Real-Time Infrastructure Visibility in 60 Seconds

Netdata excels at real-time infrastructure monitoring and can replace ELK for metrics collection with significant advantages: per-second granularity, automatic ML, and zero configuration. For log management, Netdata provides zero-pipeline access to systemd journals with faster queries and lower costs. However, for advanced log analytics, full-text search across petabytes, or APM with distributed tracing, ELK remains stronger. Many organizations use both: Netdata for real-time metrics and ELK for log analytics.

No. Distributed tracing/APM span storage is not currently supported but is planned for Q2 2026. Netdata provides process-level observability via apps.plugin and eBPF kernel-level telemetry, but cannot trace microservice request flows across services. We recommend using complementary APM tools until native support arrives.

Netdata uses automatic multi-tier storage for metrics that requires zero configuration. For logs, Netdata reads systemd-journal files directly - retention is controlled by standard journald.conf settings. Unlike ELK’s complex ILM with rollover policies and phase transitions, Netdata’s storage is maintenance-free. For centralized log retention, use systemd-journal-remote with Netdata Parents.

Netdata agents use less than 5% CPU and 150-200 MB RAM with full ML anomaly detection - validated by the University of Amsterdam study as the most energy-efficient monitoring solution. ELK’s Elastic Agent commonly consumes 220 MB to 2 GB RAM and 20-67% CPU. This 10x difference matters significantly at scale.

Netdata installation takes 60 seconds per node. Most organizations run Netdata alongside ELK initially, then gradually reduce ELK scope as confidence grows. You don’t need to remove ELK agents - Netdata coexists with Filebeat, Metricbeat, and other collectors. Full infrastructure migration typically completes in 1-3 months with immediate value from day one.

ELK requires expertise in Elasticsearch queries (KQL, Lucene), JVM tuning, cluster management, ILM policies, and distributed systems. Netdata requires basic infrastructure knowledge - the platform auto-discovers services, generates dashboards, and pre-configures alerts. Junior engineers are productive immediately without specialized training.

Netdata provides comprehensive Kubernetes monitoring via DaemonSet deployment with automatic pod/container discovery, cgroups metrics, and Kubernetes state monitoring. Unlike ELK which requires Beats configuration per service, Netdata auto-discovers all workloads. Note: eBPF plugin does not run in containers but provides kernel-level visibility from nodes. Learn more about Kubernetes monitoring.

Native log-based alerting (pattern matching on log entries) is not currently supported in Netdata. Netdata’s alerting is metric-based. Workarounds include using the weblog collector to convert structured logs to metrics, or integrating with external log alerting platforms. For complex log alerting needs, ELK’s native capabilities may be more suitable.

Netdata does not have a native SLO/SLI framework like Elastic Observability. Organizations can implement SLO-like monitoring using custom alert templates with error rate calculations, but formal error budget tracking and burn rate alerts require external tools. If SLO management is critical, ELK or dedicated SLO platforms may be needed alongside Netdata.

Both platforms have open-source components. Netdata Agent is fully open-source (GPL v3+) with complete monitoring capabilities including ML anomaly detection. Elastic returned to open source with AGPL licensing in 2024 after a controversial period with SSPL. Netdata Cloud adds enterprise features (RBAC, SSO, AI), while Elastic’s advanced features require paid subscriptions.

Yes. Netdata is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and designed for data sovereignty - all metrics and logs stay on your infrastructure. Netdata Cloud receives only metadata (node names, chart definitions). This architecture supports GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS compliance by default. On-premises deployment is available for air-gapped environments.

Consider using both when you need: Real-time infrastructure metrics (Netdata’s strength) alongside advanced log analytics and full-text search (ELK’s strength). Netdata can replace ELK’s Metricbeat for infrastructure monitoring while ELK handles log aggregation. This hybrid approach reduces ELK cluster load and costs while improving real-time visibility.