Network Time System vs Chrony

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

Network Time System is a Network & Admin solution with tags like time, clock, synchronization, ntp, network.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including 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.

On the other hand, Chrony is a Network & Admin product tagged with ntp, time-sync, clock.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like High accuracy and reliability, Good performance in unstable network conditions, Secure authentication using keys, Easy to configure and manage, Open source with active development.

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

Product Overview

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).

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.

Key Features Comparison

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

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

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

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

Pricing Comparison

Network Time System

• Open Source

Chrony

• Open Source