karma
Karma is a web-based dashboard that aggregates and displays alerts from one or more Prometheus Alertmanager instances with enhanced filtering, grouping, and silence management. It extends Alertmanager's UI with features like multi-instance deduplication, alert history visualization, and role-based silence controls.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | prymitive/karma |
| Owner | prymitive |
| Primary language | TypeScript |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 2.7k |
| Forks | 199 |
| Open issues | 41 |
| Latest release | v0.131 (2026-05-18) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-07 |
| Source | https://github.com/prymitive/karma |
What karma is
TypeScript/React frontend with backend API for proxying Alertmanager requests, supporting alert aggregation from multiple instances, historical data queries to Prometheus, silence ACL enforcement, and optional read-only mode. Requires Alertmanager >=0.22.0 and tested against multiple Alertmanager API versions.
Get the karma source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/prymitive/karma.gitcd karma# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Requires network connectivity from karma backend to all monitored Alertmanager instances and (optionally) Prometheus servers; plan firewall and DNS rules accordingly.
- Silence ACLs need explicit configuration to enforce matchers and creator restrictions; defaults may be permissive—review /docs/ACLs.md before production.
- Read-only deployments must set `readonly: true` per alertmanager server config and deny user access to Alertmanager API directly; misconfiguration could allow unintended silence creation.
- Alert history depends on Prometheus `--web.external-url` being set to publicly reachable URLs; verify connectivity and response time from karma pod/instance.
- Multi-grid grouping by label is UI-only and does not affect alert routing logic in Alertmanager; ensure label conventions are consistent across your alert rules.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Single Alertmanager with No Advanced UI Needs — If you run one Alertmanager and are satisfied with its native UI, karma adds operational overhead without proportional benefit.
- Alertmanager Versions Below 0.22.0 — Karma explicitly requires Alertmanager >=0.22.0; older deployments are not supported.
- Disconnected Network (No Prometheus Access) — Alert history features require karma to reach all Prometheus servers sending alerts; air-gapped or firewalled environments will lose this functionality.
- Strict Audit and Compliance Locks — While silence ACLs exist, complex organizational change-approval workflows may not map cleanly to karma's silence-based acknowledgement model.
License & commercial use
Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0). Permissive OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with attribution and liability disclaimer.
Apache-2.0 is a permissive license that permits commercial use. No explicit commercial support terms, training, or SLAs are evident from the repository data. Deployment and operational support would be community-driven or require internal engineering resources.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
Karma does not modify alerts; read/write separation is enforced by configuration (readonly flag, proxy mode). Silence management can be restricted via ACL rules if proxy mode is enabled. No alerts are altered by the UI. Ensure: (1) read-only users cannot access Alertmanager API directly if you want to prevent unauthorized changes; (2) ACL matchers are tested before production to block unintended silence patterns; (3) backend is not exposed to untrusted networks if proxy mode is on. No security audit, CVE history, or vulnerability disclosure process mentioned in provided data.
Alternatives to consider
Alertmanager Web UI (native)
Built-in dashboard for single Alertmanager; no aggregation, history, or advanced grouping but requires no extra deployment.
Grafana Alerting UI
If migrating to Grafana-native alerts (not Prometheus Alertmanager), Grafana provides unified alert management; deep integration with dashboards.
Opsgenie / PagerDuty
Third-party incident management platforms with richer routing, escalation, and on-call workflows; suited for larger teams but higher TCO.
Build on karma with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate karma for your multi-instance Alertmanager setup. Review CONFIGURATION.md and ACLs.md documentation, then test in a staging environment to confirm network reachability and silence ACL behavior.
Talk to DEV.coRelated open-source tools
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Related on DEV.co
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karma FAQ
Does karma alter or modify alerts in Alertmanager?
Can I restrict who can create or edit silences?
Do I need to run karma on the same network as Alertmanager?
What happens if one Alertmanager instance goes down?
Software development & web development with DEV.co
From first prototype to production, DEV.co delivers software development services around tools like karma. Our software development agency staffs experienced software developers and web developers for custom software development, web development, integrations, and ongoing support across open-source observability and beyond.
Ready to Streamline Alert Management?
Evaluate karma for your multi-instance Alertmanager setup. Review CONFIGURATION.md and ACLs.md documentation, then test in a staging environment to confirm network reachability and silence ACL behavior.