Simple Observability Agent — simob
Simple, lightweight, zero-config monitoring for your servers.
Simple Observability Agent (simob) is a lightweight agent designed to collect monitoring data from servers and forward it to SimpleObservability.com endpoints.
The agent is built to be plug-and-play, requiring no server-side configuration. It's distributed as a standalone binary, with no runtime dependencies and a one command install process.
Simple Observability is a server monitoring platform built on a simple idea that monitoring should be as easy as installing one probe on your server. The monitoring platform takes care of the rest.
- Install the agent: Install the open-source agent with a single command.
- Configure from the UI: Manage everything from the web interface. No config files needed.
- Get instant insights: Access ready-to-use reports and alerts.
- Unified monitoring: Metrics and logs from all your servers in one place.
- Built-in alerts: Predefined and customizable alert rules.
- Full web configuration: Everything managed from the UI.
- One-command install: Lightweight agent, no dependencies.
- Ready-to-use reports: Instant visibility, no setup required.
- Mobile app: Access your dashboards anywhere.
You can install the agent with a single command:
$ curl -fsSL https://simpleobservability.com/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- <SERVER_KEY> [optional flags]Important
Replace <SERVER_KEY> with the one from your SimpleObservability.com account.
This will:
- Create a dedicated user and group
- Download the latest agent binary
- Set up a systemd service
- Initialize the agent with the provided server key
Note
The install script is fully documented with verbose comments and is designed to be easy to read, understand, and audit.
The install script supports some optional flags that control how the agent is installed and what permissions it has.
By default, the install script grants the simob-agent user read access to system logs by adding it to the systemd-journal group.
If you don’t want the agent to read system logs you can append the flag during installation.
By default, the install script grants the simob-agent service limited read access to the filesystem using the CAP_DAC_READ_SEARCH capability. This allows the agent to read log files located in system directories (e.g. /var/log/) even if it doesn’t have explicit file-level permissions.
If you use the --no-system-read flag, this capability is not granted.
You can also build the agent binaries from source. During installation, set the environment
variable BINARY_PATH to point to your built binary:
$ sudo BINARY_PATH=<PATH TO BINARY> bash install.sh <SERVER_KEY>Once installed, the agent binary (simob) is available in your system's PATH.
You can interact with it using the following commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
simob init |
Initializes the agent by discovering available metrics and log sources, and collecting basic system info. |
simob start |
Starts the collection service manually. This command is used internally by systemd. You generally don’t need to run this. |
simob status |
Checks if the agent is currently running. |
simob update |
Checks for and installs the latest version of the agent binary. |
simob version |
Prints the currently installed agent version. |
simob config |
Outputs the current resolved configuration. |
The simob agent automatically discovers and collects metrics and logs from a wide range
of sources
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| CPU | Tracks per-core and total CPU utilization, load, and idle time. |
| Memory | Monitors total, used, and available system memory. |
| Disk | Reports disk usage, free space, and read/write activity. |
| Network | Measures incoming/outgoing traffic, packet counts, and errors. |
| NGINX | Collects active connections and request rates from the status endpoint. |
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| Apache | Collects access logs. |
| NGINX | Collects NGINX logs. |
| Systemd Journal | Collects system logs from services and units |
For more detailed information, including advanced configuration and troubleshooting, please visit our official documentation.
The Simple Observability agent is a single, static binary — no Docker, no dependencies, no runtime. It runs on most Linux distributions out of the box. If you prefer, you can build it from source directly from this repository.
No inbound ports are required.
The agent uses a push model over HTTPS (port 443) to *.simpleobservability.com.
You can easily extend collection logic for new logs or metrics. If your source isn’t supported yet, just open a GitHub issue describing your use case — we’ll review it and help you get it integrated.