclature was updated. Checkmk is distributed under an Open-core model in several editions:
- Checkmk Community: An open-source edition (GPLv2) based on the Nagios core.
- Checkmk Pro: A commercial edition that replaces the Nagios core with the Checkmk Micro Core (CMC). This edition introduces administrative tools such as the "Agent Bakery" for automated configuration management, as well as reporting modules for Service Level Agreements (SLA) and capacity planning.
- Checkmk Ultimate: A self-hosted commercial edition building upon Checkmk Pro with additional features for dynamic infrastructure and Kubernetes. It includes native connectors for Kubernetes and public cloud APIs (AWS, Azure, GCP). Technical additions include a push-based agent communication mode and automated host registration. A variant of this edition is available for managed services providers (MSPs), providing logical data separation and multi-tenant management capabilities.
- Checkmk Cloud: A Software as a Service (SaaS) edition managed and hosted by Checkmk GmbH, offering the functional scope of Checkmk Ultimate through a subscription-based delivery model.[8]
Functionality
[edit]Checkmk provides monitoring for servers, networks, and applications. Its features include:
- Alerting and notification: Systems for escalating alerts via email, SMS, messaging platforms, and ITSM tools.
- Visualization: Dashboards and time-series graphing with support for exporting metrics to Grafana and Prometheus.
- Business intelligence (BI): A module for mapping application dependencies and monitoring multi-component systems.
- Synthetic monitoring: Integration with the Robot Framework for automated user-experience testing.
- Inventory and logs: Hardware and software asset tracking alongside event management via log analysis.
- Reporting: Tools for capacity planning, availability reporting, and SLA analysis.
Architecture and technology
[edit]Checkmk employs a rule-based configuration system. Instead of configuring individual objects, parameters are defined through rules that are applied to hosts based on tags or group memberships.
Monitoring cores
[edit]- Nagios core: The open-source edition (Checkmk Community) uses the Nagios core to execute monitoring checks.
- Checkmk Micro Core (CMC): Included in commercial editions (Checkmk Pro, Checkmk Ultimate and Checkmk Cloud), the CMC is a proprietary engine written in C++. It allows for configuration changes without restarting the core process.[9]
Data collection and transport
[edit]Checkmk identifies monitorable components on a host via a service discovery mechanism. Data is retrieved or transmitted through the following methods:
- Pull and push models: The software primarily uses a "pull" model, where the monitoring server queries the agent. Checkmk Ultimate and Checkmk Cloud also support a "push" model, where agents initiate the connection to the server, which is intended for ephemeral cloud instances.
- Agent and agentless collection: Collection occurs via agents for Linux and Windows, or through protocols such as SNMP and WMI.[10]
- OpenTelemetry: Support for the OpenTelemetry protocol allows for the ingestion of application metrics.
Extensibility and integrations
[edit]Checkmk includes over 2,000 officially maintained integrations for hardware (servers, storage, networks), software (databases, web servers), and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). Users can develop custom integrations using Python.
Deployment
[edit]Checkmk is distributed as native packages for major Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, SLES), as a Docker image, and as a pre-configured Virtual appliance.[10]
See also
[edit]
- Comparison of network monitoring systems
- Grafana
- Icinga
- MRTG
- Naemon
- Nagios
- OpenNMS
- Prometheus
- Zabbix
References
[edit]- ^ "Checkmk EULA". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ a b "Checkmk – our story". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Joseph, Irien (February 26, 2025). "PSG to pump capital into Germany's Checkmk". PE Hub. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ^ Huber, Mathias (March 9, 2011). "Nagios-Erweiterung Check_mk in Version 1.1.10". Linux Magazine (in German). Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Rieger, Götz (November 3, 2012). "Einfach mal Nagios – Netzwerk-Monitoring mit OMD und Check_MK". c't (in German). p. 190. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Siering, Peter (May 31, 2017). "Monitoring-System Check_MK in frischer Version 1.4.0". Heise Online (in German). Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ "PSG Equity Announces Strategic Investment in Checkmk". PSG Equity. February 2025.
- ^ "Checkmk editions". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "Checkmk Documentation: The Monitoring Core". Checkmk GmbH.
- ^ a b "Download". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.