ssh-auth-logger vs ssh-honeypotd: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
ssh-auth-logger is a free honeypots & deception tool. ssh-honeypotd is a free honeypots & deception tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best honeypots & deception fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Security teams running flat networks or isolated honeypot segments will get real value from ssh-auth-logger for one reason: it logs every SSH authentication attempt in structured JSON, making it trivial to pipe into your existing SIEM without custom parsing. Free pricing and a 26-star GitHub footprint mean minimal friction to deploy a decoy SSH server alongside production infrastructure. Skip this if you need honeypot management at scale or cross-protocol deception; ssh-auth-logger does SSH authentication logging and nothing else.
Security teams running Linux perimeter infrastructure who need low-friction SSH deception will find ssh-honeypotd useful for capturing attack patterns without resource overhead. Written in C with minimal dependencies, it deploys faster and consumes less CPU than higher-interaction honeypots, making it practical for sustained operation on bandwidth-constrained networks. Skip this if you need alert correlation, threat intelligence feeds, or forensic analysis built in; ssh-honeypotd logs attempts but stops there, leaving investigation and response to your existing SIEM.
