Chrony vs Network Time System

Struggling to choose between Chrony and Network Time System? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Chrony is a Network & Admin solution with tags like ntp, time-sync, clock.

It boasts features such as NTP client and server, Accurate clock discipline algorithm, Support for reference clocks, Command line interface and monitoring program, Runs as a daemon process in user space, Small footprint and low resource usage and pros including High accuracy and reliability, Good performance in unstable network conditions, Secure authentication using keys, Easy to configure and manage, Open source with active development.

On the other hand, Network Time System is a Network & Admin product tagged with time, clock, synchronization, ntp, network.

Its standout features include Synchronize computer clocks with a central time source, Support for multiple time sources and redundancy, Customizable time synchronization intervals, Compatibility with a wide range of operating systems and devices, Logging and reporting capabilities, and it shines with pros like Ensures accurate time keeping across a network, Improves reliability and consistency of time-sensitive applications, Reduces the need for manual time adjustments, Open-source and freely available.

Feature	Chrony	Network Time System
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Network & Admin	Network & Admin

Product Overview

Chrony

Description: Chrony is a versatile implementation of the Network Time Protocol (NTP). It can synchronize the system clock with NTP servers, reference clocks, and manual input using wristwatch. It is designed to deliver accurate and secure time even in unstable network conditions.

Network Time System

Description: The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol for clock synchronization between computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. NTP is intended to synchronize all participating computers to within a few milliseconds of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Key Features Comparison

Chrony Features

• NTP client and server
• Accurate clock discipline algorithm
• Support for reference clocks
• Command line interface and monitoring program
• Runs as a daemon process in user space
• Small footprint and low resource usage

Network Time System Features

• Synchronize computer clocks with a central time source
• Support for multiple time sources and redundancy
• Customizable time synchronization intervals
• Compatibility with a wide range of operating systems and devices
• Logging and reporting capabilities

Pros & Cons Analysis

Chrony

Pros

• High accuracy and reliability
• Good performance in unstable network conditions
• Secure authentication using keys
• Easy to configure and manage
• Open source with active development

Cons

• Limited historic data for diagnostics
• Less widely deployed than older NTP implementations
• Requires configuration changes from default NTP setup
• Not compatible with Windows time sync by default

Network Time System

Pros

• Ensures accurate time keeping across a network
• Improves reliability and consistency of time-sensitive applications
• Reduces the need for manual time adjustments
• Open-source and freely available

Cons

• Requires network connectivity to function properly
• May introduce additional network traffic and latency
• Complexity in configuring and managing the system

Pricing Comparison

Chrony

• Open Source

Network Time System

• Open Source