With widespread NGINX adoption, there has been an increasing number of NGINX monitoring tools, which enable the user to monitor the performance of NGINX. In this article, we’re going to look at the nine best NGINX monitoring tools on the market.

Here is a list of the ten best NGINX monitoring tools:

  • SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor EDITOR’S CHOICE Our top pick for NGINX monitoring. Server and application monitor with customizable dashboards, graphs, charts, alerts, and more.
  • AppOptics APM (FREE TRIAL) Application performance management software with real-time NGINX monitoring, graphs, charts, alerts, and more.
  • Datadog APM (FREE TRIAL) Cloud monitoring software with monitoring for over 180 NGINX metrics, dashboards, graphs, charts, anomaly detection, and more.
  • Site24x7 (FREE TRIAL) Unified monitoring software that supports NGINX and NGINX Plus with custom dashboards, alerts, reports, and more.
  • Sematext NGINX Monitoring (FREE TRIAL) This monitoring service for NGINX and NGINX Plus is part of an infrastructure monitoring package that also watches over networks, servers, applications, and other virtualization systems. Offered as a SaaS package or for hosting over Docker.
  • Dynatrace Application performance monitoring software with auto-discovery for NGINX web servers, a dependency map, anomaly detection, and more.
  • NGINX Amplify NGINX monitoring software for NGINX Open Source and NGINX Plus with custom dashboards, recommendations, alerts, and more.
  • ManageEngine Applications Manager Application monitoring software with NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring with graphs, charts, alerts, reports, and more.
  • AppDynamics Application performance management platform with NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring with a customizable dashboard, anomaly detection, alerts, and more.
  • New Relic Application monitoring software with NGINX integration, dashboard, alerts, reports, graphs, charts, and more.

Best NGINX Monitoring Tools

We’ve included a range of tools for Windows, macOS, and Linux. As part of our overview, we’ve highlighted solutions with NGINX integrations alongside monitoring essentials like customizable alerts, visualization options (such as graphs and charts,) and dashboards.

1. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (FREE TRIAL)

Our methodology for selecting NGINX monitoring tools

We reviewed the market for NGINX monitoring software and analyzed the options based on the following criteria:

  • Options for Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Systems that can monitor NGINX Plus as well as NGINX Open Source
  • Live performance data interpreted into graphs and charts
  • The option for historical performance analysis based on stored statistics
  • An alerting mechanism to warn of growing capacity issues
  • A free trial period for a no-cost assessment or a money-back guarantee
  • Value for money

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is a server and application monitoring tool that you can use to monitor NGINX. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor provides out of the box monitoring for the performance and availability monitoring for NGINX servers. Monitor metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, requests per second, active vs dropped connections, server error rate, request processing time, and more.

Key Features:

  • Performance and availability monitoring for NGINX servers
  • Customizable dashboards
  • Graphs and charts
  • Map infrastructure and application dependencies
  • Alerts
  • Reports

Customizable dashboards allow you to track metrics of your choice with extensive visualization options like graphs and charts. You can also use the software to map infrastructure and application dependencies to help you identify the origin of performance issues more effectively. The map is color-coded so you can spot problems faster.

Alerts keep you updated on performance fluctuations. Alerts can be configured to send you an email or SMS message when a particular parameter exceeds a predefined threshold. You can also create custom reports to gather key metrics on NGINX performance.

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is only available on Windows (for local deployments). Prices start at $1,567 (£1,213). You can start the 30-day free trial.

Pros:

  • Designed with large and enterprise networks in mind
  • Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps and inventory lists in real-time based on devices that enter the network
  • Has some of the best alerting features that balance effectiveness with ease of use
  • Supports both SNMP monitoring as well as packet analysis, giving you more control over monitoring than similar tools
  • Uses drag and drop widgets to customize the look and feel of the dashboard

Cons:

  • Designed for IT professionals, not the best option for non-technical users

2. AppOptics APM (FREE TRIAL)

EDITOR’S CHOICE

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is a solution fit for enterprises that require a server and application monitoring tool with NGINX monitoring capabilities

Download: Start 30-day FREE Trial

Official Site: solarwinds.com/server-application-monitor

OS: Windows Server 2016 or later

AppOptics APM is an application performance management tool you can use to monitor NGINX. With AppOptics you can monitor NGINX performance in real-time with an integration. The integration enables you to view graphs and charts of metrics such as connections processed, requests per second, connections writing, and active connections.

