In the world of IT and OT (Operational Technology) infrastructure monitoring, few open-source projects can boast a legacy as strong as Zabbix. It’s a stable, enterprise-ready system supported by a vast community and capable of adapting to virtually any scale or environment. The upcoming Zabbix 8.0 LTS, scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2026, promises not just evolution — but a full-scale revolution.

The development team has announced fundamental changes: full integration with OpenTelemetry, a brand-new mobile application, advanced event processing, improved data visualization, and a complete modernization of the Zabbix core engine. In short, it’s enterprise-class monitoring and observability — in a fully open-source form.

1. A new era of observability

Zabbix 8.0 marks the project’s entry into the world of full observability, moving far beyond traditional metrics. Through deep integration with OpenTelemetry, Zabbix becomes a true hub for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing telemetry data from modern applications and cloud services.

OpenTelemetry data collection

A new module enables cloud-native, scalable telemetry collection — a huge leap for users running microservices, containers, and multi-cloud environments. OpenTelemetry data will be ingested efficiently, with no need for external brokers or middleware.

OpenTelemetry data visualization

Zabbix gains a dedicated interface for analyzing and visualizing trace data. Administrators can explore massive telemetry datasets with filtering, correlation, and real-time analysis tools — ideal for complex DevOps environments where understanding inter-service request flows is critical.

Optimized telemetry storage engine

Zabbix 8.0 introduces a new storage engine optimized for large volumes of streaming data, logs, and time series. The result: faster performance, reduced resource consumption, and scalability from small installations to hundreds of thousands of hosts.

Log-based observability

Zabbix will now analyze logs in real time, correlate them with telemetry and metrics, and build a complete picture of system health. It’s a step into enterprise territory long dominated by commercial tools like Splunk or Datadog — only without licensing fees or closed code.

2. Zabbix mobile application – monitoring in your pocket

One of the most anticipated features is the official mobile app, currently under development for iOS and Android. It will offer:

• Push notifications for new issues
• Access to historical data
• Incident browsing and management
• A simple interface for corrective actions (e.g., acknowledging or closing issues)

The app will launch alongside Zabbix 8.0 LTS, enabling full environment management directly from your smartphone.

3. Event correlation and intelligent alarm console

Zabbix 8.0 introduces the Complex Event Processing Engine, a module that transforms how the system reacts to events. It can automatically correlate, filter, and deduplicate events, eliminating false alarms and repetitive problems.

Key features include:

• Event filtering by tags and severity levels
• Automatic closure of outdated events
• Time interval–based logic
• Pattern matching with custom JavaScript
• Data anonymization during log processing
• Support for SIEM and fraud detection use cases

This effectively moves Zabbix into the realm of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) — something that previously required separate tools.

4. Network Monitoring – Beyond SNMP

Zabbix 8.0 introduces major improvements for network administrators. The system will now support NetFlow data collection and visualization, allowing detailed insight into network traffic, identification of “top talkers,” and inter-device communication analysis.

It also adds support for streaming network protocols, a new network topology widget with detailed interface mapping (routers, switches, etc.), and zero-configuration discovery for automatic network mapping.

With these upgrades, Zabbix 8.0 confidently steps into the NPMD (Network Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics) category.

5. Security enhancements

The Zabbix team has put special focus on security and access control. The new version introduces:

• Permissions for proxies and proxy groups, enabling precise control over which data and hosts each proxy can access
• SSO certificate uploads directly through the web interface, without touching system files

Small details, but important steps toward enterprise-grade security compliance.

6. Core improvements

The Zabbix engine undergoes a deep modernization, including:

• Shared data across multiple items – ideal for scenarios where multiple monitored objects share the same source (e.g., API sessions)
• New item type: Management Function – allows manual or automated actions on monitored objects (e.g., restarting a service)
• Tag management for LLD triggers – enables manual modification of automatically generated tags
• Inherited tags – tags defined at host or template level will propagate to items and triggers
• New JSON data type – native support for structured JSON, perfect for modern API integrations

Altogether, these changes make Zabbix more flexible, more integrated, and ready for dynamic DevOps environments.

7. Visualization and reporting – A new level of insight

Dashboard import/export

Admins will be able to copy and move entire dashboards — including widgets — between different Zabbix systems. Perfect for managing test, staging, and production environments.

Geo Maps enhancements

Added cluster control options for better visualization of large host groups on maps.

Graph widget improvements

New graph features include improved tooltips, extended legends, negative Y-axis support, and refined UI ergonomics.

Customizable table views

Full personalization of table layouts — reorder columns, hide fields, resize elements. Applies to problem lists, historical data, and host views.

New widgets

Zabbix 8.0 introduces the scatter plot widget, ideal for analyzing correlations between metrics (e.g., CPU load vs. network latency).

8. Usability and interface (UI/UX)

Zabbix 8.0 LTS puts a strong emphasis on ergonomics and modern design:

• Inline validation – instant data validation across all forms with clear error messages
• Improved navigation and consistency – refreshed screens, simplified forms, fewer clicks per action
• Frontend performance optimization – faster loading and smoother operation with fewer page reloads

9. The future of Zabbix

Zabbix 8.0 LTS is a major step toward becoming a complete observability platform. The roadmap is clear:

• Expanding monitoring, auto-discovery, and alerting capabilities
• Increasing modularity and flexibility
• Simplifying user experience through better UI and usability
• Strengthening support for both IT and OT environments

Summary

Zabbix 8.0 LTS isn’t a typical update — it’s a generational leap. With OpenTelemetry integration, an advanced event engine, a mobile app, JSON support, and modern dashboards, it becomes a true enterprise-class observability platform.

For organizations seeking a stable, scalable, and free monitoring system, Zabbix 8.0 is shaping up to be the best version in the project’s history — while preserving what makes it unique: openness and independence.

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