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Install Netdata with Docker

Limitations running the Agent in Docker​

We don’t officially support using Docker’s --user option or Docker Compose’s user: parameter with our images. While they may work, some features could be unavailable. The Agent drops privileges at startup, so most processes don’t run as UID 0 even without these options.

Additionally, our POWER8+ Docker images don’t support the FreeIPMI collector due to a technical limitation in FreeIPMI itself, which we can’t work around.

Create a new Netdata Agent container​

You can create a new Agent container with docker run or docker-compose, then access the dashboard at http://NODE:19999.

The Netdata container requires specific privileges and mounts to provide full monitoring capabilities equivalent to a direct host installation. Below is a list of required components and their purposes.

Privileges
ComponentPrivilegesDescription
cgroups.pluginhost PID mode, SYS_ADMINContainer network interfaces monitoring. Map virtual interfaces in the system namespace to interfaces inside containers.
proc.pluginhost network modeHost system networking stack monitoring.
go.d.pluginhost network modeMonitoring applications running on the host and inside containers.
local-listenershost network mode, SYS_PTRACEDiscovering local services/applications. Map open (listening) ports to running services/applications.
network-viewer.pluginhost network mode, SYS_ADMINDiscovering all current network sockets and building a network-map.
Mounts
ComponentMountsDescription
netdata/etc/os-releaseHost info detection.
diskspace.plugin/Host mount points monitoring.
cgroups.plugin/sys, /var/run/docker.sockDocker containers monitoring and name resolution.
go.d.plugin/var/run/docker.sockDocker Engine and containers monitoring. See docker collector.
go.d.plugin/var/logWeb servers logs tailing. See weblog collector.
apps.plugin/etc/passwd, /etc/groupMonitoring of host system resource usage by each user and user group.
proc.plugin/procHost system monitoring (CPU, memory, network interfaces, disks, etc.).
systemd-journal.plugin/var/logViewing, exploring and analyzing systemd journal logs.
systemd-journal.plugin/run/dbusSystemd-list-units function: information about all systemd units, including their active state, description, whether they are enabled, and more.
go.d.plugin/run/dbusgo.d/systemdunits

Both methods create a volume for Netdata's configuration files within the container at /etc/netdata. See the configure section for details. If you want to access the configuration files from your host machine, see host-editable configuration.

Using the docker run command

Run the following command in your terminal to start a new container.

docker run -d --name=netdata \
  --pid=host \
  --network=host \
  -v netdataconfig:/etc/netdata \
  -v netdatalib:/var/lib/netdata \
  -v netdatacache:/var/cache/netdata \
  -v /:/host/root:ro,rslave \
  -v /etc/passwd:/host/etc/passwd:ro \
  -v /etc/group:/host/etc/group:ro \
  -v /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro \
  -v /proc:/host/proc:ro \
  -v /sys:/host/sys:ro \
  -v /etc/os-release:/host/etc/os-release:ro \
  -v /var/log:/host/var/log:ro \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  -v /run/dbus:/run/dbus:ro \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --cap-add SYS_PTRACE \
  --cap-add SYS_ADMIN \
  --security-opt apparmor=unconfined \
  netdata/netdata

📑 Note

If you plan to connect the node to Netdata Cloud, you can find the command with the right parameters by clicking the "Add Nodes" button in your Space's "Nodes" view.

With NVIDIA GPUs monitoring​

Monitoring NVIDIA GPUs requires:

Using the docker run command

Add --gpus 'all,capabilities=utility' to your docker run.

With host-editable configuration​

Use a bind mount for /etc/netdata rather than a volume.

This example assumes that you’ve created netdataconfig/ in your home directory.

mkdir netdataconfig

Using the docker run command

Run the following command in your terminal to start a new container.

docker run -d --name=netdata \
  --pid=host \
  --network=host \
  -v $(pwd)/netdataconfig/netdata:/etc/netdata \
  -v netdatalib:/var/lib/netdata \
  -v netdatacache:/var/cache/netdata \
  -v /:/host/root:ro,rslave \
  -v /etc/passwd:/host/etc/passwd:ro \
  -v /etc/group:/host/etc/group:ro \
  -v /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro \
  -v /proc:/host/proc:ro \
  -v /sys:/host/sys:ro \
  -v /etc/os-release:/host/etc/os-release:ro \
  -v /var/log:/host/var/log:ro \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --cap-add SYS_PTRACE \
  --cap-add SYS_ADMIN \
  --security-opt apparmor=unconfined \
  netdata/netdata

With SSL/TLS enabled HTTP Proxy​

Below is an example of installing Netdata with an SSL reverse proxy and basic authentication using Docker.

