MRTG – Multi Router Traffic Grapher

You have probably already heard of MRTG, but what are the differences between Cacti and MRTG? MRTG has been around for some time with Version 1 being released in 1995, about 6 years before the first version of Cacti.

MRTG provides the ability to gather network performance data on a scheduled basis, and a fast graphical view of network use with historic data for comparison is available.

Both use RRD files to store performance data and also use a web interface to display the graphs. The major difference between MRTG and Cacti is the feature-rich web application that Cacti offers. The whole configuration for the system is done using the Cacti web interface whereas MRTG only offers text-based configuration files.

In contrast to MRTG, Cacti also offers granular user rights management, which allows administrators to allow or deny access to whole graph trees or even individual graphs. This enables Cacti to be multi-client aware. MRTG itself doesn't have such a system, which reduces the ability to use it in multi-client environments, as would be needed by network outsourcing centers.