How to Monitor Server with Netdata

Prerequisites

Before installing Netdata, make sure you have:

• SSH access to your VPS
• Root or sudo privileges
• Port 19999 available (or choose custom port)

Step 1: Install Netdata (One-line installer)

Connect to your VPS:

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

bash <(curl -Ss https://my-netdata.io/kickstart.sh)

Follow the prompts. The default installation runs on port 19999.

Step 2: Configure Firewall for Netdata

If using UFW:

sudo ufw allow 19999/tcp

For extra security, restrict access to your IP only:

sudo ufw allow from YOUR_HOME_IP to any port 19999

Step 3: Access Netdata Dashboard

Open browser and visit:

http://YOUR_VPS_IP:19999

You will see real-time charts for CPU, memory, disk, network, and more.

Step 4: Secure Netdata (Requires Authentication)

Edit Netdata configuration:

sudo nano /etc/netdata/netdata.conf

Add web authentication:

[web]
    allow connections from = localhost YOUR_HOME_IP
    web admin = basic

Create a password file:

cd /etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config netdata.conf

Set username and password using htpasswd:

sudo apt install apache2-utils -y
sudo htpasswd -c /etc/netdata/netdata.passwords admin

Restart Netdata:

sudo systemctl restart netdata

Step 5: Enable Netdata on Boot

sudo systemctl enable netdata

Step 6: Monitor Disk Usage of Netdata

Netdata stores historical data in /var/cache/netdata. To limit storage:

sudo nano /etc/netdata/netdata.conf

Add under [global]:

    page cache size = 32
    dbengine multihost disk space = 256

Uninstall Netdata

bash <(curl -Ss https://my-netdata.io/kickstart.sh) --uninstall