Retina
Microsofts open-source eBPF-based network observability platform for Kubernetes with traffic flow visualization.
Our Verdict
Credible open alternative to Cilium Hubble, but Hubble has a head start and broader ecosystem.
Pros
- Open-source from Microsoft with active development
- eBPF-based, low overhead on K8s nodes
- Cloud-agnostic, not tied to AKS
- Traffic flow visualization for network debugging
Cons
- Still early vs Cilium Hubble maturity
- Docs assume Kubernetes networking expertise
- Limited enterprise support vs commercial tools
- Overlaps with Cilium/Pixie/Hubble
Best for: Kubernetes network engineers wanting a vendor-neutral eBPF observability tool.
Not for: Teams already running Cilium with Hubble or needing polished commercial support.
When to Use Retina
Good fit if you need
- eBPF-based network traffic visualization for Kubernetes
- Pod-to-pod traffic flow monitoring without sidecar proxies
- Detect network policy violations and connectivity issues
- Open-source Kubernetes network observability from Microsoft
Lock-in Assessment
High 5/5
Lock-in Score 5/5
Pricing
Price wrong?Retina Pricing
- Pricing Model
- free
- Free Tier
- Yes
- Entry Price
- —
- Enterprise Available
- No
- Transparency Score
- —
Beta — estimates may differ from actual pricing
1,000
1001K10K100K1M
Estimated Monthly Cost
$25
Estimated Annual Cost
$300
Estimates are approximate and may not reflect current pricing. Always check the official pricing page.
Project Health
A
Health Score
3.1k 286
Bus Factor
10
Last Commit
today
Release Freq
30d
Open Issues
155
Issue Response
N/A
License
MIT
Last checked: 2026-04-21
Community Discussion
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