Open-Source Observability · prometheus

snmp_exporter

SNMP Exporter is a Prometheus-native tool that translates SNMP data from network devices into Prometheus metrics. It bridges the gap between hierarchical SNMP OID structures and Prometheus' dimensional metrics model, enabling monitoring of thousands of devices from a single exporter instance.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/prometheus/snmp_exporter

2.1k

GitHub stars

735

Forks

Primary language

Apache-2.0

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	prometheus/snmp_exporter
Owner	prometheus
Primary language	Go
License	Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	2.1k
Forks	735
Open issues	97
Latest release	v0.30.1 (2026-01-07)
Last updated	2026-07-03
Source	https://github.com/prometheus/snmp_exporter

What snmp_exporter is

Written in Go, it maps SNMP MIB objects to Prometheus time-series via configurable modules and authentication profiles (supporting SNMPv1, v2c, v3). The exporter runs as a central scrape target; Prometheus queries it with target, auth, and module parameters to retrieve metrics from specified SNMP devices.

Quickstart

Get the snmp_exporter source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/prometheus/snmp_exporter.git2cd snmp_exporter3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

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

Best use cases

Network Device Monitoring

Monitor switches, routers, access points, and other network hardware using standard MIBs (IF-MIB, entity-physical). Single exporter instance can scale to thousands of devices.

Legacy/Vendor SNMP Integration

Expose proprietary SNMP data (Arista, Synology, DDwrt, etc.) to Prometheus without custom polling code. Community maintains growing MIB library for non-public vendors.

Hybrid Monitoring Stacks

Consolidate SNMP-only devices into a unified Prometheus ecosystem alongside containerized and cloud-native infrastructure.

Implementation considerations

Configuration requires hand-editing or code-generation of snmp.yml with module definitions, auth profiles, and OID mappings; no GUI configuration.
SNMP v1/v2c use unencrypted community strings (not secrets); SNMPv3 with authentication/encryption recommended for production.
Multi-module scraping available but no built-in de-duplication between modules; concurrent requests configurable via --snmp.module-concurrency.
MIB compilation and generator tooling included; community MIB repository (prometheus-community/snmp) available for vendor devices.
Environment variable expansion supported for SNMPv3 credentials in config file; TLS and basic auth for HTTP endpoints via exporter-toolkit config.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Real-time Low-Latency Metrics Required — SNMP polling introduces latency; not suitable for sub-second metric freshness demands typical in high-frequency trading or real-time anomaly detection.
Push-Based Metric Collection Needed — Exporter operates as a Prometheus pull target only; devices cannot push metrics. Incompatible with architectures requiring agent-initiated telemetry.
Complex SNMP Context/Security Setup — If your environment uses advanced SNMP v3 features (engine ID negotiation, complex ACLs, frequent credential rotation), configuration and troubleshooting become complex.
Non-Prometheus Monitoring Platforms — Designed specifically for Prometheus format and query model. Limited value if your primary monitoring stack is Grafana Cloud, Datadog, or New Relic.

License & commercial use

Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), an OSI-approved permissive open-source license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with standard liability disclaimers.

Apache-2.0 clearly permits commercial use in products, services, and closed-source applications without royalty or attribution requirement. However, any distributed modifications must include a copy of the license and notice of changes. Internal use requires no special compliance. Recommend reviewing Apache-2.0 terms directly for specific commercial scenarios.

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

Security considerations

SNMPv1 and v2c transmit community strings unencrypted—do not treat as secrets and isolate to trusted networks. SNMPv3 with authentication and privacy (AES, SHA256) available for encrypted access. HTTP endpoints support TLS and basic auth via exporter-toolkit config. No mention of vulnerability disclosure policy or security audit history in provided data; review GitHub security advisories independently.

Alternatives to consider

NetBox + Custom Polling

If you own SNMP device data in an IPAM/DCIM system, custom exporters or script-based polling may reduce config overhead but sacrifice the pre-built module ecosystem.

Telegraf (Influx) + SNMP Plugin

Telegraf's native SNMP input is simpler for basic use cases and integrates with InfluxDB, Prometheus, or other backends; better for push-based architecture.

Open-source SNMP Tools (NET-SNMP CLI + Shell/Cron)

Lightweight polling via snmpwalk/snmpget with local metric export avoids exporter overhead but requires custom parsing, error handling, and cron maintenance.

Software development agency

Build on snmp_exporter with DEV.co software developers

SNMP Exporter is an established, Apache-2.0-licensed tool that integrates network hardware into Prometheus. Start with the default if_mib module or generate custom configs for vendor devices. Deploy as a central exporter and let Prometheus scrape.

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snmp_exporter FAQ

Can a single exporter instance monitor many devices?

Yes. README states 'A single instance of snmp_exporter can be run for thousands of devices.' It acts as a central proxy; Prometheus queries it with different target parameters.

Do I need to modify MIBs or is the default config sufficient?

Default snmp.yml covers common hardware (switches, routers, APs) via standard MIBs. For vendor-specific or non-public MIBs, use the built-in generator or download configs from prometheus-community/snmp.

What is the difference between SNMPv2c and SNMPv3?

v2c uses community strings (plaintext, not secrets) via UDP; v3 adds authentication and encryption (username/password with SHA/AES). Use v3 for production security; v2c acceptable for isolated lab/internal networks.

How do I integrate this with my Prometheus stack?

Configure Prometheus scrape_config with metric_path: /snmp, pass auth/module/target as URL parameters, and use relabel_configs to map your device inventory to __param_target. See README example.

Software development & web development with DEV.co

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 snmp_exporter is part of your open-source observability roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

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