Learn how to – Understanding NGINX and How to Monitor it

Learn how to – Understanding NGINX and How to Monitor it.

If you have ever needed to set up a web server quickly or move a load across several nodes, you might have used NGINX. It can be both a load balancer and a web server, or it can work as an email proxy or an HTTP cache. Because of these useful features, it is often one of the first tools used for applications. But you need to monitor it to ensure it continues to function effectively and responding quickly to web requests. There are several features to keep an eye on.

The Best Metrics to Monitor

NGINX has a range of functions, but the metrics you will want to check up on are the same, no matter how you are using it. When you are learning how to efficiently monitor NGINX, you will want to keep an eye on the different error types, whether they involve processing, timeouts, application, or authentication errors. Each one typically has a different cause. 

By tracking these issues, you can determine if the configuration of the server needs updating, or if you need to provide it with more resources. In some cases, your application might not be working the way it should. Keep an eye on the requests flow as well. That includes connections needing to be accepted, processed ones, and response codes, whether it was an error or successful. It is also important to check on the processing time. Each of these numbers offers insight into the health of your server.

Using the Right Tools

There are a lot of basic tools you can use when monitoring NGINX, but many of those are relatively basic. If you want to get more advanced results, you will want to use slightly differing tools. If you put in a bit more effort, you can find some tools, such as plugins, extensions, and modules that will make it easier to look at the information. When you are looking for tools, there are several things you will want to consider. For example, they should have syslog integration so you can review remotely when you need to. That way, you can send the information anywhere you have a log server, whether it is in the cloud, on-site, or in another data center.

How to Find a Good Tool

It is also a good idea to look for a cloud-based tool. That way, you can focus more on ensuring that the application offers the right outcome. If you have multiple applications, you might want to be able to aggregate the logs from each one. That is because having more than one logging platform is not efficient. This can help you streamline the process. 

You will also want to have alerts sent to a device you check regularly. That way, you can quickly resolve any errors at hand. And it is equally important to have reports and analytics sent to you as well. Being able to analyze data and create reports allows you to be more proactive when it comes to finding issues and identifying trends, even before they happen. Keep track of both short-term and long-term data.

More on Nginx:

• Best Apache and Nginx reference Books
• Using Let’s Encrypt Wildcard SSL Certificate with Nginx and Apache
• How To host Multiple Sites on Nginx with same Domain (FQDN)