Shinken: A Modern Take on Nagios That Still Plays by Sysadmin Rules
Shinken doesn’t try to reinvent monitoring from scratch. Instead, it takes everything Nagios got right — plugin checks, simple configs, host/service separation — and reimagines it with a more flexible, modern core. Written in Python, modular by design, and much easier to scale than classic Nagios, Shinken feels like what Nagios could have become if it had evolved.
For sysadmins who still prefer flat config files and plugin-based checks, but need horizontal scaling and better UI options — Shinken hits a sweet spot. It’s old-school where it counts, and modern where it needs to be.
What Shinken Does Right
Feature | Why It Works
——–|———————————————————————-
Nagios-Compatible | Drop in your old configs and plugins — most just work
Modular Daemons | Separate processes for scheduling, polling, notifications, etc.
Distributed Monitoring | Scale horizontally with satellites and pollers
Web UI Support | Comes with several web interfaces — including Thruk and WebUI
Python Core | Easier to extend or debug compared to C-based systems
High Availability | Can run redundant daemons — keeps checks alive under failure
Multiple Backends | Supports Livestatus, Graphite, InfluxDB, SQL
Who It’s Built For
– Admins who know Nagios but want something less rigid
– MSPs managing remote infrastructure from one control node
– Teams running checks across hybrid or segmented networks
– Projects where using NRPE is still relevant — but scale is needed
– Anyone who wants Nagios-style checks with modern backend options
Shinken is especially appealing for those who don’t want to switch to Prometheus-style metrics, but still want scalability, dashboards, and alerting that don’t break under load.
Installation Overview (Debian/Ubuntu)
1. Add Shinken repo or clone from GitHub
2. Install using pip or system packages:
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip
pip install shinken
3. Create the config layout:
– hosts.cfg, services.cfg, contacts.cfg, etc.
4. Launch Shinken daemons:
shinken-arbiter
shinken-poller
shinken-reactionner
shinken-scheduler
5. Connect to web UI and start watching checks come in.
Documentation is surprisingly decent, and most Nagios veterans will feel at home right away.
Requirements
– OS: Linux preferred (Debian/Ubuntu works best)
– Runtime: Python 3
– Web UI: Optional (Thruk, Shinken-WebUI)
– Memory: 1–2 GB for small deployments
– Integrations: Nagios plugins, Graphite, NRPE, SNMP, etc.
Final Thought
Shinken isn’t the most hyped monitoring system — and that’s part of the charm. It’s quiet, efficient, and doesn’t ask you to retool your entire stack. If you’ve ever said, “I liked how Nagios worked, I just wish it scaled better,” this might be the answer you’ve been looking for.
📦 Project Site: https://www.shinken-monitoring.org
📘 GitHub: https://github.com/naparuba/shinken
