1. What makes open-source database monitoring tools valuable for modern IT teams?

Open-source database monitoring tools give IT teams real-time visibility into database performance, resource utilization, and query analytics without the high licensing costs of commercial products. They provide customizable dashboards, real-time alerts, and comprehensive monitoring across cloud and on-premises environments, helping teams identify bottlenecks, optimize performance, and maintain smooth operations on a single platform.

2. How do open-source monitoring tools compare to commercial IT infrastructure monitoring tools?

While commercial IT infrastructure monitoring tools like Redgate Monitor offer advanced automation and vendor support, open-source monitoring solutions allow greater flexibility, self-hosted deployment, and multi-database support. They integrate with application performance monitoring and log management systems to provide a unified dashboard for servers, databases, and services, ensuring complete visibility and reduced alert fatigue.

3. What’s the best way to monitor SQL Server performance using open-source tools?

To monitor SQL Server performance, open-source options such as Zabbix, Prometheus + Grafana, and DBA Dash provide real-time dashboards for tracking key metrics like query duration, I/O latency, and resource utilization. These tools help address bottlenecks, analyze slow-running queries, and support performance tuning through detailed reports and customizable alerts, delivering a clear view of your database environment without relying on closed-source software.

4. Why is database observability important for business teams and strategic initiatives?

Database observability provides business teams and IT departments with real-time insights to detect performance issues early, minimize downtime, and improve application performance. By using open-source database observability tools that collect and visualize time-series data, organizations can make data-driven decisions that enhance reliability, reduce customer complaints, and support strategic initiatives across the business.

Data Databases

Top 5 Open Source Database Monitoring Tools

Cem Dilmegani

updated on Oct 24, 2025

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Commercial database monitoring tools often promise polished user interfaces and dedicated enterprise support. Open-source solutions are increasingly chosen for their transparency, cost-effectiveness, community-driven innovation, and flexibility.

We’ve analyzed both approaches to understand the current landscape. This article focuses on the top open-source database monitoring tools, evaluating their capabilities, community support, and suitability for various database platforms to help you find the best fit for your business needs.

Database platform coverage

Note: The tools in this list are sorted in descending order by total GitHub stars.

1. Netdata

Netdata is a real-time monitoring solution that provides per-second metrics collection with minimal performance overhead, delivering immediate visibility into database performance.

Key features:

Real-time, per-second metrics: Provides 1-second granularity without sampling.
Zero configuration: Auto-detects databases and begins collecting metrics immediately.
Machine learning: Anomaly detection and automatic baselining without manual configuration.
Edge architecture: Distributed data collection with optional centralized storage.

Supported databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Memcached, CockroachDB, Oracle (via ODBC)

2. Prometheus + Grafana

The combination of Prometheus (metrics collection and storage) and Grafana (visualization) has become the standard for monitoring in cloud-native environments, offering extensive database monitoring capabilities through exporters.

Key features:

Extensive exporter ecosystem: Database-specific exporters available for virtually every database platform.
PromQL query language: Query language for aggregating and analyzing metrics.
Native Kubernetes integration: Built-in support for containerized database deployments.
Alert Manager: Alerting with routing, grouping, and silencing capabilities.

Supported databases: Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Microsoft SQL Server, Cassandra, Redis, Elasticsearch, and virtually any database with an available exporter

3. Zabbix

Zabbix is an enterprise-grade open-source monitoring platform that provides comprehensive infrastructure and database monitoring, with native support for a wide range of database platforms.

Key features:

Native database templates: Pre-configured monitoring templates for major databases without requiring external exporters.
ODBC monitoring: Generic database monitoring via ODBC for virtually any database system.
Distributed monitoring: Agent-based and agentless monitoring options with proxy architecture for large-scale deployments.
Advanced alerting: Multi-level escalations, dependencies, and maintenance windows.

Supported databases: Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB, MariaDB, plus ODBC-compatible databases

4. pgwatch2

pgwatch2 is a PostgreSQL-focused monitoring solution that provides flexible metrics collection and visualization designed explicitly for PostgreSQL administrators.

Key features:

PostgreSQL-native metrics: Comprehensive collection of PostgreSQL-specific statistics and system catalogs.
Flexible storage backends: Support for multiple storage options, including PostgreSQL itself, TimescaleDB, and Prometheus.
Custom metric definitions: Users can define their own SQL-based metrics for specific monitoring needs.
Preset configurations: Pre-built dashboards for common PostgreSQL monitoring scenarios.

Supported databases: PostgreSQL (including Amazon RDS PostgreSQL, Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Google Cloud SQL PostgreSQL)

5. Percona Monitoring and Management (PMM)

Percona PMM is a specialized open-source monitoring solution built for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB environments. It combines query analytics with comprehensive metrics collection to deliver deep database insights.

Key features:

Query Analytics (QAN): Detailed breakdown of query execution, identifying slow queries and optimization opportunities.
Built on Prometheus and Grafana: Leverages a time-series database and a visualization platform.
Advisors and checks: Automated security and performance recommendations based on database best practices.
MongoDB profiling: Deep visibility into MongoDB operations and replica set performance.

Supported databases: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Amazon RDS (MySQL/PostgreSQL), Amazon Aurora

Open Source vs. Closed Source database monitoring

Understanding the trade-offs between open-source and closed-source database monitoring solutions is critical to making the right choice for your organization.

Advantages of open source

Cost-effectiveness: Open source tools eliminate licensing fees, making them attractive for budget-conscious organizations, startups, and teams managing large database fleets where per-host pricing would be prohibitive.

Transparency and security: Full source code access enables security teams to audit code, verify data-handling practices, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Organizations can inspect exactly what data is collected and where it’s sent.

Customization and extensibility: Teams can modify code to fit specific requirements, add custom metrics, integrate with proprietary systems, or build specialized exporters for legacy databases.

Community innovation: Large, active communities contribute plugins, dashboards, integrations, and bug fixes. Popular tools benefit from thousands of contributors worldwide, often resulting in rapid feature development.

No vendor lock-in: Organizations maintain complete control over their monitoring infrastructure and data. Switching between tools or customizing deployments doesn’t require vendor approval or contract renegotiation.

Advantages of closed source

Enterprise support and SLAs: Commercial vendors provide guaranteed support with defined response times, critical for production environments where downtime is costly. Support contracts ensure expert assistance when needed.

Integrated features: Proprietary solutions often offer tightly integrated capabilities (APM, log management, database monitoring) with minimal configuration. Single vendors deliver cohesive user experiences.

Advanced AI and automation: Commercial tools typically invest heavily in proprietary AI/ML capabilities for anomaly detection, root-cause analysis, and automated remediation, which may be more sophisticated than open-source alternatives.

Ease of use: Closed-source tools prioritize user experience with polished UIs, guided setup wizards, and automatic configuration. This reduces time-to-value and training requirements.

Compliance certifications: Enterprise vendors maintain compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA) and provide necessary documentation for regulatory audits.

Hybrid approaches

Many organizations adopt hybrid strategies:

Open-core models: Tools like Grafana and Netdata offer free open-source versions with optional commercial enterprise features (enhanced authentication, support, and cloud hosting).
Open source foundation with commercial support: Use open source tools (Prometheus, Zabbix) with third-party commercial support contracts.
Complementary deployment: Open source for development/testing environments, commercial solutions for critical production systems.