Linux on Netdata

Linux Monitoring Software With Per-Second Metrics

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Netdata delivers complete Linux monitoring with per-second granularity, edge-based ML anomaly detection, and zero-pipeline logs - all with zero configuration and predictable per-node pricing.

Docker Monitoring Tool With Unlimited Containers

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Netdata brings the simplicity Docker promised to monitoring. One command install, instant visibility into every container’s CPU, memory, disk, and network. No agents per container, no complex pipelines, no surprise bills.

Linux Load Average Myths and Realities

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When it comes to monitoring system performance on Linux, the load average is one of the most referenced metrics. Displayed prominently in tools like top, uptime, and htop, it’s often used as a quick gauge of system load and capacity. But how reliable is it? For complex, multi-threaded applications, load average can paint a misleading picture of actual system performance.

In this article, we’ll dive into the myths and realities of Linux load average, using insights from Netdata’s high-frequency, high-concurrency monitoring setup. Through this journey, we’ll uncover why load average spikes can occur even under steady workloads, and why a single metric is rarely enough to capture the true state of a system. Whether you’re a system administrator, developer, or performance enthusiast, this exploration of load average will help you interpret it more accurately and understand when it may—or may not—reflect reality.

Understanding Interrupts, Softirqs, and Softnet in Linux

Tue, 02 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Interrupts, softirqs, and softnet are all critical parts of the Linux kernel that can impact system performance. In this blog post, we’ll explore their usefulness, and discuss how to monitor them using Netdata for both bare-metal servers and VMs.

What are Interrupts?

Interrupts are signals generated by hardware devices to indicate that they require attention from the CPU. Hardware devices can generate interrupts for a variety of reasons, including data transmission or reception, input/output operations, and other activities. When an interrupt is generated, the CPU stops what it is doing and handles the interrupt. Interrupts can have a significant impact on system performance, especially if there are a high number of interrupts occurring.

Understanding System Processes States

Tue, 02 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The different states of system processes are essential to understanding how a computer system works. Each state represents a specific point in a process’s life cycle and can impact system performance and stability.

Process States

Netdata’s system.processes_state chart provides a view of these states, allowing users to monitor system performance in real-time:

Running: A process is in the Running state when it is actively using the CPU and executing instructions. This state is resource-intensive and can lead to performance issues if there are too many Running processes, causing CPU contention and system slowdowns. Processes in the Running state are prioritized using scheduling algorithms to improve system performance.

Upcoming Changes to Plugins in Native Packages

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

At Netdata, we’re committed to trying to make Netdata work as well as possible for our users. Sometimes though, that means changing things in ways that aren’t exactly seamless. Such a change is coming soon for users of our native DEB and RPM packages, and this blog post will explain what’s happening, why we’re doing it, and what it means for our users.

What’s changing?

Starting shortly after the v1.39.0 release of the Netdata Agent, we will be splitting most of our external data collection plugins out to their own individual packages instead of bundling them all in the main netdata package. We already have this type of split for our CUPS and FreeIPMI plugins, and this new change will extend that to also provide separate packages for the following plugins:

Monitor KSM performance with Netdata

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Monitoring KSM (Kernel Same-page Merging) performance at deduping memory shared across VMs.

Kernel Same-page Merging (KSM)

Linux kernels store memory in pages which are moved in and out of memory as a single block. On most Linux architectures pages are 4096 bytes. KSM (Kernel Same-page Merging) is a kernel feature that scans memory looking for pages with identical content, and then de-duplicates them. The most common use-case where such duplicate pages occur is on hosts running multiple virtual machines (VMs).