# Blackbox exporter vs socktop

> Two self-hosted [Monitoring & observability projects](https://selfhost.directory/monitoring), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Blackbox exporter | socktop |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 ✓ | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 51 in Monitoring & observability | #28 of 51 in Monitoring & observability |
| GitHub stars | 5 922 ✓ | 192 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +16 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 6 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.29.1 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.60.2 · 24 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Blackbox exporter scores 70/100 against 48/100 for socktop, so it is the safer default.

socktop ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Blackbox exporter.

If you want the quickest setup, Blackbox exporter is easier to run; socktop needs more configuration.

Blackbox exporter is growing faster right now (+16 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Blackbox exporter](https://selfhost.directory/project/blackbox-exporter) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/blackbox-exporter.md)
- [socktop](https://selfhost.directory/project/socktop) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/socktop.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/blackbox-exporter-vs-socktop