17: Netdata - Real-time Performance Monitoring

Step 3: Access Netdata

If Using Traefik

1. Wait 30-60 seconds for SSL certificate generation
2. Open https://monitor.yourdomain.com in your browser
3. You'll see the Netdata dashboard immediately!

If Using Standalone

1. Open http://SERVER_IP:19999 in your browser
2. You'll see the Netdata dashboard immediately!

⚠️ IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE: Netdata has NO username/password protection by default! Anyone who can access the URL can see your monitoring data. If using Traefik, strongly consider adding Basic Auth protection. If using standalone mode, keep it on a private network only!

Step 4: Understanding the Dashboard

When you first open Netdata, you'll see a beautiful dashboard with lots of graphs. Here's what everything means:

Main Sections

• 📊 System Overview - CPU, RAM, disk, network at a glance
• 🐳 Docker Containers - All your containers with individual metrics
• 💾 Disk I/O - How fast your disks are reading/writing
• 🌐 Network - Network traffic and connections
• ⚙️ System Load - How busy your server is
• 📈 Processes - Individual programs and their resource usage

Reading the Graphs

• Green - Normal, healthy values
• Yellow - Warning (getting high)
• Red - Critical (too high!)
• Time axis - Shows last hour by default (can zoom in/out)
• Real-time - Updates every second automatically

Key Metrics to Watch

• 💻 CPU Usage - Should be under 80% most of the time
• 🧠 RAM Usage - Should be under 80% most of the time
• 💾 Disk Usage - Should be under 80% (watch for low disk space!)
• 🌐 Network Traffic - Shows incoming/outgoing data
• 🐳 Container Status - All containers should be running

Step 5: Docker Container Monitoring

One of Netdata's best features is automatic Docker container discovery and monitoring!

What You'll See

• All your Docker containers listed automatically
• Individual CPU, RAM, disk, and network usage for each container
• Container health status
• Real-time graphs for each container

How to Use It

1. Click on "Docker" in the left sidebar
2. You'll see all your containers listed
3. Click on any container to see its detailed metrics
4. Watch for containers using too much CPU or RAM

Step 6: Alert Notifications (If Enabled)

If you enabled Apprise notifications, Netdata will automatically send alerts when:

• ⚠️ CPU usage > 80% (warning) or > 95% (critical)
• ⚠️ RAM usage > 80% (warning) or > 95% (critical)
• ⚠️ Disk space > 80% (warning) or > 90% (critical)

How Alerts Work

1. Netdata detects a problem (e.g., CPU too high)
2. Sends alert to Apprise
3. Apprise forwards to your configured channels (Discord, Slack, Email, etc.)
4. You get notified immediately!

Customizing Alerts

You can customize alert thresholds by editing configuration files:

nano /opt/speedbits/netdata-client/netdata/health.d/cpu_usage.conf

# Edit streaming
nano /opt/speedbits/netdata-client/netdata/stream.conf

Change the warning/critical thresholds to your preferences.

Security Recommendations

• ✅ Use Traefik mode - Provides trusted SSL certificates
• ✅ Add Basic Auth - Protect dashboard with username/password (strongly recommended!)
• ✅ Private network only - If using standalone mode, don't expose to internet
• ✅ Use VPN - Access via WireGuard VPN (Chapter 18) for secure remote access
• ✅ SSH tunnel - Use SSH tunnel for secure access: ssh -L 19999:localhost:19999 user@server
• ⚠️ No default protection - Netdata has NO username/password by default - protect it!

Adding Basic Auth Protection

If using Traefik, you can add username/password protection:

1. Run: sudo bash Infrastructure/websiteprotection.sh
2. Select "netdata"
3. Enter username and password
4. Now your dashboard is protected!

Troubleshooting

Can'tContainer AccessNot NetdataStarting

• Traefik mode: Wait 30-60 seconds after installation for SSL certificate generation
• Check containers: Run

  docker logs netdata
  docker ps -a | grep netdata to see if container is running

• Check logs: Run docker logs netdata to see error messages

NoMissing Docker Containers ShowingMetrics

• MakeVerify surehost Docker is running:mounts: docker psexec netdata ls /host/proc
• Check that Docker socket is accessible:socket: docker exec netdata ls /var/run/docker.sock
• Verify container capabilities

Docker Containers Not Showing

• Verify Docker socket access
• Check Docker daemon is running
• Restart Netdata:Netdata docker restart netdatacontainer

Alerts Not Working

• Check thatVerify Apprise is running:running dockerand ps | grep apprise
• Verify Apprise network connectivityaccessible
• Check Netdatahealth_alarm_notify.conf logs: docker logs netdataconfiguration
• Test alert thresholds
(trigger
• Check aNetdata testlogs alert)for errors

High

Production Considerations

• Access Method: Use Traefik mode for production (trusted SSL)
• Authentication: Add Basic Auth protection (critical!)
• Network Security: Restrict access via firewall or VPN
• Resource UsageUsage: ~50MB RAM, minimal CPU impact
• Data Retention: Configure appropriate retention period
• Alerting: Configure multiple notification channels for redundancy
• Streaming: Use director for multi-server environments

Integration with Infinity Tools

Netdata complements Infinity Tools by providing:

• Real-time monitoring of all Infinity Tools applications
• Docker container monitoring for infrastructure
• System resource monitoring
• Alert integration with Apprise

Recommended Monitoring:

• All Infinity Tools application containers
• System resources (CPU, RAM, disk)
• Network traffic
• Docker daemon health

API & Automation

REST API

• Netdata usesprovides ~50MBREST RAMAPI (veryfor low!)metrics access
• IfAPI seeingdocumentation highavailable CPU,in checkweb how many containers you're monitoringinterface
• ConsiderUseful reducingfor dataautomation retentionand periodintegration