🩺 Vitals
- 📦 Version: v8.3.7 (Released 2025-12-12)
- 🚀 Velocity: Active (Last commit 2026-01-22)
- 🌟 Community: 13.3k Stars · 3.7k Forks
- 🐞 Backlog: 1072 Open Issues
🏗️ Profile
- Official: snipeitapp.com
- Source: github.com/grokability/snipe-it
- License: AGPL 3.0(/resource/deployment-lamp)
- Deployment:Docker / LAMP
- Data Model: MySQL / MariaDB
- Jurisdiction: USA 🇺🇸
- Compliance: Not specified (Hosted infrastructure secured via TLS)
- Complexity: Medium (3/5) - LAMP Stack legacy
- Maintenance: Medium (3/5) - PHP Dependencies
- Enterprise Ready: High (5/5) - Asset Audit Logs & LDAP
1. The Executive Summary
What is it? Snipe-IT is a web-based IT Asset Management (ITAM) system designed to solve the "Spreadsheet Problem." It tracks who has which laptop, when a software license expires, and audit trails for every check-in/check-out. Unlike expensive ITSM suites (ServiceNow, Jira Service Management) that bundle asset tracking as an afterthought, Snipe-IT is laser-focused on inventory accuracy and lifecycle management.
The Strategic Verdict:
- 🔴 For Organizations seeking full ITSM: Caution. Snipe-IT is strictly for assets (Inventory). It is not a Help Desk or Ticketing system, though it integrates with them.
- 🟢 For IT Operations & Office Managers: Strong Buy. It is the gold standard for tracking hardware/software inventory without a six-figure enterprise contract.
2. The "Hidden" Costs (TCO Analysis)
| Cost Component | Proprietary (ServiceNow/SolarWinds) | Snipe-IT (Open Source) |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing | $50 - $100+ / user / month | $0 (Unlimited Users) |
| Audit Trails | Often an add-on or limited | Full History Included |
| Integrations | Vendor Ecosystem | Robust REST API (Free) |
3. The "Day 2" Reality Check
🚀 Deployment & Operations
- Installation: Built on the Laravel (PHP) framework, it fits naturally into standard LAMP stack environments.Docker images are also available for containerized deployment.
- Scalability: Capable of managing hundreds of thousands of assets. Performance is largely dependent on the underlying MySQL database tuning.
🛡️ Security & Governance
- Access Control: Features granular permissions (Super Admin, Admin, Viewer) and supports LDAP/Active Directory syncing for simplified user provisioning.
- Data Handling: Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is supported out of the box. Since it handles sensitive data (employee names, serial numbers), self-hosting ensures this data never leaves your secure subnet.
4. Market Landscape
🏢 Proprietary Incumbents
- ServiceNow
- SolarWinds
🤝 Open Source Ecosystem
- Ralph