Linux Server Monitoring

btop and Cockpit via Tailscale

Server / linux

Monitoring Linux servers is crucial for maintaining system health, performance, and security. This article explores two powerful tools for server monitoring: btop and Cockpit, accessed securely through Tailscale. We’ll discuss their features, installation, and usage to help you effectively monitor your Linux servers.

btop: Resource Monitoring Tool

btop is a cross-platform resource monitor that provides a comprehensive view of system resources in real-time. It’s an improved version of the popular htop and bpytop utilities, offering a more user-friendly interface and additional features.

Key features of btop:

  1. CPU, memory, disk, and network usage monitoring
  2. Process management
  3. Customizable layout and color schemes
  4. Mouse support for easy navigation

Installation: To install btop on most Linux distributions, you can use the package manager:

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install btop

For CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install epel-release
sudo yum install btop

For Fedora:

sudo dnf install btop

Usage: To launch btop, simply run the following command in the terminal:

btop

Once launched, you can navigate through different sections using arrow keys or mouse clicks. Press ‘h’ for help and ‘q’ to quit the application.

Cockpit: Web-based Server Management

Cockpit is a web-based server management interface that allows you to monitor and administer Linux servers through a user-friendly GUI. It provides a wide range of features for system administration tasks.

Key features of Cockpit:

  1. System resource monitoring
  2. Service management
  3. Storage configuration
  4. Network settings
  5. User account management
  6. Terminal access

Installation: To install Cockpit on most Linux distributions:

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install cockpit

For CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install cockpit

For Fedora:

sudo dnf install cockpit

After installation, enable and start the Cockpit service:

sudo systemctl enable --now cockpit.socket

Usage: By default, Cockpit runs on port 9090. Access it through a web browser using the server’s IP address or hostname:

https://your_server_ip:9090

Log in using your system credentials to access the Cockpit dashboard.

Secure Access with Tailscale

Tailscale is a VPN service that creates a secure, encrypted network between your devices. It’s an excellent solution for accessing your servers remotely without exposing them to the public internet.

Key benefits of using Tailscale:

  1. Easy setup and configuration
  2. End-to-end encryption
  3. NAT traversal
  4. Multi-factor authentication

Installation: To install Tailscale on your Linux server:

For Ubuntu/Debian:

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh

For CentOS/RHEL:

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh

For Fedora:

sudo dnf install tailscale

After installation, start the Tailscale service:

sudo systemctl enable --now tailscaled

To connect your server to your Tailscale network:

sudo tailscale up

Follow the prompts to authenticate and connect your server to your Tailscale network.

Accessing btop and Cockpit via Tailscale

Once your server is connected to Tailscale, you can access btop and Cockpit securely using the Tailscale IP address assigned to your server.

For btop: Use SSH to connect to your server using its Tailscale IP:

ssh user@tailscale_ip

Then run btop as usual:

btop

For Cockpit: Access Cockpit through a web browser using the Tailscale IP:

https://tailscale_ip:9090

Conclusion

Using btop and Cockpit via Tailscale provides a powerful and secure solution for monitoring and managing Linux servers. btop offers detailed real-time resource monitoring, while Cockpit provides a user-friendly web interface for various administration tasks. Tailscale ensures that these tools can be accessed securely from anywhere, without exposing your servers to the public internet.

By combining these tools, you can effectively monitor your Linux servers’ performance, manage resources, and perform administrative tasks remotely and securely. This setup is particularly useful for system administrators managing multiple servers or for those who need to access their servers from various locations while maintaining a high level of security.