Checkmk Raw Edition: Open Monitoring with Enterprise DNA
Checkmk Raw Edition is the free, open-source core of the Checkmk monitoring platform — a modern take on Nagios-based infrastructure monitoring. Built around the Nagios engine but extended with a faster UI, smart autodiscovery, and thousands of plug-ins, it offers serious functionality for those who prefer to host everything on their own terms.
It’s not a simplified version — Raw Edition is powerful enough for real deployments, as long as you’re ready to manage it yourself.
What Checkmk Raw Can Do
| Capability | Description |
| Autodiscovery | Automatically detects services, hardware, and interfaces on hosts. |
| Agent-based and agentless monitoring | Covers Linux, Windows, SNMP, HTTP, databases, and more. |
| Nagios-compatible core | Uses Nagios under the hood, but enhanced with better logic. |
| Fast GUI (multisite) | Manage all checks, rules, and notifications from a browser. |
| Plugin library | 2000+ plugins for applications, OS, hardware, cloud services. |
| Flexible notifications | Email, webhook, scriptable actions, Slack, Teams, etc. |
| Graphing and reporting | RRD-based performance graphs and SLA reports. |
| Rules-based configuration | Define thresholds, behaviors, and escalations per host/service group. |
Where It Fits Best
– Teams that want Nagios flexibility without its legacy complexity
– Organizations needing a fully self-hosted monitoring tool
– Mixed environments (Windows, Linux, SNMP devices, cloud APIs)
– Admins who need precision control over monitoring logic and alert flow
– Replacement for Icinga, Zabbix, or older Nagios setups
Installing Checkmk Raw Edition (Linux Example)
1. Prepare the system
Recommended: Debian or Ubuntu, 2–4 cores, 4+ GB RAM.
2. Download the appropriate .deb or .rpm
From https://checkmk.com/download
3. Install package
Example for Debian:
sudo dpkg -i check-mk-raw-2.x.x_amd64.deb
4. Create a monitoring site
sudo omd create mysite
sudo omd start mysite
5. Access web UI
Visit: http:////
Login with default credentials (shown after site creation)
6. Add hosts and deploy agents
Agents available for Windows, Linux, and others. SNMP also supported.
Deployment Notes
– No commercial support (community-driven only)
– Web UI is solid but requires learning the rule system
– Integrates with Graphite, InfluxDB, and Prometheus (with config)
– Agents are lightweight but must be deployed manually
What to Watch For
– No built-in cloud dashboard or SaaS — this is on-prem only
– Complex environments benefit from templating and grouping
– Web interface not as polished as the Enterprise Edition
– Requires Linux admin skills and initial setup time
Why It’s Still a Top Pick
Checkmk Raw Edition gives sysadmins deep, programmable, and highly customizable monitoring — without licensing fees or vendor lock-in. While it takes time to set up, the result is a monitoring system that behaves exactly the way you define it. For those comfortable with Nagios syntax but wanting something more modern and scalable, Checkmk Raw is a logical next step.
It’s one of the few open-source tools that still feels enterprise-ready — without the price tag.
