The latest articles on DEV Community by Kingsley Mmadubugwu (@kmtech). https://dev.to/kmtech https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3827682%2Fb1e380ed-13fa-4e2c-9fc0-e987756cba25.jpeg https://dev.to/kmtech en Kingsley Mmadubugwu Fri, 15 May 2026 10:42:57 +0000 https://dev.to/kmtech/i-built-netpulse-a-lightweight-network-monitoring-tool-with-python-hpb https://dev.to/kmtech/i-built-netpulse-a-lightweight-network-monitoring-tool-with-python-hpb <p>As someone who works around networking and IT support, there’s one thing I keep noticing:</p> <p>You usually find out something is down <em>after</em> users start complaining.</p> <p>That frustration led me to build <strong>NetPulse</strong>, a lightweight, self-hosted network monitoring system that continuously checks device availability and sends instant email alerts when devices go down and when they recover.</p> <h2> Why I Built It </h2> <p>Most monitoring systems are either:</p> <ul> <li>too complex,</li> <li>too expensive,</li> <li>or overkill for smaller environments.</li> </ul> <p>I wanted something:</p> <ul> <li>simple,</li> <li>lightweight,</li> <li>easy to deploy,</li> <li>and practical for real-world IT support.</li> </ul> <h2> What NetPulse Does </h2> <p>NetPulse:</p> <ul> <li>Monitors devices using ICMP (ping)</li> <li>Detects downtime and recovery events</li> <li>Sends email alerts instantly</li> <li>Tracks downtime duration</li> <li>Provides a simple web dashboard</li> <li>Prevents alert spam using cooldown logic</li> <li>Supports multi-user environments</li> </ul> <h2> Tech Stack </h2> <ul> <li>Python</li> <li>FastAPI</li> <li>SQLite</li> <li>HTML/CSS/JavaScript</li> <li>SMTP Email Alerts</li> <li>Systemd Services</li> <li>Docker Support</li> </ul> <h2> Features </h2> <h3> Real-Time Monitoring </h3> <p>Devices are checked continuously at configurable intervals.</p> <h3> Recovery Alerts </h3> <p>You don’t just know when devices go down, you also know when they come back online.</p> <h3> Smart Alerting </h3> <p>Cooldown and flapping suppression prevent notification spam.</p> <h3> Lightweight Deployment </h3> <p>Runs locally with minimal resource usage.</p> <h2> Demo </h2> <p>I recently recorded a demo video showing:</p> <ul> <li>adding devices,</li> <li>starting monitoring,</li> <li>outage detection,</li> <li>and live email alerts.</li> </ul> <p>GitHub Repository:<br> <a href="https://github.com/Kmmadu/NetPulse" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/Kmmadu/NetPulse</a></p> <h2> What I Learned Building This </h2> <p>This project taught me a lot about:</p> <ul> <li>backend architecture,</li> <li>asynchronous monitoring,</li> <li>service management,</li> <li>frontend integration,</li> <li>and building software around real operational problems.</li> </ul> <p>It also pushed me deeper into:</p> <ul> <li>DevOps concepts,</li> <li>infrastructure tooling,</li> <li>and production deployment practices.</li> </ul> <h2> Shoutout </h2> <p>Huge appreciation to Obumneme Anigbo for handling the frontend side of the project and helping bring the interface to life.</p> <p>Special thanks as well to my HOD, Mr Olufemi Folarin, for the guidance and encouragement throughout my journey.</p> <p>And a big thank you to Mr Austin Uwudia, CTO of SwiftTalk Ltd, and the entire SwiftTalk team for the opportunity and exposure that continue to push me to grow as an engineer.</p> <h2> What’s Next </h2> <p>Planned improvements include:</p> <ul> <li>Availability reporting</li> <li>Historical graphs</li> <li>SNMP monitoring</li> <li>Slack/Teams notifications</li> <li>Premium analytics features</li> </ul> <p>Feedback is welcome.</p> python devops networking opensource