FAQ

What is the story behind Kula?

For several years, I used another tool that offered real-time monitoring. It repeatedly helped me determine the source of various problems. Unfortunately, this tool, initially open source with a quick, simple UI, became proprietary, for-profit bloatware with an aggressive advertising policy for its cloud services. I was so disappointed and frustrated that I decided to write my own tool. Thus, Kula was born.

What is this project supposed to be?

First and foremost, Kula is designed to enable real-time monitoring with a 1 second interval, which allows you to detect even the smallest fluctuations and better diagnose server problems that tools collecting data at longer time intervals may not be able to show.

Moreover, Kula installation is designed to be incredibly simple, requiring no dependencies, so everything is built into a single binary file. This means that if you need to quickly diagnose any issues, you simply upload a single file to the server, run it, and you're done. No dependencies, no repositories, no clouds, no registration... It just works!

What is this program not intended for?

Kula isn't meant to be the ultimate solution for all your monitoring needs. I'd like it to remain a specialized tool that does several things well, but doesn't try to do everything so it doesn't become overwhelming.

Will you add support for Windows or Mac?

No. This is a tool designed to monitor Linux systems.

Who are you?

I don't feel like writing about myself because who I am doesn't really matter. I'm just an ordinary person who happens to have spent most of his life in front of a computer. Nothing special, really. Boring even.

What "Kula" means

Kula is a Polish word meaning a ball, sphere, or globe, as in "crystal ball." I named this program that because I often use the term "kula szpiegula" (spy ball) to refer to things that allow you to monitor something or gather information. This can't be translated well directly, but I hope you get the idea.

Are you using AI? Is Kula a vibe coded AI slop?

Everyone uses AI. It's probably hard to find a project these days that doesn't have at least some code written by AI. Kula is certainly a project that heavily utilizes large language models, but it's not exactly vibe coding, as I oversee the models, write and improve the code myself, and review and test all changes. Furthermore, Kula undergoes regular code reviews, taking into account code quality, security, and performance.

Is Kula safe to use?

Is there any software that's 100% secure? No. But I do everything in my power to make Kula as secure as possible. That's why I've implemented a number of solutions that mitigate the risk of various forms of attack, to the point that some of these solutions are overkill and may seem excessive.

What about privacy?

Kula is designed not to make any connections to the Internet, you can lock it behind a firewall or even use it offline. I don't collect any telemetry because first of all, I don't need it, and I'm not interested in your data because I really respect other people's privacy. It's none of my business. Even if update checking is introduced, it will be an opt-in feature, disabled by default.

Since I don't collect information about installations, I don't know how many people actually use Kula. Therefore, if you are reading this and you are an active Kula user, start a new discussion and let me know about it. It's nice to know that what I created is useful to others.

Why AGPL license?

I don't want what I devoted so much time to become a closed-source money-making machine, which is what led to the creation of this project in the first place. I have no problem with you forking it and making money from it if you feel it's necessary, but leave the code open.

Are you planning to monetize this project?

I don't plan doing so, simply because I'm not a profit-driven person. I'm happy with what I have. I might ask for donations or offer paid business solutions someday, but only if my life circumstances truly require it. However, this project will remain open source and free for everyone to use.

Can I buy this project from you?

There's no way. This project is not for sale and never will be. You don't sell out people who have placed their trust in you. Don't even bother messaging me, take your money and go elsewhere.

Space Invaders? Really?

I like easter eggs in games and software. We shouldn't take everything so seriously. Besides, after a difficult problem solving, everyone deserves a moment of entertainment. Please note that the game code is in separate static files, independent of the main program. You can easily remove it if you want.