Cacti
Cacti is an open-source network monitoring and graphing tool designed for tracking and visualizing performance data from network devices, servers, and applications. It uses SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) to collect metrics and RRDtool (Round-Robin Database tool) to store and generate graphs, providing a web-based interface for configuration and viewing. It is commonly used for capacity planning, troubleshooting, and long-term trend analysis in IT infrastructure.
Developers and system administrators should learn Cacti when they need to monitor network bandwidth, server performance (e.g., CPU, memory, disk usage), or application metrics in environments with SNMP-enabled devices. It is particularly useful for visualizing historical data over time, such as in data centers or enterprise networks, to identify bottlenecks, plan upgrades, and ensure service reliability. Use cases include monitoring routers, switches, Linux/Windows servers, and custom scripts via data input methods.