Mermin

At a glance

• Editor score
  6.7 / 10
• Pricing
  Open source
• Best for
  OpenTelemetry network-flow export
• Paid from
  Free
• Deployment model
  Self-hosted
• Facts checked
  22 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Captures and aggregates bidirectional network flows with eBPF
  • Enriches flows with Kubernetes pod, service, deployment, and namespace metadata
  • Exports flow traces over OTLP to several observability destinations

• Where it doesn't

  • Supports Linux only
  • Does not provide application tracing
  • Does not include kernel profiling

Our verdict on Mermin

Mermin is an open-source, self-hosted network observability agent for DevOps, SRE, and platform teams. It attaches eBPF to the Linux kernel to capture network conversations, aggregate them into bidirectional flows, add Kubernetes context, and export the results as OpenTelemetry trace spans. The product is designed for Kubernetes environments, while bare-metal deployments are supported through a privileged container. It requires no application code changes or sidecars, making its focus network visibility rather than application instrumentation.

Deployment and ecosystem fit are central to Mermin. In Kubernetes, it runs per node as a DaemonSet and can enrich traffic with pod, service, deployment, and namespace information. On bare metal, it uses a privileged-container deployment. Configurable network-flow filtering helps focus collection, and supported traffic includes TCP, UDP, ICMP, VXLAN, Geneve, and WireGuard. OTLP export connects Mermin with OpenTelemetry-compatible destinations, including Grafana Tempo, Jaeger, Elastic, Grafana, OpenSearch, and Datadog.

Mermin's scope is deliberately narrower than a full observability platform. Its published capabilities cover kernel network capture, flow aggregation, Kubernetes enrichment, and export, but not application tracing or kernel profiling. Teams seeking network-level telemetry from Linux nodes should find the feature set aligned with that use case, particularly when their existing stack accepts OpenTelemetry flow traces. Teams that need code-level tracing, profiling, or support beyond Linux should choose a tool with those capabilities instead. As open-source software, Mermin has no separate paid tier described in its published product materials.

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Mermin pricing

Mermin fact sheet

Mermin integrations

Mermin lists 7 integrations on its own site.

• OpenTelemetry
• Grafana Tempo
• Jaeger
• Elastic
• Grafana
• OpenSearch
• Datadog

Alternatives to Mermin

• CorootBroad eBPF observability with a free edition and $1-per-core Standard pricing.9.3
• DeepFlowA broad open-source platform for application, network, and system observability.9.1
• groundcoverA broad eBPF observability platform for teams connecting traces, RUM, logs, and metrics.9.0

See all Mermin alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

Mermin is listed in our eBPF Observability Tools directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update