Asset Tracking
RackTables vs Obelinf
Self-hosted data center asset tracking vs managed infrastructure documentation
RackTables is a long-standing self-hosted data center asset manager for tracking racks, objects, ports, and IP addresses. Obelinf provides the same infrastructure documentation workflow as a managed platform with devices, cables, circuits, topology, and IPAM built in.
Dated but dependable. Then there is the upkeep.
RackTables runs on a PHP server and a MySQL database that you install, secure, and back up yourself. It is a mature project with a traditional self-hosted architecture: teams are responsible for maintaining the application, database, backups, and upgrades themselves.
Obelinf is a managed platform with no server to patch and no database to back up. You sign up and start documenting.
Racks, objects, links, IPs: the same domain, a different workflow.
RackTables covers the classic data center documentation model: racks and objects, ports and links, IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, VLANs, and file attachments.
Obelinf covers that same model with a modern interface and a connected data model: devices, interfaces, cables, circuits, and IPs all link to each other, and the topology renders automatically.
A source of truth your team will actually use.
RackTables' interface is functional but dated, and its learning curve is real: objects, ports, and links are managed through dense, form-heavy pages.
Obelinf is fast, keyboard-driven, and updated continuously: a command palette jumps to any entity type, full-text search works across every entity and attribute, and results are connected.
Automation without a plugin hunt.
RackTables does not provide a modern native REST API for the full data model. Teams that want to automate against it end up scripting against the web UI or running third-party wrappers, which is fragile and time-consuming to maintain.
Obelinf's REST API covers the entire data model with consistent patterns for pagination, filtering, sorting, and search on every endpoint, and an MCP server exposes the same data to AI agents.
Every change, recorded automatically.
RackTables provides activity tracking, while Obelinf provides a unified audit trail across infrastructure objects with field-level diffs for every change.
Obelinf's changelog records every create, update, and delete with the user, timestamp, and field-level diffs, with no configuration and no extra tooling.
Free software, paid in maintenance time.
RackTables is free, but the code is not the product you operate. You pay in the server, the database, the backups, and the engineering time spent maintaining and wrangling a dated tool.
Obelinf starts with a free Personal plan for homelabs and small setups, with paid plans at $99 and $299 per month for teams.
Who should choose RackTables?
RackTables is still the better choice if:
- You want a simple, free, self-hosted tracker
- Your documentation needs are basic and stable
- You have no API or automation requirements
- You prefer on-premises data ownership
- You want full control over where the data is hosted
Obelinf is a better fit if:
- You want SaaS deployment
- You need a modern interface your team will use
- You need API and AI access to your data
- You want automatic updates and backups
Moving from RackTables to Obelinf
Export your racks, objects, ports, links, and IP records from RackTables. Depending on your setup, this may involve database export or custom extraction.
Bring the data in through the REST API or CSV import. Verify counts match before you point anything at the new system.
Set up your organization and assign roles so everyone lands with the right permissions from day one.
There is no infrastructure to deploy, so the switch is immediate. Your team gets a modern interface, automatic changelogs, and search across everything.