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diff --git a/docs/collect/how-collectors-work.md b/docs/collect/how-collectors-work.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..5ae444a6f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/collect/how-collectors-work.md @@ -0,0 +1,80 @@ +<!-- +title: "How Netdata's metrics collectors work" +description: "When Netdata starts, and with zero configuration, it auto-detects thousands of data sources and immediately collects per-second metrics." +custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/collect/how-collectors-work.md +--> + +# How Netdata's metrics collectors work + +When Netdata starts, and with zero configuration, it auto-detects thousands of data sources and immediately collects +per-second metrics. + +Netdata can immediately collect metrics from these endpoints thanks to 300+ **collectors**, which all come pre-installed +when you [install the Netdata Agent](/docs/get/README.md#install-the-netdata-agent). + +Every collector has two primary jobs: + +- Look for exposed metrics at a pre- or user-defined endpoint. +- Gather exposed metrics and use additional logic to build meaningful, interactive visualizations. + +If the collector finds compatible metrics exposed on the configured endpoint, it begins a per-second collection job. The +Netdata Agent gathers these metrics, sends them to the [database engine for +storage](/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md), and immediately [visualizes them +meaningfully](/docs/visualize/interact-dashboards-charts.md) on dashboards. + +Each collector comes with a pre-defined configuration that matches the default setup for that application. This endpoint +can be a URL and port, a socket, a file, a web page, and more. + +For example, the [Nginx collector](https://learn.netdata.cloud/docs/agent/collectors/go.d.plugin/modules/nginx) searches +at `http://127.0.0.1/stub_status`, which is the default endpoint for exposing Nginx metrics. The [web log collector for +Nginx or Apache](https://learn.netdata.cloud/docs/agent/collectors/go.d.plugin/modules/weblog) searches at +`/var/log/nginx/access.log` and `/var/log/apache2/access.log`, respectively, both of which are standard locations for +access log files on Linux systems. + +The endpoint is user-configurable, as are many other specifics of what a given collector does. + +## What can Netdata collect? + +To quickly find your answer, see our [list of supported collectors](/collectors/COLLECTORS.md). + +Generally, Netdata's collectors can be grouped into three types: + +- [Systems](/docs/collect/system-metrics.md): Monitor CPU, memory, disk, networking, systemd, eBPF, and much more. + Every metric exposed by `/proc`, `/sys`, and other Linux kernel sources. +- [Containers](/docs/collect/container-metrics.md): Gather metrics from container agents, like `dockerd` or `kubectl`, + along with the resource usage of containers and the applications they run. +- [Applications](/docs/collect/application-metrics.md): Collect per-second metrics from web servers, databases, logs, + message brokers, APM tools, email servers, and much more. + +## Collector architecture and terminology + +**Collector** is a catch-all term for any Netdata process that gathers metrics from an endpoint. + +While we use _collector_ most often in documentation, release notes, and educational content, you may encounter other +terms related to collecting metrics. + +- **Modules** are a type of collector. +- **Orchestrators** are external plugins that run and manage one or more modules. They run as independent processes. + The Go orchestrator is in active development. + - [go.d.plugin](https://learn.netdata.cloud/docs/agent/collectors/go.d.plugin/): An orchestrator for data + collection modules written in `go`. + - [python.d.plugin](/collectors/python.d.plugin/README.md): An orchestrator for data collection modules written in + `python` v2/v3. + - [charts.d.plugin](/collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md): An orchestrator for data collection modules written in + `bash` v4+. + - [node.d.plugin](/collectors/node.d.plugin/README.md): An orchestrator for data collection modules written in + `node.js`. +- **External plugins** gather metrics from external processes, such as a webserver or database, and run as independent + processes that communicate with the Netdata daemon via pipes. +- **Internal plugins** gather metrics from `/proc`, `/sys`, and other Linux kernel sources. They are written in `C`, + and run as threads within the Netdata daemon. + +## What's next? + +[Enable or configure a collector](/docs/collect/enable-configure.md) if the default settings are not compatible with +your infrastructure. + +See our [collectors reference](/collectors/REFERENCE.md) for detailed information on Netdata's collector architecture, +troubleshooting a collector, developing a custom collector, and more. + +[](<>) |