Say goodbye to Nagios config files.
Say hello to NEMS Linux.
Built on the same Nagios Core engine as Nagios XI, NEMS Linux replaces per-device licensing with a flat-rate annual subscription allowing you to scale seamlessly from 50 to 50,000 hosts without runaway monitoring costs.
As a turnkey, pre-configured Nagios appliance, NEMS Linux (/nɛmz/) eliminates the friction of manual configuration files and fragile setups. Deploy a production-ready monitoring server on enterprise hypervisors in minutes, complete with a modern web UI, automated off-site backups, and native alerting.
Gain complete coverage with total budget predictability: NEMS Linux Enterprise delivers unlimited asset monitoring under one flat-rate annual subscription, while NEMS Linux SOHO remains 100% free for homelabs and small sites.
Scalable Monitoring for Any Network
Choose the deployment architecture engineered for your needs.
Enterprise Edition
Network monitoring appliance engineered specifically for corporate IT infrastructure, data centers, and enterprise hypervisors.
- Flat-rate annual subscription allows you to monitor unlimited hosts & services
- Zero per-node fees or artificial host caps
- Pre-built virtual appliances for VMWare ESXi, Proxmox VE, Hyper-V and more
- Deployment images for AWS EC2 & hosted NEMS Cloud Instances
SOHO / Hobbyist Edition
Add enterprise-grade monitoring to your home network. Optimized for low-cost, low-power operation on single-board computers.
- 100% Free to download, deploy, and use
- Optimized for Raspberry Pi single-board computers
- Source code transparently hosted on GitHub
- Premium services available by monthly "pay what you want" donation
Go SOHO
Enterprise Product Comparison
Compare core features and true total cost of ownership.
| Enterprise Feature |
NEMS Linux |
Nagios XI | SolarWinds NPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Subscription Plan (USD) |
$3,120/yr (Flat Rate • Unlimited Hosts • $0 OS/DB Add-ons) |
Starts at ~$2,000–$5,000+/yr (Escalates as Host/Service Count Grows) |
Starts at ~$3,000–$15,000+/yr (+ Mandatory Windows & MS SQL Licenses) |
| Included Enterprise Support & SLA |
SLA w/ 3 Incidents/Yr Included (Includes NEMS Cloud Services & All Upgrades) |
Standard Web Tickets (Rapid SLA Response Requires $1.9k+ Add-On) |
Standard Maintenance Support (24/7 Rapid SLA Requires Premier Success Plan) |
| Host & Service Scalability |
Unlimited Hosts & Services (Zero Per-Node Penalty) |
Node-Capped Pricing (Strict Host Limit Tiers) |
Element-Capped Pricing (Per Interface/Node/Volume) |
| API & Programmatic Control |
Native RESTful NEMS API (Query Status, Hosts, & System Info) |
REST API (Included in Higher Tiers) |
Orion SDK / SWIS API (Complex Setup Required) |
| Hypervisor & Platform Support |
Universal Appliance Images (OVA, VHD & QCOW2 for VMware, Proxmox, Hyper-V, KVM & AWS) |
OVA / VHD & Manual Installs (VMware, Hyper-V, or RHEL/CentOS Linux Setup) |
Windows Server Guest Only (Requires Windows OS + MS SQL Server Instance) |
| Access Control & Authentication |
NEMS SSO + Multi-User Role Access (ULA) (Role-Based Privileges) |
Multi-User Role Management | Windows & AD Integrated RBAC |
| Out-of-the-Box Alerting Engine |
Discord, Telegram, Webhooks, Email & SMS (Native Integrations, No Scripts Needed) |
Email & SMS (Webhooks/Slack Require Custom Scripts) |
Orion Alert Manager (Heavy Configuration Curve) |
| Configuration Management |
Web-Based NCONF + Automated Syntax Validation (Zero Manual Config Files) |
Core Config Manager (CCM) | Orion Web Settings UI |
| Disaster Recovery & Backups | NEMS Migrator + Encrypted Off-Site Backup | Local Snapshots / Custom Scripting | Requires MS SQL Database Procedures |
| Agent & Protocol Support | Native Nagios Plugins, NRPE, NCPA, WMI, SNMP & NEMS Native Plugins | Native Nagios Plugins, NRPE, NCPA, & SNMP | Proprietary Orion Agents, WMI & SNMP |
| Cloud Heartbeat (Monitor the Monitor) |
Integrated NEMS CheckIn (Automated cloud-based "dead man's switch" alerts if NEMS goes offline) |
Requires External Service (Demands secondary server or 3rd-party paid uptime service) |
Requires HA Module / External Service (Requires additional HA licensing or 3rd-party pinging) |
Active Project
With an active Discord server, regular releases and updates, NEMS Linux is an active and current project with a vibrant and growing community.
No Per-Host Fees
Scale to unlimited hosts and services without node tiers or per-device pricing penalties. Enterprise uses a flat-rate annual subscription, while SOHO is 100% free.
Off-Site Backup
NEMS Linux includes an on-premise backup solution. Our secure off-site backup option is also available to protect your configuration in event of hardware failure.
Ready to monitor without limits?
Monitor Everything with NEMS Linux
NEMS Linux is a project of Category5 TV
