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diff --git a/docs/guides/configure/performance.md b/docs/guides/configure/performance.md deleted file mode 100644 index 2e5e105fe..000000000 --- a/docs/guides/configure/performance.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,224 +0,0 @@ -# How to optimize the Netdata Agent's performance - -We designed the Netdata Agent to be incredibly lightweight, even when it's collecting a few thousand dimensions every -second and visualizing that data into hundreds of charts. However, the default settings of the Netdata Agent are not -optimized for performance, but for a simple, standalone setup. We want the first install to give you something you can -run without any configuration. Most of the settings and options are enabled, since we want you to experience the full thing. - -By default, Netdata will automatically detect applications running on the node it is installed to start collecting metrics in -real-time, has health monitoring enabled to evaluate alerts and trains Machine Learning (ML) models for each metric, to detect anomalies. - -This document describes the resources required for the various default capabilities and the strategies to optimize Netdata for production use. - -## Summary of performance optimizations - -The following table summarizes the effect of each optimization on the CPU, RAM and Disk IO utilization in production. - -Optimization | CPU | RAM | Disk IO --- | -- | -- |-- -[Use streaming and replication](#use-streaming-and-replication) | :heavy_check_mark: | :heavy_check_mark: | :heavy_check_mark: -[Disable unneeded plugins or collectors](#disable-unneeded-plugins-or-collectors) | :heavy_check_mark: | :heavy_check_mark: | :heavy_check_mark: -[Reduce data collection frequency](#reduce-collection-frequency) | :heavy_check_mark: | | :heavy_check_mark: -[Change how long Netdata stores metrics](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md) | | :heavy_check_mark: | :heavy_check_mark: -[Use a different metric storage database](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/database/README.md) | | :heavy_check_mark: | :heavy_check_mark: -[Disable machine learning](#disable-machine-learning) | :heavy_check_mark: | | -[Use a reverse proxy](#run-netdata-behind-a-proxy) | :heavy_check_mark: | | -[Disable/lower gzip compression for the agent dashboard](#disablelower-gzip-compression-for-the-dashboard) | :heavy_check_mark: | | - -## Resources required by a default Netdata installation - -Netdata's performance is primarily affected by **data collection/retention** and **clients accessing data**. - -You can configure almost all aspects of data collection/retention, and certain aspects of clients accessing data. - -### CPU consumption - -Expect about: - - 1-3% of a single core for the netdata core - - 1-3% of a single core for the various collectors (e.g. go.d.plugin, apps.plugin) - - 5-10% of a single core, when ML training runs - -Your experience may vary depending on the number of metrics collected, the collectors enabled and the specific environment they -run on, i.e. the work they have to do to collect these metrics. - -As a general rule, for modern hardware and VMs, the total CPU consumption of a standalone Netdata installation, including all its components, -should be below 5 - 15% of a single core. For example, on 8 core server it will use only 0.6% - 1.8% of a total CPU capacity, depending on -the CPU characteristics. - -The Netdata Agent runs with the lowest possible [process scheduling policy](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/daemon/README.md#netdata-process-scheduling-policy), which is `nice 19`, and uses the `idle` process scheduler. -Together, these settings ensure that the Agent only gets CPU resources when the node has CPU resources to space. If the -node reaches 100% CPU utilization, the Agent is stopped first to ensure your applications get any available resources. - -To reduce CPU usage you can [disable machine learning](#disable-machine-learning), -[use streaming and replication](#use-streaming-and-replication), -[reduce the data collection frequency](#reduce-collection-frequency), [disable unneeded plugins or collectors](#disable-unneeded-plugins-or-collectors), [use a reverse proxy](#run-netdata-behind-a-proxy), and [disable/lower gzip compression for the agent dashboard](#disablelower-gzip-compression-for-the-dashboard). - -### Memory consumption - -The memory footprint of Netdata is mainly influenced by the number of metrics concurrently being collected. Expect about 150MB of RAM for a typical 64-bit server collecting about 2000 to 3000 metrics. - -To estimate and control memory consumption, you can [disable unneeded plugins or collectors](#disable-unneeded-plugins-or-collectors), [change how long Netdata stores metrics](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md), or [use a different metric storage database](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/database/README.md). - - -### Disk footprint and I/O - -By default, Netdata should not use more than 1GB of disk space, most of which is dedicated for storing metric data and metadata. For typical installations collecting 2000 - 3000 metrics, this storage should provide a few days of high-resolution retention (per second), about a month of mid-resolution retention (per minute) and more than a year of low-resolution retention (per hour). - -Netdata spreads I/O operations across time. For typical standalone installations there should be a few write operations every 5-10 seconds of a few kilobytes each, occasionally up to 1MB. In addition, under heavy load, collectors that require disk I/O may stop and show gaps in charts. - -To configure retention, you can [change how long Netdata stores metrics](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md). -To control disk I/O [use a different metric storage database](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/database/README.md), avoid querying the -production system [using streaming and replication](#use-streaming-and-replication), [reduce the data collection frequency](#reduce-collection-frequency), and [disable unneeded plugins or collectors](#disable-unneeded-plugins-or-collectors). - -## Use streaming and replication - -For all production environments, parent Netdata nodes outside