OpenCanary
Input—per 1M tokens
Output—per 1M tokens
Context—tokens
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About
OpenCanary is ranked #5 of 18 in honeypot software on Inferse. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted. There is a free plan.
Compared on honeypot software
- Free plan
- Yesgithub.com
- Deployment model
- self-hostedgithub.com
- Decoy scope
- networkgithub.com
- Credential lures
- Yesgithub.com
Facts
- Purpose
- OpenCanary is a multi-protocol network honeypot intended to catch hackers after they breach non-public networks.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Operation
- It runs as a daemon implementing multiple common network protocols and sends alerts when attackers interact with it.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Resource use
- OpenCanary has extremely low resource requirements and can run on a Raspberry Pi or a minimally resourced virtual machine.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Protocol mimicry
- It can mimic an array of network-accessible services for attackers to interact with.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Alert details
- Alerts can identify the threat source IP address and where the breach may have occurred.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Alert channels
- The documentation lists Syslog, email, and the opencanary-correlator as alert destinations.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Event correlation
- The correlator coalesces multiple related events, such as individual brute-force login attempts, into one alert sent by email or SMS.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Webhook integration
- A customizable webhook logging handler sends data to an HTTP endpoint and supports GET, POST, and PUT methods.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Chat integrations
- Webhooks can post to Slack or Microsoft Teams channels.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Optional modules
- The optional SNMP module requires Scapy, while the Windows File Share module requires Samba.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Portscan limit
- The portscan module is supported only on Linux hosts because it modifies iptables rules, and it is automatically disabled in Dockerized OpenCanary.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Security guidance
- The project recommends making the configuration file root-owned and writable only by root because writable configuration can allow privilege escalation.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- License
- The PyPI listing identifies OpenCanary as OSI Approved BSD licensed software.pypi.org · 1 Oct 2026
- Support
- Bug reports are requested through GitHub, security vulnerabilities through the project security policy, and feature requests through the project tracker.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- OpenCanary is a multi-protocol network honeypot intended to detect attackers interacting with services on non-public networks.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Operation
- It runs as a daemon that imitates network services and sends alerts when they are accessed.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Protocols
- Native service modules include SSH, FTP, Git, HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP proxy, MSSQL, MySQL, Telnet, SNMP, SIP, VNC, Redis, TFTP, NTP, and TCP banner.opencanary.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Extra modules
- Optional SMB monitoring watches Samba logs for files opened in a Windows file share, and optional portscan monitoring uses iptables to detect scans.opencanary.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Alert destinations
- Documented logging and alert options include files, Syslog, SMTP email, HTTP webhooks, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and HPFeeds-compatible daemons.opencanary.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Correlator
- The companion opencanary-correlator can combine related events into a single email or SMS alert.opencanary.readthedocs.io · 2 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The project documents installation on Ubuntu and macOS, plus Docker deployment on Linux hosts using host networking.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Platform limits
- Linux offers the most options; the SMB module is unavailable on macOS, and portscan is Linux-only and uses iptables rather than nftables.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Resource needs
- The project says it has very low resource requirements and can run on a Raspberry Pi or a minimally resourced virtual machine.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Security configuration
- The project recommends making its configuration file root-owned and writable only by root because it is read while the process has root privileges.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Privilege handling
- When started with uid and gid flags, OpenCanary drops root privileges after binding to its ports.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Security reports
- Thinkst accepts vulnerability reports at [email protected] or through GitHub and says it will request a CVE on the reporter’s behalf for reported security bugs.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Support and participation
- The project directs bug reports to GitHub and welcomes pull requests and feature requests.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
- Maintainer and commercial relation
- OpenCanary is maintained by Thinkst Canary and described as the open-source version of its commercial Thinkst Canary honeypot.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Best OpenCanary alternatives
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7.7 Thinkst Canary $625/mo first paid tier
7.4 Cowrie Free free plan, no paid price published Free plan
7.1 Canarytokens Free free plan, no paid price published Free plan
6.7 T-Pot See plans price on the maker's page Where it ranks on Inferse
- Best Honeypot Software in 2026#5 of 18
Sources
- github.com/thinkst/opencanary/blob/master/README.m· checked 1 Oct 2026
- github.com/thinkst/opencanary/blob/master/docs/ind· checked 1 Oct 2026
- github.com/thinkst/opencanary/blob/master/docs/ale· checked 1 Oct 2026
- pypi.org/project/opencanary/· checked 1 Oct 2026
- github.com/thinkst/opencanary· checked 2 Oct 2026
- opencanary.readthedocs.io/en/latest/starting/configuration.html· checked 2 Oct 2026
- opencanary.readthedocs.io/en/latest/· checked 2 Oct 2026
- github.com/thinkst/opencanary/security/policy· checked 2 Oct 2026




