← Back to home
Comparison · DevOps

Prometheus vs Slurm

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Prometheus and Slurm — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Prometheus vs Slurm: at a glance

FeaturePrometheusSlurm
SectorDevOpsDevOps
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themespromql, query-cost, tsdb, remote-writehpc, job-scheduling, security, cluster-management
Last editorial update4h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Prometheus?

Prometheus 3.16 reaches rc.4 with an integral() function and stricter exemplar handling

Prometheus 3.16 is on its fourth release candidate, dated 3 November. Beyond rc.2's stable Smoothed and Anchored selectors and flag-gated query cost limits, rc.4 adds an experimental integral() PromQL function, per-query start-timestamp overrides via an HTTP header, and metadata-wal-records in Agent mode. It also tightens accounting: subquery samples now count toward query statistics, and exemplars with duplicate label names are rejected.

Read the full Prometheus trajectory →

What is Slurm?

Slurm's newest entry is a test case, not a release; 26.05.5 is still current.

Slurm maintains three branches (25.05, 25.11, 26.05). On September 2 it shipped coordinated security releases on all three fixing seven CVEs, including an operator-to-administrator privilege escalation and SQL injection via cluster names. 26.05.5 on October 13 returned to ordinary fixes. The newest feed item is a testsuite commit checking that step cancels in --stepmgr jobs record the job owner rather than root.

Read the full Slurm trajectory →

Prometheus vs Slurm: editorial side-by-side

Prometheus logo5.0

Prometheus 3.16 reaches rc.4 with an integral() function and stricter exemplar handling

◆ Current state

Prometheus 3.16 is on its fourth release candidate, dated 3 November. Beyond rc.2's stable Smoothed and Anchored selectors and flag-gated query cost limits, rc.4 adds an experimental integral() PromQL function, per-query start-timestamp overrides via an HTTP header, and metadata-wal-records in Agent mode. It also tightens accounting: subquery samples now count toward query statistics, and exemplars with duplicate label names are rejected.

◆ Where it's heading

The 3.16 cycle is about making query cost measurable and controllable: accurate sample counts are a prerequisite for the cost limits rc.2 introduced. Remote Write 2.0 keeps shedding legacy metadata metrics, and the patch tracks (3.15.x, 3.13 LTS) keep moving separately on security rebuilds.

◆ Prediction

A 3.16.0 GA is the likely next entry, given four candidates in about a week; whether query-cost leaves its feature flag in that release is not yet visible.

S
Slurm
DEVOPS
5.0

Slurm's newest entry is a test case, not a release; 26.05.5 is still current.

◆ Current state

Slurm maintains three branches (25.05, 25.11, 26.05). On September 2 it shipped coordinated security releases on all three fixing seven CVEs, including an operator-to-administrator privilege escalation and SQL injection via cluster names. 26.05.5 on October 13 returned to ordinary fixes. The newest feed item is a testsuite commit checking that step cancels in --stepmgr jobs record the job owner rather than root.

◆ Where it's heading

Slurm's cadence is monthly point releases on the 26.05 line with occasional coordinated security drops across all supported branches. The test commit points at accounting accuracy for step-manager jobs as current work.

◆ Prediction

A 26.05.6 point release in November is likely, possibly including the --stepmgr cancel accounting fix the new test covers.

Alternatives to Prometheus and Slurm

Other DevOps products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Prometheus or Slurm.

See all Prometheus alternatives → · See all Slurm alternatives →

Recent activity from Prometheus and Slurm

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 22h agoSlurmwickberg-test: Testsuite - Cover a --stepmgr step cancel in test_101_18
  2. 1d agoPrometheus3.16.0-rc.4: integral() function, stricter sample accounting
  3. 7d agoPrometheus3.16.0-rc.2: query cost limits, smoothed selectors go stable
  4. 14d agoPrometheus3.15.1: distrusts two root CAs, patches Go and HTTP/2
  5. 14d agoPrometheus3.13.5: LTS gets the CA distrust and Go security rebuild
  6. 22d agoSlurmv26.05.5
  7. 1mo agoPrometheus3.13.4: gRPC fix, native histogram corrections on LTS
  8. 1mo agoPrometheus3.13.3 / 2026-09-07
  9. 2mo agoSlurmSlurm 26.05.4 fixes 7 CVEs, including privilege escalation
  10. 2mo agoSlurmSlurm 25.11.8: CVE backport security release
  11. 2mo agoSlurmSlurm 25.05.9: CVE backport security release
  12. 2mo agoSlurmv26.05.3

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Prometheus and Slurm?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Prometheus and Slurm are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Prometheus better than Slurm?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Prometheus and Slurm are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Prometheus?

Top Prometheus alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Prometheus alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/prometheus for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Slurm?

Top Slurm alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Slurm alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/slurm for the full list with editorial commentary on each.