the production infrastructure should be receiving all -collected data from children Netdata nodes running on the production infrastructure, using [streaming and replication](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/metrics-storage-management/enable-streaming.md). - -### Disable health checks on the child nodes - -When you set up streaming, we recommend you run your health checks on the parent. This saves resources on the children -and makes it easier to configure or disable alerts and agent notifications. - -The parents by default run health checks for each child, as long as the child is connected (the details are in `stream.conf`). -On the child nodes you should add to `netdata.conf` the following: - -```conf -[health] - enabled = no -``` - -### Use memory mode ram or save for the child nodes - -See [using a different metric storage database](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/database/README.md). - -## Disable unneeded plugins or collectors - -If you know that you don't need an [entire plugin or a specific -collector](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/collectors/README.md#collector-architecture-and-terminology), you can disable any of them. -Keep in mind that if a plugin/collector has nothing to do, it simply shuts down and does not consume system resources. -You will only improve the Agent's performance by disabling plugins/collectors that are actively collecting metrics. - -Open `netdata.conf` and scroll down to the `[plugins]` section. To disable any plugin, uncomment it and set the value to -`no`. For example, to explicitly keep the `proc` and `go.d` plugins enabled while disabling `python.d` and `charts.d`. - -```conf -[plugins] - proc = yes - python.d = no - charts.d = no - go.d = yes -``` - -Disable specific collectors by opening their respective plugin configuration files, uncommenting the line for the -collector, and setting its value to `no`. - -```bash -sudo ./edit-config go.d.conf -sudo ./edit-config python.d.conf -sudo ./edit-config charts.d.conf -``` - -For example, to disable a few Python collectors: - -```conf -modules: - apache: no - dockerd: no - fail2ban: no -``` - -## Reduce collection frequency - -The fastest way to improve the Agent's resource utilization is to reduce how often it collects metrics. - -### Global - -If you don't need per-second metrics, or if the Netdata Agent uses a lot of CPU even when no one is viewing that node's -dashboard, [configure the Agent](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/configure/nodes.md) to collect metrics less often. - -Open `netdata.conf` and edit the `update every` setting. The default is `1`, meaning that the Agent collects metrics -every second. - -If you change this to `2`, Netdata enforces a minimum `update every` setting of 2 seconds, and collects metrics every -other second, which will effectively halve CPU utilization. Set this to `5` or `10` to collect metrics every 5 or 10 -seconds, respectively. - -```conf -[global] - update every = 5 -``` - -### Specific plugin or collector - -Every collector and plugin has its own `update every` setting, which you can also change in the `go.d.conf`, -`python.d.conf`, or `charts.d.conf` files, or in individual collector configuration files. If the `update -every` for an individual collector is less than the global, the Netdata Agent uses the global setting. See the [collectors configuration reference](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/collectors/REFERENCE.md) for details. - -To reduce the frequency of an [internal -plugin/collector](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/collectors/README.md#collector-architecture-and-terminology), open `netdata.conf` and -find the appropriate section. For example, to reduce the frequency of the `apps` plugin, which collects and visualizes -metrics on application resource utilization: - -```conf -[plugin:apps] - update every = 5 -``` - -To [configure an individual collector](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/collectors/REFERENCE.md#configure-a-collector), open its specific configuration file with -`edit-config` and look for the `update_every` setting. For example, to reduce the frequency of the `nginx` collector, -run `sudo ./edit-config go.d/nginx.conf`: - -```conf -# [ GLOBAL ] -update_every: 10 -``` - -## Lower memory usage for metrics retention - -See how to [change how long Netdata stores metrics](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md). - -## Use a different metric storage database - -Consider [using a different metric storage database](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/database/README.md) when running Netdata on IoT devices, -and for children in a parent-child set up based on [streaming and replication](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/metrics-storage-management/enable-streaming.md). - -## Disable machine learning - -Automated anomaly detection may be a powerful tool, but we recommend it to only be enabled on Netdata parents -that sit outside your production infrastructure, or if you have cpu and memory to spare. You can disable ML -with the following: - -```conf -[ml] - enabled = no -``` - -## Run Netdata behind a proxy - -A dedicated web server like nginx provides more robustness than the Agent's internal [web server](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/web/README.md). -Nginx can handle more concurrent connections, reuse idle connections, and use fast gzip compression to reduce payloads. - -For details on installing another web server as a proxy for the local Agent dashboard, see [reverse proxies](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/category-overview-pages/reverse-proxies.md). - -## Disable/lower gzip compression for the dashboard - -If you choose not to run the Agent behind Nginx, you can disable or lower the Agent's web server's gzip compression. -While gzip compression does reduce the size of the HTML/CSS/JS payload, it does use additional CPU while a user is -looking at the local Agent dashboard. - -To disable gzip compression, open `netdata.conf` and find the `[web]` section: - -```conf -[web] - enable gzip compression = no -``` - -Or to lower the default compression level: - -```conf -[web] - enable gzip compression = yes - gzip compression level = 1 -``` - |