Checkmk

Checkmk
DevelopersCheckmk GmbH (previously tribe29 GmbH and Mathias Kettner GmbH)
Initial release2008 (2008)
Stable release
2.4 / May 6, 2025 (2025-05-06)
Written inPython, C++
Operating systemLinux
TypeIT infrastructure monitoring
LicenseGNU GPL v2 and other open-source licenses; Checkmk Enterprise License[1]
Websitecheckmk.com
Repository

Checkmk is an open source IT infrastructure monitoring software system developed in Python and C++. It originated as an extension to Nagios and has since evolved into a self-contained monitoring platform.

The software is available in four editions: an open-source edition (Checkmk Raw Edition), a commercial enterprise edition (Checkmk Enterprise Edition), a commercial cloud-focused edition (Checkmk Cloud Edition), and an edition for managed services providers (Checkmk Managed Services Edition).[2]

History

Checkmk originated in 2008 as an agent-substituting shell script for inetd, and was published in April 2009 under the GPL.[3] It was initially built on top of Nagios and added several new components to that system.[4] The open-source Checkmk Raw Edition continues to use the Nagios core.[5]

Over time, the commercial editions replaced the core Nagios components with proprietary equivalents, including a custom monitoring core written in C++.[3]

The software was developed by Mathias Kettner GmbH, based in Munich, Germany.[6] In April 2019, the company was renamed tribe29 GmbH, and the product name was changed from "Check_MK" to "Checkmk". In April 2023, the company was renamed again to Checkmk GmbH.[6]

Checkmk GmbH follows an open-core model. The Raw Edition is available under open-source licenses, primarily GPLv2, while the commercial editions are licensed under the proprietary Checkmk Enterprise License.[1]

Editions

The Raw Edition is built on the Nagios monitoring core and is distributed under open-source licenses. The commercial editions — Enterprise, Cloud, and Managed Services — use a proprietary monitoring core (the Checkmk Microcore, or CMC) written in C++, which is designed to handle configuration changes without a restart and to support short-lived objects such as containers.

The software runs on Linux and is distributed as packages for Debian, Ubuntu, SLES, and Red Hat-based distributions, and as a Docker image.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Checkmk EULA". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "Checkmk editions". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  3. ^ a b 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.
  4. ^ Huber, Mathias (March 9, 2011). "Nagios-Erweiterung Check_mk in Version 1.1.10". Linux Magazine (in German). Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Siering, Peter (May 31, 2017). "Monitoring-System Check_MK in frischer Version 1.4.0". Heise Online (in German). Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Checkmk – our story". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  7. ^ "Download". Checkmk GmbH. Retrieved May 31, 2023.