  • NGINX integration
  • Graphs and charts
  • End-to-end real-time behavior monitoring
  • Alerts

The integration is easy to configure, and all you need to do is add a plugin and follow the instructions provided by the GUI. If you want to automate monitoring performance metrics you can use alerts. Alerts notify you when metrics meet certain conditions via email, Slack, or Webhook. For example, if the number of requests per second rises.

AppOptics is an adept application performance management solution you can use to monitor NGINX and application performance. The Infrastructure & Application Monitor package costs $24.99 (£19.34) per host, per month. It is available on Windows and Linux. You can start the 30-day free trial.

  • Offers great visualizations reflecting live and historical health metrics and resource consumption

  • Is easily scalable, built as a cloud service

  • Tracks all major resources along with 180+ NGINX metrics

  • Can monitor Docker, Azure, and Hyper-V platforms, offering more flexibility than competing options

  • Would like to see a longer trial period

AppOptics APM Start 30-day FREE Trial

3. Datadog APM (FREE TRIAL)

Datadog is a cloud monitoring tool with real-time NGINX monitoring. With Datadog you can monitor over 180 NGINX metrics such as latency, rejected connections, HTTP status codes, connect counts, response times, and more. Through the dashboard, you can view a top-down perspective of NGINX metrics alongside graphs and charts.

  • Monitor 180+ NGINX metrics
  • Dashboard
  • Graphs and charts
  • Alerts

There is also a real-time service map you can use to view live performance data and discover performance issues. The service map is useful for diagnosing the root cause of problems like latency and identifying bottlenecks faster.

An anomaly detection feature automatically identifies anomalous behavior and alerts you. For example, if the number of Total Errors spikes, the platform will recognize it and notify you. You can also create custom alerts with Boolean logic so you have complete control over the performance metrics most relevant to your environment.

Datadog is a reliable tool for enterprises that require NGINX monitoring alongside cloud monitoring capabilities. The Infrastructure version starts at $15 (£11.62) per host per month. Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can start the 14-day free trial.

  • Easy to use customizable dashboards

  • Cloud-based SaaS product allows monitoring with no server deployments or onboarding costs

  • Can monitor both internally and externally giving network admins a holistic view of network performance and accessibility

  • Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps on the fly

  • Changes made to the network are reflected in near real-time

  • Allows businesses to scale their monitoring efforts reliably through flexible pricing options

  • Would like to see a longer trial period for testing

Datadog NGINX Monitoring Start 14-day FREE Trial

4. Site24x7 (FREE TRIAL)

Site24x7 is a unified monitoring tool that can monitor NGINX and NGINX Plus. With Site24x7 you can monitor many NGINX metrics out of the box including waiting, reading, connections opened, requests per second, and connections dropped. For NGINX Plus you can monitor accepted connections, active connections, handshakes, failed handshakes, 1xx/2xx/3xx/4xx/5xx responses, reused sessions, dropped connections, idle connections, and more.

  • NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring
  • Custom dashboard
  • Graphs and charts
  • Mobile app
  • Reports

Create custom dashboards to shape your monitoring environment to your needs, and set trigger conditions for alerts to determine when you’re notified about performance concerns. Alerts come in the form of SMS messages, emails, voice calls, and push notifications (Android and iOS apps). The mobile app gives you the ability to monitor performance on the move.

Customizable reports allow you to periodically check in on the status of your infrastructure and examine key performance trends. Reports can be scheduled and exported in CSV, PDF, or email format to share with the rest of your team.

Site24x7 is suitable for enterprises that want to monitor a range of infrastructure alongside NGINX performance. Prices start at $9 (£6.96) per month for the Starter version. It is available on Windows and Linux. You can start the 30-day free trial.

  • One of the most holistic monitoring tools available, supporting networks, infrastructure, and real user monitoring in a single platform

  • Uses real-time data to discover devices and build charts, network maps, and inventory reports

  • Offers out of the box monitoring for both versions of NGINX, including prebuilt dashboard views

  • User monitoring can help bridge the gap between technical issues, user behavior, and business metrics

  • Supports a freeware version

  • Is a very detailed platform that will require time to fully learn all of its features and options

Site24x7 Start 30-day FREE Trial

5. Sematext NGINX Monitoring (FREE TRIAL)

Sematext Infrastructure Monitoring is able to watch over all resources and that includes virtualizations. The package can be extended by the addition of integrations and there is one available for NGINX and NGINX Plus. This plug-in adds on interfaces to NGINX reporting functions and also provides extra screens in the Sematext dashboard.

