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Report custom metrics to Nightingale from scripts (Exec)

For anything no plugin covers: write a script that prints Prometheus, InfluxDB line protocol or Open-Falcon format to stdout, and Categraf collects and ships it.

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The exec input is Categraf's catch-all. You write a script, the script prints metrics to standard output, and Categraf runs it on a schedule and parses the result. Any language works; the output must be one of three formats, chosen with data_format: Prometheus text exposition, InfluxDB line protocol (measurement,label=v field=1) or Open-Falcon JSON.

Use it for business metrics, health checks of legacy systems and one-off inspection scripts. Keep the script's run time below the collection interval, and remember that values must be numeric.

What's in the template​

  • Categraf collector config: input.exec

How to connect​

  1. Install Categraf, put the config below in conf/input.exec/exec.toml, fill in your own address and credentials, and restart Categraf. The startup log prints input: local.exec started once the plugin is loaded.

    # # collect interval
    # interval = 15

    [[instances]]
    # # commands, support glob
    commands = [
    #     "/opt/categraf/scripts/*.sh"
    ]

    # # timeout for each command to complete
    # timeout = 5

    # # interval = global.interval * interval_times
    # interval_times = 1

    # # choices: influx prometheus falcon
    # # influx stdout example: measurement,labelkey1=labelval1,labelkey2=labelval2 field1=1.2,field2=2.3
    # data_format = "influx"

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