verkkoDiscovery

VerkkoDiscovery is an open-source software project that provides automated discovery of networks, devices, and services. It aims to help IT teams maintain up-to-date inventories and topology maps across LANs, data centers, and cloud networks. The tool emphasizes vendor-neutral data collection, extensible integration, and reproducible workflows for asset discovery.

Its core capabilities include active and passive discovery, support for common network protocols such as SNMP, LLDP, CDP, ARP, and mDNS, as well as service probes. It can scan subnets or specified IP ranges, collect device and service metadata, and correlate findings into a coherent topology. Results can be exported in JSON, CSV, or CMDB-friendly schemas, and the system provides a REST API and a web-based dashboard for viewing inventories and maps.

Architecture-wise, VerkkoDiscovery consists of a modular discovery engine, plug-in collectors, and a storage layer. Collectors can be added via plugins to support new protocols or cloud platforms. Data is stored in a configurable backend and exposed through APIs; it can be integrated with configuration management databases, monitoring systems, and ticketing workflows.

Typical use cases include asset inventory and anomaly detection, network auditing for compliance, change management, and onboarding of new devices. The project favors automation and reproducibility, with configuration-as-code support and versioned discovery profiles.

VerkkoDiscovery is maintained by a community-driven team with documentation and issue tracking hosted on public platforms. It is released under an open-source license and encourages contributions from network engineers, developers, and researchers. The project emphasizes security and authorization, requiring appropriate credentials and adherence to network policies when performing scans.

Limitations include dependence on network visibility and firewall rules; devices behind segmentation or non-responsive services may be missed. The accuracy of topology maps improves with comprehensive probe coverage and well-maintained credential stores. As with any network discovery tool, usage should comply with organizational policies.