  • Specific NGINX performance metrics
  • Added to system-wide monitoring
  • Graphs and charts for live data

Activating the NGINX integration doesn’t wipe out the functions of the base Infrastructure Monitoring package, so you will still be able to see network, server, and application performance data live alongside the NGINX monitors. You will be able to see the resource usage of your NGINX implementation as well as its response times and forecast system requirements.

It isn’t necessary to sit and watch the NGINX monitoring screen because the Sematext system includes alerts for performance problems. These can be sent to you by email, Slack, or Webhooks, so you will know when your attention is needed. All NGINX activities are also logged and performance metrics are retained on the Sematext cloud server for later analysis.

To get the NGINX monitor, you should subscribe to the Sematext Infrastructure Monitoring service and then add on the module. Both the Infrastructure system and the NGINX add-on are free for use on five hosts as long as you select a short data retention period. This software is offered as a SaaS package but you can also run it on your own server as a virtual appliance over Docker. Sematext offers the Infrastructure Monitoring package and the NGINX integration for a 14-day free trial.

  • Measures NGINX performance alongside all your other infrastructure

  • Provides live monitoring and data storage for historical analysis

  • Can be paired with other Sematext modules for log management

  • Not a native NGINX monitoring solution

Sematext NGINX Monitoring Start 14-day FREE Trial

6. Dynatrace

Dynatrace is an application performance monitoring tool with NGINX monitoring that can automatically detect web servers. With Dynatrace you can monitor NGINX metrics such as requests, response sizes, accepted vs dropped connections, CPU, memory, and active connections. There is also a dependency map, where you can monitor your entire application stack.

  • NGINX performance metrics
  • Dependency map
  • Anomaly detection
  • Graphs and charts

You can also monitor NGINX Plus and gather performance metrics and requests per server zone, traffic and requests, upstream health, cache performance, and cache usage. Visualization features like graphs and charts provide make it easier to distinguish performance trends at a glance.

Anomaly detection and artificial intelligence identifies anomalous behavior in your environment and notifies you. Alerts detail the root cause of the problem so that you can remediate the issue more efficiently.

Dynatrace is recommended for enterprises that require NGINX monitoring with fast deployment. The Full-stack monitoring package starts at $69 (£53.47) per month per 8 GB host. It is only available on Linux. You can start the free trial.

  • Highly visual and customizable dashboards, excellent for enterprise NOCs

  • Operates in the cloud, allowing it to be platform-independent

  • Can monitor application uptime as well as the supporting infrastructure and user experience

  • Designed specifically for large networks, smaller organizations may find the product overwhelming

  • Offers synthetic monitoring rather than real-user monitoring

7. NGINX Amplify

NGINX Amplify is an NGINX monitoring software for NGINX Open Source and NGINX Plus. With NGINX Amplify you can monitor the performance of instances viewing metrics like requests per second, active connections, CPU usage, and more through a customizable dashboard.

  • Customizable dashboard
  • Graphs and charts
  • Static analysis
  • SSL/TLS certificate analysis

An alerts system produces notifications to tell you about performance problems which helps you to find ways to optimize performance. Users can configure alert thresholds and set rate limits to restrict the number of alerts created to filter out unnecessary alerts.

Static analysis provides you with recommendations on configurations so that you can optimize performance. For example, the software can recommend that you set worker processes to auto to improve performance. You can also run compliance checks to assess your website for vulnerabilities, and use SSL/TLS certificate analysis to ensure your certification is up to date.

NGINX Amplify is suitable for enterprises that require a straightforward SaaS-based NGINX monitoring solution. Annual and hourly subscriptions are available. For pricing information, you need to contact the sales team to request a quote. You can start the 30-day free trial.