Caddyfile Setup​

Place the following Caddyfile in /opt, customizing the domain and adding your email for Let’s Encrypt. The certificate will renew automatically via the Caddy server.

netdata.example.org {
  reverse_proxy host.docker.internal:19999
  tls admin@example.org
}

docker-compose.yml​

After setting Caddyfile run this with docker-compose up -d to have a fully functioning Netdata setup behind an HTTP reverse proxy.

Make sure Netdata bind to docker0 interface if you've custom web.bind to setting in netdata.conf.

version: '3'
services:
  caddy:
    image: caddy:2
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway" # To access netdata running with "network_mode: host".
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - /opt/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
      - caddy_data:/data
      - caddy_config:/config
  netdata:
    image: netdata/netdata
    container_name: netdata
    pid: host
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    cap_add:
      - SYS_PTRACE
      - SYS_ADMIN
    security_opt:
      - apparmor:unconfined
    volumes:
      - netdataconfig:/etc/netdata
      - netdatalib:/var/lib/netdata
      - netdatacache:/var/cache/netdata
      - /:/host/root:ro,rslave
      - /etc/passwd:/host/etc/passwd:ro
      - /etc/group:/host/etc/group:ro
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - /proc:/host/proc:ro
      - /sys:/host/sys:ro
      - /etc/os-release:/host/etc/os-release:ro
      - /var/log:/host/var/log:ro
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
volumes:
  caddy_data:
  caddy_config:
  netdataconfig:
  netdatalib:
  netdatacache:

Restrict access with basic auth​

You can restrict access by following the official caddy guide and adding lines to Caddyfile.

With Docker socket proxy​

Note: Using Netdata with a Docker socket proxy may cause some features to not work as expected. It hasn't been fully tested by the Netdata team.

For better security, deploy a Docker socket proxy with a tool like HAProxy or CetusGuard. This ensures the socket is read-only and restricted to the /containers endpoint.

Exposing the socket to a proxy is safer because Netdata’s TCP port is accessible outside the Docker network, while the proxy container remains isolated within it.

HAProxy​

version: '3'
services:
  netdata:
    image: netdata/netdata
    container_name: netdata
    pid: host
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    cap_add:
      - SYS_PTRACE
      - SYS_ADMIN
    security_opt:
      - apparmor:unconfined
    volumes:
      - netdataconfig:/etc/netdata
      - netdatalib:/var/lib/netdata
      - netdatacache:/var/cache/netdata
      - /:/host/root:ro,rslave
      - /etc/passwd:/host/etc/passwd:ro
      - /etc/group:/host/etc/group:ro
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - /proc:/host/proc:ro
      - /sys:/host/sys:ro
      - /etc/os-release:/host/etc/os-release:ro
      - /var/log:/host/var/log:ro
    environment:
      - DOCKER_HOST=localhost:2375
  proxy:
    network_mode: host
    image: tecnativa/docker-socket-proxy
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
    environment:
      - CONTAINERS=1

volumes:
  netdataconfig:
  netdatalib:
  netdatacache:

Note: Replace 2375 with the port of your proxy.

CetusGuard​

Note: This deployment method is supported by the community

version: '3'
services:
  netdata:
    image: netdata/netdata
    container_name: netdata
    pid: host
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    cap_add:
      - SYS_PTRACE
      - SYS_ADMIN
    security_opt:
      - apparmor:unconfined
    volumes:
      - netdataconfig:/etc/netdata
      - netdatalib:/var/lib/netdata
      - netdatacache:/var/cache/netdata
      - /:/host/root:ro,rslave
      - /etc/passwd:/host/etc/passwd:ro
      - /etc/group:/host/etc/group:ro
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - /proc:/host/proc:ro
      - /sys:/host/sys:ro
      - /etc/os-release:/host/etc/os-release:ro
      - /var/log:/host/var/log:ro
    environment:
      - DOCKER_HOST=localhost:2375
  cetusguard:
    image: hectorm/cetusguard:v1
    network_mode: host
    read_only: true
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
    environment:
      CETUSGUARD_BACKEND_ADDR: unix:///var/run/docker.sock
      CETUSGUARD_FRONTEND_ADDR: tcp://:2375
      CETUSGUARD_RULES: |
        ! Inspect a container
        GET %API_PREFIX_CONTAINERS%/%CONTAINER_ID_OR_NAME%/json

volumes:
  netdataconfig:
  netdatalib:
  netdatacache:

You can run the socket proxy in its own Docker Compose file and leave it on a private network that you can add to other services that require access.

