Beszel

Name: Beszel
Brand: Beszel

Ultra-lightweight, self-hosted server and Docker/Podman monitoring hub

softwareNetwork Monitoring server monitoring self hosteddocker monitoring

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Our Verdict

Best for

Homelabbers who want a tiny-footprint, self-hosted monitor for servers and Docker/Podman containers with minimal setup.

Skip if

You need enterprise-scale monitoring with a large plugin ecosystem and advanced alerting rules.

What is Beszel?

Beszel is a free, open-source server monitoring hub built in Go for a tiny resource footprint, with an agent that uses only about 10-15MB of RAM per monitored system. The hub, built on PocketBase, gives a central dashboard for viewing CPU, memory, disk, network, and temperature history, while agents communicate over a minimal SSH connection with no need to expose systems publicly. It tracks Docker and Podman container resource usage individually, sends configurable alerts for CPU, memory, disk, bandwidth, temperature, and status changes, supports multi-user access with OAuth/OIDC login, and includes automatic backups plus a REST API out of the box.

SpecificationsAI-estimated

deploymentSelf-hosted

open source✅ Yes

api available✅ Yes

support optionsGitHub issues, community docs

key integrationsDocker, Podman, S3-compatible storage, OAuth/OIDC

Key Features of Beszel

Runs as a lightweight agent using 10-15MB of RAM on each monitored system, reporting metrics to a central hub over SSH.

Tracks CPU, memory, disk, network, and temperature history for each connected system.

Monitors Docker and Podman container resource usage individually, not just host-level totals.

Sends configurable alerts for CPU, memory, disk, bandwidth, temperature, and system status changes.

Supports multi-user access so each user manages their own systems, with admins able to share systems across users.

Built on PocketBase, giving it automatic backups to disk or S3-compatible storage and a REST API out of the box.

Requires no public internet exposure, making it suitable for private homelab environments.

Supports OAuth/OIDC login in addition to standard password authentication.

Use Cases for Beszel

Monitoring a homelab of small servers

Keep an eye on CPU, memory, disk, and temperature across a fleet of Raspberry Pis and small servers from one dashboard.

Tracking Docker container resource usage

See per-container CPU, memory, and network usage history instead of just host-level totals.

Getting alerted before a server runs out of resources

Set alerts for CPU, disk, or memory thresholds so problems are caught before they cause downtime.

Sharing system visibility across a small team

Give teammates access to specific systems without exposing servers to the public internet.

Pros & Cons of Beszel

Pros

Extremely low resource footprint, runs comfortably on a Raspberry Pi
Free and open source under the MIT license
Combines host and per-container Docker/Podman metrics in one dashboard
Built-in REST API and automatic backups included by default

Cons

Primarily designed for Linux hosts; Windows support relies on community forks
Smaller ecosystem and plugin library than established tools like Zabbix or Netdata
Alerting is simpler and less feature-rich than dedicated enterprise monitoring platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Beszel free?

Yes, it is free and open source under the MIT license.

Does Beszel monitor Docker containers?

Yes, it tracks CPU, memory, and network usage per container.

How much overhead does the Beszel agent add?

Very little, typically only 10-15MB of RAM per monitored system.

Do I need to expose my servers to the internet to use Beszel?

No, it is designed to work without any public internet exposure.

Pricing Overview

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Free

Detailed plans are not listed. Visit the official website for pricing information.

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