Open-Source Observability · BigBoot

AutoKuma

AutoKuma automates the creation and management of uptime monitors in Uptime Kuma by reading Docker container labels, eliminating manual UI configuration. It is written in Rust and also provides a CLI tool and client library for programmatic Uptime Kuma interaction.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/BigBoot/AutoKuma

850

GitHub stars

Forks

Rust

Primary language

MIT

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	BigBoot/AutoKuma
Owner	BigBoot
Primary language	Rust
License	MIT — OSI-approved
Stars	850
Forks	43
Open issues	6
Latest release	v2.0.0 (2025-11-12)
Last updated	2026-06-18
Source	https://github.com/BigBoot/AutoKuma

What AutoKuma is

AutoKuma is a Rust-based automation tool that watches Docker containers and derives monitor configurations from container labels, syncing them to Uptime Kuma via its SocketIO API. It supports Docker, file-based (JSON/TOML), and partially supports Docker Swarm and Kubernetes as monitor sources.

Quickstart

Get the AutoKuma source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/BigBoot/AutoKuma.git2cd AutoKuma3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Self-hosted Infrastructure with Docker Compose

Ideal for small-to-medium self-hosted deployments where you manage containers via Docker Compose and want monitors to auto-provision when containers start, without touching the Uptime Kuma UI.

DevOps Automation and IaC Workflows

Fits well into infrastructure-as-code pipelines where monitor definitions are declared alongside container labels, enabling consistent monitoring alongside application deployments.

Multi-service Monitoring at Scale

Useful for organizations running many containerized services that need centralized uptime monitoring without manual monitor creation overhead—label once per service, sync automatically.

Implementation considerations

Configure Uptime Kuma credentials and API endpoint via environment variables or config file before deployment; supports TLS and secret file references.
Mount `/var/run/docker.sock` to the AutoKuma container to enable Docker socket access for label reading; consider socket proxy solutions for multi-host setups.
Adopt a labeling convention (default prefix `kuma`) across your container ecosystem and document it for teams; label format is `<prefix>.<id>.<type>.<setting>`.
Plan for state persistence: the tool stores data in a volume; ensure backups and recovery procedures if monitors are mutated outside AutoKuma.
Test label syntax against the documentation—monitor types (http, ping, dns) and their settings vary; use the playground or dry-run if available.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Kubernetes-First Production Environment — Kubernetes support is explicitly marked as "as-is" and seeks a maintainer; avoid in production K8s clusters unless you are willing to contribute maintenance or forgo full K8s integration.
Complex, Stateful Monitor Lifecycle Management — If you need fine-grained control over monitor versioning, rollback, or dynamic rule changes beyond container label updates, AutoKuma's label-driven approach may be too rigid.
Requirement for Vendor-Supported Commercial SLA — AutoKuma is community-maintained open source; if you require vendor support contracts or guaranteed SLAs, use a commercial monitoring solution instead.
Non-Docker/Non-File-Based Monitor Sources — If your monitor sources are external APIs, cloud-native services, or custom systems, AutoKuma's limited source adapters (Docker, files, partial Swarm/K8s) won't fit.

License & commercial use

AutoKuma is released under the MIT License, a permissive OSI-approved license that permits commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions (require attribution and license notice).

MIT License permits commercial use. However, there is no warranty or vendor support guarantee. Ensure your commercial use case accepts community-based support and that you have internal capacity to maintain or fork the code if needed.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Active
Documentation	Strong
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	Low
DEV.co fit	Good
Assessment confidence	High

Security considerations

Monitor credentials (Uptime Kuma username/password) must be passed securely via environment variables or secret files. Docker socket access (required for label reading) grants elevated privileges to the container—use Unix socket proxies or network isolation if running in multi-tenant environments. No security audit or vulnerability data provided in source materials; review Rust dependencies and code for your threat model.

Alternatives to consider

Prometheus + Grafana Loki / AlertManager

Full-featured observability stack; better for metrics-driven alerting and complex dashboard rules, but more complex to operate and requires agent instrumentation.

Datadog / New Relic / CloudWatch native monitoring

Vendor-managed SaaS platforms with built-in container orchestration integrations (ECS, K8s); recommended if commercial support and enterprise scale are requirements.

Manual Uptime Kuma configuration or competing open-source monitors (e.g., UptimeRobot API, Zabbix auto-discovery)

Avoids additional tooling if you prefer direct UI management or have existing monitoring infrastructure; Zabbix offers deeper auto-discovery but steeper learning curve.

Software development agency

Build on AutoKuma with DEV.co software developers

Start with Docker Compose, declare monitors via container labels, and let AutoKuma handle the rest. Check the documentation and playground to see it in action.

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AutoKuma FAQ

Can I use AutoKuma in production Kubernetes?

Kubernetes support is marked as "as-is" and lacks an active maintainer. It is not recommended for production unless you are willing to maintain or contribute fixes. Use alternative K8s-native tools (Prometheus, cloud-native SaaS) for production.

Do I need to restart AutoKuma when I add/change container labels?

Not necessarily. AutoKuma watches for container events; most label changes trigger automatic monitor updates. However, check documentation for polling intervals and edge cases (static monitors may require restart).

How do I manage secrets like API keys for monitor URLs?

Use environment variable substitution or templating (if supported) to inject secrets at runtime. Alternatively, store sensitive values in Uptime Kuma and reference them via monitor settings rather than in container labels.

What happens to monitors if a container is removed?

AutoKuma behavior on container removal is not explicitly detailed in the provided excerpt. Review documentation or code to confirm whether monitors are deleted, paused, or orphaned when their source container stops.

Software developers & web developers for hire

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If AutoKuma is part of your open-source observability roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

Ready to Automate Your Uptime Monitoring?

Start with Docker Compose, declare monitors via container labels, and let AutoKuma handle the rest. Check the documentation and playground to see it in action.

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