Rootless mode​

Netdata can be run successfully in a non-root environment, such as rootless Docker.

Netdata can run in a rootless Docker environment, but its data collection is limited due to restricted access to resources requiring elevated privileges. The following components won't work:

  • container network interfaces monitoring (cgroup-network helper)
  • disk I/O and file descriptors of applications and processes (apps.plugin)
  • debugfs.plugin
  • freeipmi.plugin
  • perf.plugin
  • slabinfo.plugin
  • systemd-journal.plugin

This method creates a volume for Netdata's configuration files within the container at /etc/netdata. See the configure section for details. If you want to access the configuration files from your host machine, see host-editable configuration.

Using the docker run command

Run the following command in your terminal to start a new container.

docker run -d --name=netdata \
  --hostname=$(hostname) \
  -p 19999:19999 \
  -v netdataconfig:/etc/netdata \
  -v netdatalib:/var/lib/netdata \
  -v netdatacache:/var/cache/netdata \
  -v /etc/passwd:/host/etc/passwd:ro \
  -v /etc/group:/host/etc/group:ro \
  -v /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro \
  -v /proc:/host/proc:ro \
  -v /sys:/host/sys:ro \
  -v /etc/os-release:/host/etc/os-release:ro \
  -v /run/user/$UID/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --security-opt apparmor=unconfined \
  netdata/netdata

📑 Note

If you plan to connect the node to Netdata Cloud, you can find the command with the right parameters by clicking the "Add Nodes" button in your Space's "Nodes" view.

Docker tags​

See our full list of Docker images at Docker Hub.

The official netdata/netdata Docker image provides the following named tags:

TagDescription
stablethe most recently published stable build.
edgethe most recently published nightly build. In most cases, this is updated daily at around 01:00 UTC.
latestthe most recently published build, whether it’s a stable build or a nightly build. This is what Docker will use by default if you do not specify a tag.
vX.Y.Zthe full version of the release (for example, v1.40.0).
vX.Ythe major and minor version (for example, v1.40).
vXjust the major version (for example, v1).

Minor and major version tags update with each matching release. For example, if v1.40.1 is published, the v1.40 tag moves from v1.40.0 to v1.40.1.

Configure Agent Containers​

If you started an Agent container using one of the recommended methods and need to edit its configuration, first attach to the container with docker exec, replacing netdata with your container’s name.

docker exec -it netdata bash
cd /etc/netdata
./edit-config netdata.conf

Restart the Agent to apply changes: exit the container if necessary, then run docker restart netdata.

Change the default hostname​

A container’s hostname appears in both the local dashboard and Netdata Cloud.

To change it after creation, stop and remove the container—it’s safe! Your configuration and metrics stay intact in persistent volumes and will reattach when you recreate the container.

If you use docker-run, use the --hostname option with docker run.

docker run -d --name=netdata \
  --hostname=my_docker_netdata

If you use docker-compose, add a hostname: key/value pair into your docker-compose.yml file, then create the container again using docker-compose up -d.

version: '3'
services:
  netdata:
    image: netdata/netdata
    container_name: netdata
    hostname: my_docker_compose_netdata

If you prefer not to recreate the container, edit the Agent’s netdata.conf file. See configuring Agent containers for the right method based on how you created it.

Alternatively, use the host’s hostname by mounting /etc/hostname in the container:

  • With docker run, add: 
    --volume /etc/hostname:/host/etc/hostname:ro
  • With Docker Compose, add this to the volumes section: 
    - /etc/hostname:/host/etc/hostname:ro

Adding extra packages at runtime​

By default, Netdata’s official container images exclude some optional runtime dependencies. You can install them at runtime by setting the NETDATA_EXTRA_DEB_PACKAGES environment variable.

Commonly useful packages:

  • apcupsd – Monitors APC UPS devices.
  • lm-sensors – Monitors hardware sensors.
  • netcat-openbsd – Enables IRC alerts.

Health Checks​

Netdata’s Docker image supports health checks via standard Docker interfaces. You can control them using the NETDATA_HEALTHCHECK_TARGET environment variable:

  • Unset – Defaults to checking /api/v1/info.
  • cli – Uses netdatacli ping to confirm the Agent is running (but not full data collection).

The default /api/v1/info check is usually sufficient. However, if the web server is disabled or API access is restricted, you'll need to customize the health check configuration.

Publish a test image to your own repository​

At Netdata, we provide multiple ways of testing your Docker images using your own repositories.

You may either use the command line tools available or take advantage of our GitHub Actions infrastructure.


Do you have any feedback for this page? If so, you can open a new issue on our netdata/learn repository.