What is Network UPS Tools used for?

Network UPS Tools (NUT) is open-source software for monitoring and managing UPS units and other power devices through a common protocol and toolset. It is a good fit for automatic safe shutdown on power loss and monitoring UPS status in a home lab or server room.

Is Network UPS Tools open source?

Yes. Network UPS Tools is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at networkupstools/nut and is written mainly in C.

Is Network UPS Tools free?

Yes. Network UPS Tools is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host Network UPS Tools?

Yes. Network UPS Tools can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What are some alternatives to Network UPS Tools?

Similar open-source tools in the Monitoring & Observability category include WGCLOUD, LibreNMS and Cacti. SaaS products in the same category include Amazon CloudWatch, AppDynamics and AppSignal.

Is Network UPS Tools actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Network UPS Tools was on 23 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.8.5, published on 3 April 2026. The project has 4.4k stars on GitHub.

Network UPS Tools: open-source monitoring & observability

About Network UPS Tools

Network UPS Tools, or NUT, has the goal of supporting power equipment namely solar controllers, power supply units, automatic transfer switches, power distribution units and uninterruptible power supplies. It supplies one shared protocol and a toolset for watching and controlling them, and gives equivalent features consistent names across vendors.

Repository topics show the breadth of connections it can use, including serial, USB, SNMP, Modbus and NetXML, and the project documents device compatibility and features on its website. The NUT network protocol has been published as an Informational RFC by the IETF. The core is written in C, with documentation, user and developer mailing list archives, and sponsorship options.

NUT is open source, with the license displayed as 'Other' on GitHub because it combines several GPL-family and other licenses. It is self-hosted on the computer connected to the UPS, often a home server, NAS or small server. It suits administrators who want automated shutdown and power monitoring.

Key features

Monitoring of UPS and power devices
Unified protocol across vendors
Support for USB, serial and SNMP connections
Modbus and NetXML device support
Power distribution unit management
Documented compatibility list

Good fit for

→Automatic safe shutdown on power loss
→Monitoring UPS status in a home lab or server room

Built with: C
Tags: ups; power-monitoring; snmp; monitoring; modbus; pdu; nut; c-language

Network UPS Tools: questions and answers

What is Network UPS Tools used for?: Network UPS Tools (NUT) is open-source software for monitoring and managing UPS units and other power devices through a common protocol and toolset. It is a good fit for automatic safe shutdown on power loss and monitoring UPS status in a home lab or server room.
Is Network UPS Tools open source?: Yes. Network UPS Tools is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at networkupstools/nut and is written mainly in C.
Is Network UPS Tools free?: Yes. Network UPS Tools is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Network UPS Tools?: Yes. Network UPS Tools can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What are some alternatives to Network UPS Tools?: Similar open-source tools in the Monitoring & Observability category include WGCLOUD, LibreNMS and Cacti. SaaS products in the same category include Amazon CloudWatch, AppDynamics and AppSignal.
Is Network UPS Tools actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Network UPS Tools was on 23 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.8.5, published on 3 April 2026. The project has 4.4k stars on GitHub.