System Monitoring Techniques with Htop and Netdata

As a system administrator, monitoring your server’s performance is crucial to ensure it runs smoothly and efficiently. In this article, we will explore eight system monitoring techniques using the popular tools htop and netdata.

1. Real-time Process Viewing with Htop

htop (high-level version of top) allows you to view real-time system processes in a user-friendly interface. Here’s how to use it:

Install htop on your server by running sudo apt-get install htop (on Ubuntu-based systems) or sudo yum install htop (on Red Hat-based systems).
Open htop by typing htop in the terminal.
Navigate through the menus to view various system metrics, such as CPU usage, memory consumption, disk usage, and network activity.

2. System Resource Monitoring with Htop

In addition to process viewing, htop also provides detailed information about system resources. Here’s how to access it:

Press F1 in htop to view the help menu.
Navigate through the menus to view system resource metrics, such as CPU usage by each core, memory usage by each application, and disk usage by each file system.

3. Live System Monitoring with Netdata

Netdata is a real-time system monitoring tool that provides detailed information about various system metrics. Here’s how to install and use it:

Install netdata on your server by running sudo apt-get install netdata (on Ubuntu-based systems) or sudo yum install netdata (on Red Hat-based systems).
Open a web browser and navigate to https://localhost:19999 (or the IP address of your server).
View various system metrics, such as CPU usage, memory consumption, disk usage, and network activity.

4. Customizing System Monitoring with Htop

While htop provides an extensive range of features out-of-the-box, you can also customize it to suit your specific needs. Here’s how:

Press F2 in htop to edit the configuration file.
Customize various settings, such as display columns, sort order, and update interval.

5. Creating Custom Dashboards with Netdata

Netdata allows you to create custom dashboards to visualize specific system metrics. Here’s how:

Install netdata-dashboard on your server by running sudo apt-get install netdata-dashboard (on Ubuntu-based systems) or sudo yum install netdata-dashboard (on Red Hat-based systems).
Open a web browser and navigate to https://localhost:19999/dashboards.
Create custom dashboards using various widgets, such as charts, tables, and gauges.

6. Alerting System Issues with Netdata

Netdata provides alerting capabilities to notify you of system issues. Here’s how:

Install netdata-alerter on your server by running sudo apt-get install netdata-alerter (on Ubuntu-based systems) or sudo yum install netdata-alerter (on Red Hat-based systems).
Configure alerting settings, such as threshold values and notification protocols.

7. Visualizing System Performance with Charts

Both htop and Netdata provide charting capabilities to visualize system performance. Here’s how:

Press F3 in htop to view a CPU usage chart.
Navigate through the menus in Netdata to view various charts, such as CPU usage, memory consumption, disk usage, and network activity.

8. Analyzing System Bottlenecks with Top

While not directly related to htop, top is another popular tool for system monitoring. Here’s how to use it:

Install top on your server by running sudo apt-get install top (on Ubuntu-based systems) or sudo yum install top (on Red Hat-based systems).
Open top in the terminal.
View various system metrics, such as CPU usage, memory consumption, disk usage, and network activity.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored eight system monitoring techniques using htop and Netdata. These tools provide a range of features, from real-time process viewing to custom dashboard creation. By mastering these techniques, you can gain valuable insights into your server’s performance and make informed decisions to optimize its efficiency.

Feel free to experiment with the techniques outlined in this article and explore additional features offered by htop and Netdata. Happy monitoring!