  • Sleek dashboard and easy to learn interface

  • Designed specifically for NGINX monitoring

  • Offers intelligent recommendations for performance enhancements

  • Pricing not publicly listed

8. ManageEngine Applications Manager

ManageEngine Applications Manager is an application monitoring tool with NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring. With ManageEngine Applications Manager, you can monitor NGINX server availability, response time, requests served, active connections, requests in waiting state, and more.

  • NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring
  • Dashboard
  • Graphs and charts
  • Reports
  • Alerts

Monitor NGINX performance through the dashboard with the assistance of visualization options like graphs and charts. An alerts system allows you to configure rules to decide when notifications are generated. For example, if a performance metric exceeds a particular threshold then the software will send you an alert by email or SMS.

Create reports to monitor performance trends. For example, for NGINX Plus you can create trend analysis reports that you can use to view historic performance data alongside heat charts. The platform also uses machine learning to create forecasts for NGINX Plus Server to estimate utilization trends.

ManageEngine Application Control Plus provides a solid mixture of NGINX monitoring alongside wider application monitoring functionality. It is available for Windows and Linux. Prices start at $945 (£731) for 25 monitors with one user. You can start the 30-day free trial.

  • Offers on-premise and cloud deployment options, giving companies more choices for install

  • Can highlight interdependencies between applications to map out how performance issues can impact businesses operations

  • Supports both NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring by default

  • Can automatically detect databases, server hardware, and devices in real-time

  • Can take time to fully explore all features and options available

9. AppDynamics

AppDynamics is an application performance management tool that comes with an NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring extension. After installing the NGINX extension you can configure the platform to connect performance metrics of your choice. Metrics include active connections, the total number of requests, accepted and handled requests, reading, writing, and waiting metrics.

  • NGINX and NGINX Plus monitoring
  • Custom dashboard
  • Anomaly detection
  • Alerts

Through a custom dashboard, you can monitor your NGINX environment in real-time with rich visualization options ranging from graphs to an application map. It’s also worth noting that the platform supports a range of technologies including C++, .NET, Python, PHP, GO, and Node.js.

Machine learning enables the platform to identify baseline performance and identify anomalous activity. Whenever unusual performance activity emerges, the platform notifies the user. Users can also configure custom alerts with an Alert and Respond feature. They can configure trigger conditions for alerts and set automated responses such as generating an alert or performing remediation actions.

AppDynamics is recommended for enterprises looking to monitor NGINX alongside other applications. For pricing information, you need to contact the company directly for a quote. It is available on Windows and Linux. You can start the 15-day free trial.

  • Tailored for large-scale enterprise use

  • Excellent dependency mapping and visualizations to help troubleshoot complex application systems

  • Includes a free version

  • Priced higher than similar tools on the market

  • Can have a steep learning curve, could use more tutorials

  • Deployment/onboarding can be complex

  • Mobile app could use improvement

10. New Relic

New Relic is an application monitoring solution with an NGINX integration. With New Relic’s NGINX integration you can collect metrics such as connections active, connections accepted per second, connections dropped per second, connections reading, connections waiting, connections writing, and requests per second.

  • NGINX integration
  • Dashboard
  • Monitor configuration changes
  • Alerts

Users can monitor performance data through the dashboard with graphs and charts that display metrics such as requests per second or active connections over time. The user interface includes the option to filter data to specific hosts to make it easier to narrow down the activity you’re monitoring.

Alerts allow you to decide when you will receive notifications about performance issues. Custom alerts can be issued by email, Slack, PagerDuty, OpsGenie, VictorOps, Webhook, xMatters, and push notifications. You can also schedule weekly performance reports for users who opt-in, helping to track the most important events of the week.

New Relic is ideal for enterprises that want the flexibility of an open-source NGINX integration. The Standard version costs $99 (£76.60) per additional user per month. You can sign up for the free trial.

  • Great visualization options for monitoring app performance

  • Can integrate into hosted server solution such as Rackspace

  • Uniquely offers built-in team collaboration features, great for NOC teams and developers

  • Fairly steep learning curve when compared to similar tools

  • Filters take time to configure

  • Monitoring of cloud and microservices need improvements and support to monitor more metrics

  • Alerting could use more customization options

Choosing an NGINX Monitoring Tool

Solutions like SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor, Datadog, and Dynatrace give you visibility over NGINX performance and equip you with high-quality visualization options and alerts you can use to make sure you don’t miss anything important.