ostent
A server tool to collect, display, and report system metrics like CPU, RAM, disk, and network usage.
What is ostent?
Ostent is a server tool that collects, displays, and reports system metrics. It provides real-time monitoring of key resources like RAM, CPU, disk, and network usage, and can forward this data to external time-series databases for further analysis.
System administrators and DevOps engineers who need a lightweight, real-time monitoring tool for Linux, FreeBSD, or Mac OS X servers, especially those already using InfluxDB, Graphite, or Librato for metrics storage.
Developers choose Ostent for its simplicity and efficiency as a single executable with no external dependencies, its seamless integration with existing monitoring stacks via Telegraf-compatible configuration, and its immediate on-display insights alongside a top-like processes view.
Overview
Ostent is a server tool to collect, display and report system metrics.
Use Cases
Best For
- Real-time server monitoring with a live web interface displaying system metrics and processes.
- Forwarding system metrics from individual servers to external time-series databases like InfluxDB, Graphite, or Librato.
- Lightweight, standalone monitoring on Linux, FreeBSD, or Mac OS X without requiring complex installation or dependencies.
- Configurable metrics collection with custom intervals and server bind addresses via flags or a TOML configuration file.
- Integrating server metrics into existing Telegraf-based monitoring pipelines using a compatible configuration format.
- Quick, ad-hoc system diagnostics via a locally served web dashboard on a default or custom port (e.g., 8050).
Not Ideal For
- Large-scale environments requiring centralized management and aggregation of metrics from hundreds of servers
- Teams needing built-in alerting and notification systems for immediate incident response
- Projects that require monitoring of custom application-specific metrics beyond standard system resources
- Windows-based server infrastructures, as Ostent only supports Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X
Pros & Cons
Pros
Runs as a single executable with no external dependencies, making installation as simple as downloading and extracting a tarball, per the README's install instructions.
Uses the same configuration format as Telegraf, allowing seamless integration with existing InfluxDB, Graphite, or Librato stacks without learning a new syntax.
Provides a live, top-like display of processes and system metrics on a web page served locally, enabling quick on-server diagnostics without external tools.
Compiles to binaries for Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X, offering cross-platform monitoring consistency from a single codebase.
Cons
Focused solely on metrics collection and display; users must rely on external systems for alerts, which adds complexity for proactive monitoring.
Only collects predefined system metrics like RAM, CPU, and disk usage; custom or application-level metrics aren't supported without modifying the source code.
Designed as a per-server tool with no native clustering or centralized management features, making it cumbersome for monitoring distributed environments.
The README outlines a multi-step build involving npm, gulp, and make for customization, which is heavier than typical Go projects and may deter contributions.
Frequently Asked Questions
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