Why Nagios is More Relevant than Ever for Infrastructure Monitoring
Since 1999, Nagios has been a leading monitoring solution for IT infrastructure. Today, there are over a million users, and organizations across the globe still rely on Nagios to keep their most critical systems running.
Nagios consistently proves its value in on-premises infrastructure monitoring software, trusted by IT teams for critical systems where cloud solutions fall short.
It has evolved to stay ahead of modern IT demands, remains flexible and reliable, and continues to make monitoring easier.
Let’s clear up the misconceptions, explore recent upgrades, and see why Nagios remains so effective today.
Why Some are Asking if Nagios is Obsolete — and Why that’s Not the Full Story
First, let’s clear up a few misconceptions about Nagios.
Misconception #1: “Nagios isn’t extensible.”
Some argue Nagios’s architecture is outdated, claiming plugin management is time-consuming and that configuration effort increases with each update. But Nagios was actually built for extensibility.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: With its plugin-based architecture, you can monitor just about anything, from servers and switches to networks and custom applications, while community-contributed plugins keep it adaptable to evolving technologies.
| What Does “XI” Stand For? The “XI” in Nagios XI stands for “extended insight,” featuring built-in Configuration Wizards that simplify setup while providing plenty of room for customization and expansion—demonstrating just how extensible Nagios truly is. |
Misconception #2: “It’s too manual.”
Host administration in Nagios used to sometimes be perceived as too complicated and labor-intensive. While earlier versions of Nagios involved more manual tasks, the platform has evolved significantly. Today’s platform offers streamlined tools and features that make host administration far easier and more efficient.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: With Configuration Wizards, bulk management tools, and integrations, Nagios can be as automated as your team needs. This flexibility lets you streamline monitoring setup and maintenance without sacrificing control of your infrastructure.
Misconception #3: “Nagios is hard to set up and use.”
One reason why some may think Nagios is obsolete is because of the misconception that Nagios is hard to use. While the open-source Nagios Core has a steeper learning curve and requires manual configurations, Nagios also offers four enterprise-level solutions that eliminate much of the complexity of these tasks. The main differences between Nagios Core and XI are that XI is much easier to work with, helps you get things done faster, better meets business requirements, and comes with more features right out of the box.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: Take Nagios XI, for example. XI includes a modern web interface, built-in Configuration Wizards, bulk management tools, and an intuitive layout that makes setup and use faster and far less technical. Even users with more limited IT knowledge can learn to navigate the interface, create checks, and manage alerts.
| What’s New in XI: Configuration Wizards for Kubernetes and Zabbix Agent monitoring. These Wizards give system administrators more control and visibility over their IT infrastructure, simplify agent-based monitoring, and make it easier to manage modern, complex environments. |
Misconception #4: “It isn’t scalable.”
Some claim Nagios struggles with scaling due to outdated manual processes, complex plugin management, and command-line reliance. However, this overlooks all the improvements Nagios has made that help simplify administration.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: Nagios XI offers setup Wizards, intuitive GUIs, and bulk management tools that greatly reduce manual effort, making scalability easier. Whether you’re monitoring a few servers or thousands of devices across multiple locations, Nagios can handle the load.
Misconception #5: “It’s hard to train others on Nagios.”
While Nagios Core can be hands-on, tools like Nagios XI simplify onboarding in a few ways:
- The user interface is straightforward and user-friendly.
- User roles and permissions help simplify access for different team members.
- There’s plenty of documentation, support, and video tutorials available to guide users step-by-step.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: The Nagios ecosystem is structured enough that knowledge transfer is straightforward, even across teams.
| If you’ve inherited a Nagios XI environment with little to no handoff, check out our article “You Inherited an XI System. Now What?” The article covers how to understand your environment, get access, and quickly begin monitoring. And if you’re more of a visual learner, watch our webinar on the topic. |
Misconception #6: “Nagios hasn’t been updated in years.”
Despite the misconception, Nagios has seen consistent updates that stay ahead of evolving infrastructure needs.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: Nagios is actively maintained and regularly updated. Recent releases (like Nagios Network Analyzer 2026R1 and Nagios Log Server 2024R2) show ongoing development aimed at modern infrastructure needs, including security updates, bug fixes, new Configuration Wizards, and more.
What’s New in Network Analyzer: NNA 2026R1 integrates the security tools Wireshark, Suricata, Nmap, for comprehensive network monitoring, including:
- Traffic volume and flow analysis.
- Rules-based threat detection.
- Network mapping and endpoint validation.
Learn More: Check out the changelog or the Network Analyzer product page for more details.
What’s New in Log Server: Enhanced User Interface. Log Server 2024R2 has a completely updated and easier to navigate user interface. Check out the changelog to view all the recent updates.
Learn More: This article covers all of what’s new: Ready to Rock: What’s New in Log Server 2024R2. Or if you’re a more visual learner, check out this Nagios Webinar: Nagios Log Server 2024R2 Showcase.
Misconception #7: “Nagios can’t be customized.”
Some might ask, “Is Nagios obsolete?” partly because they think it lacks customization options. This perception often comes from Nagios Core’s original design, which involves manual configuration that could seem complex. That complexity leads some to believe Nagios isn’t flexible enough for modern IT environments.
Why Nagios Remains Trusted: With Nagios, you can easily set alerts, adjust thresholds, and tailor monitoring to fit your unique environment and needs. Customization is not only possible, but easy. Hear it from Astiostech’s Director Alfred Chong:
“I think the key feature that Nagios XI presented to us is the ability for us to customize it for exactly what was needed.”
— Alfred Chong, Director at Astiostech
Related Readings:
Brief Overview
Nagios started in 1999 as an open-source Core focused on reliable monitoring. It’s still going strong today thanks to ongoing innovation and continuous improvements. Today, Nagios fits modern IT needs with:
- High extensibility
- Automation support
- Ease of use
- Scalability
- Simplified onboarding
- Continuous updates
- Flexible customization
Curious how Nagios can support your infrastructure? Try Nagios XI free for 30 days.
