head to head · open source
NetData vs client_python
NetData has 80,564 GitHub stars, 6,630 forks, 393 open issues and last shipped today. client_python has 4,375 stars, 876 forks, 150 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. NetData leads on adoption by 1,741% (80,564 vs 4,375 stars). NetData is written in Go under GPL-3.0; client_python is written in Python under Apache-2.0. NetData has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, client_python 20%. NetData was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| NetData | client_python | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 4.4K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 876 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick NetData if
- You weight community size — 81K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick client_python if
- You want the client_python feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and client_python fits your workflow better
About NetData
Netdata is an open source, real time infrastructure monitoring platform written in Go and released under GPL 3.0, built for operators and lean teams who need per second visibility across Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, and Windows systems.
read the full NetData overview →
About client_python
client python is the official Prometheus instrumentation library for Python applications, letting Python code expose metrics that a Prometheus server collects, and it is aimed at Python developers and reliability engineers who need their services measurable inside a Prometheus monitoring stack.
read the full client_python overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NetData or client_python more popular?
NetData has 80,564 GitHub stars and client_python has 4,375. NetData has the larger community by that measure.
Are NetData and client_python free?
Both are open source. NetData is licensed under GPL-3.0 and client_python under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between NetData and client_python?
NetData is written in Go and client_python in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, NetData or client_python?
Choose NetData if you want the larger community (80,564 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose client_python if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.