Akvorado
What it is
Akvorado receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow network flows, enriches them with interface and geographic information, and presents the data in a web interface. Its inlet sends flows to Kafka; the outlet parses and enriches them before exporting them to ClickHouse. SNMP can supply exporter and interface details, while IPinfo or MaxMind can provide geographic information. Optional BGP routes received through BMP can add AS numbers, AS paths, and communities to flow records. A Grafana plugin is available, and the inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints. Akvorado is free, written in Go, and provides its four components in one binary or Docker image, but it requires Kafka and ClickHouse. The documented requirements include Kafka 1.0 or later, ClickHouse 22.4 or later, and Docker Engine 23 or later for Docker setup. The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM; AMD64 or ARM64 is listed for CPU architecture. The console expects an authenticating proxy to supply user headers. Without a configured relational database, data remains in memory and is lost on restart. Downgrading is not supported; Akvorado uses the AGPLv3 license.
For and against
For
- Receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow.
- Adds interface and geographic enrichment.
- Optional BGP data can add AS paths and communities.
- Free and available as a binary or Docker image.
Against
- Requires Kafka and ClickHouse.
- Console expects an authenticating proxy.
- Data is lost on restart without a configured database.
- Downgrading is not supported.
The verdict
Akvorado provides network-flow collection, enrichment, and exploration, with a Grafana plugin and HTTP metrics. Its infrastructure requirements and lack of downgrade support are important operational considerations.
Who it suits
Akvorado suits users who need to collect and explore network-flow data with enrichment from interface, geographic, or routing information. It is aimed at people able to operate its Kafka and ClickHouse dependencies.
On the record
- Authentication
- The console expects an authenticating proxy to supply user headers and lists options including Authelia, Authentik, Keycloak, and OAuth2 Proxy.demo.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Data pipeline
- The outlet sends enriched flows to ClickHouse via Kafka.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Akvorado is available as a Docker image or a prebuilt binary; the documented prebuilt binary is for Linux x86-64.demo.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Enrichment
- It uses SNMP for exporter and interface details and supports geographic information from IPinfo or MaxMind.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Flow formats
- It supports NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow.akvorado.net · read 3 Oct 2026
- Flow protocols
- It receives NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow flows.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Integration
- A Grafana plugin is available for Akvorado.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- License
- Akvorado is licensed under AGPLv3.github.com · read 3 Oct 2026
- License and maker
- Akvorado is developed by Free, a French ISP, and is licensed under AGPLv3.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Linux binary
- The installation documentation says prebuilt binaries are provided for Linux x86-64.akvorado.net · read 3 Oct 2026
- Maker
- Akvorado is developed by Free, described as a French ISP.github.com · read 3 Oct 2026
- Metadata
- Akvorado can use SNMP to retrieve exporter and interface details, and can use IPinfo or MaxMind for geographic information.akvorado.net · read 3 Oct 2026
- Monitoring
- The inlet, outlet, orchestrator, and console expose metrics through HTTP endpoints.demo.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Processing pipeline
- Its inlet receives flows and sends them to Kafka; the outlet parses and enriches them before exporting them to ClickHouse.akvorado.net · read 3 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Akvorado collects network flows, enriches them with metadata, and provides a web interface to explore the data.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Recommended resources
- The recommended configuration is 8 vCPUs, 100 GB of disk, and 16 GB of RAM; AMD64 or ARM64 is listed for the CPU architecture.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- Akvorado requires Kafka 1.0 or later, ClickHouse 22.4 or later, and Docker Engine 23 or later for the Docker setup.demo.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
- Routing data
- It can optionally receive BGP routes through BMP to obtain AS numbers, AS paths, and communities.akvorado.net · read 4 Oct 2026
