Getting Started with Sensu Go

Whether you’re completely new to Sensu, or a long-time Sensu user looking to see what’s new in Sensu Go — you’ve come to the right place.

Getting Started is easy

Get Sensu up and running in as little as 15 minutes. In fact, you may be able to take the first steps in under a minute! Don’t believe us? Give the following quick start guide a try, and let us know if we can help!

Install Sensu Go

Deploy our official Docker container to get up and running in seconds. Follow these steps, then visit your Sensu Go dashboard at http://localhost:3000/.

(You can click on the copy icon on bottom right to copy and paste into a terminal shell window).

$ sudo docker network create sensu
$ sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
  --network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
11bbb27c3
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
$ curl -s http://localhost:8080/version
{"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
$ _

$ sudo docker network create sensu
$ sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
  --network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
11bbb27c3
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
$ curl -s http://localhost:8080/version
{"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
$ _

sudo docker network create sensu
sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
--network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
-v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
--backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
--keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
curl -s http://localhost:8080/version

$ sudo docker network create sensu
$ sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
  --network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
11bbb27c3
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
$ curl -s http://localhost:8080/version
{"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
$ _

sudo docker network create sensu
sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
--network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
-v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
--backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
--keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
curl -s http://localhost:8080/version

C:\> docker.exe network create sensu
C:\> docker.exe volume create sensu-backend-data
C:\> docker.exe run -d --rm --name sensu-backend `
  -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 `
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu `
  --network sensu `
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
C:\> docker.exe run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 `
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start `
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister `
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
C:\> Invoke-RestMethod -Method Get -Uri http://localhost:8080/version {"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
C:\> _

docker.exe network create sensu
docker.exe volume create sensu-backend-data
docker.exe run -d --rm --name sensu-backend `
-p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 `
-v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu `
--network sensu `
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
docker run.exe -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 `
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start `
--backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister `
--keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux

Complete installation guide

Install the Sensu Go CLI

Sensuctl is a command line interface for running commands against Sensu clusters. Install sensuctl on your laptop to gain access to your multi-cloud monitoring control plane.

$ curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
$ sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
$ sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password "P@ssw0rd!" \
  --namespace default
$ sensuctl cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
$ sensuctl cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
$ _

$ curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
$ sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
$ sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password "P@ssw0rd!" \
  --namespace default
$ sensuctl cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
$ sensuctl cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
$ _

curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
--username admin \
--password "P@ssw0rd!" \
--namespace default
sensuctl cluster health
sensuctl cluster id

$ curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
$ sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
$ sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password 'P@ssw0rd!' \
  --namespace default
$ sensuctl cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
$ sensuctl cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
$ _

curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
--username admin \
--password 'P@ssw0rd!' \
--namespace default
sensuctl cluster health
sensuctl cluster id

C:\> Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip  `
  -OutFile sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip
C:\> Expand-Archive -LiteralPath sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip -DestinationPath .
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 `
  --username admin `
  --password "P@ssw0rd!" `
  --namespace default
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
C:\> _

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip  `
  -OutFile sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip
Expand-Archive -LiteralPath sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip -DestinationPath .
./sensuctl.exe configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 `
--username admin `
--password "P@ssw0rd!" `
--namespace default
./sensuctl.exe cluster health
./sensuctl.exe cluster id

Verify your Sensu CLI installation

Configure your first monitor

Sensu makes it easy to deploy instrumentation (e.g. plugins or scripts) and configure new monitors. This example shows how to monitor NTP system clock drift.

$ sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
$ sensuctl check create ntp \
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
$ sensuctl event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
$ _

$ sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
$ sensuctl check create ntp \
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
$ sensuctl event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
$ _

sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
sensuctl check create ntp \
--runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
--command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
--output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
--publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
sensuctl event list

$ sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
$ sensuctl check create ntp \
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
$ sensuctl event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
$ _

sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
sensuctl check create ntp \
--runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
--command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
--output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
--publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
sensuctl event list

C:\> ./sensuctl.exe asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe check create ntp `
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" `
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" `
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata `
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
C:\> _

./sensuctl.exe asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
./sensuctl.exe check create ntp `
--runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" `
--command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" `
--output-metric-format nagios_perfdata `
--publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
./sensuctl.exe event list

Learn more about Sensu Assets

Install Sensu Go

Deploy our official Docker container to get up and running in seconds. Follow these steps, then visit your Sensu Go dashboard at http://localhost:3000/.

(You can click on the copy icon on bottom right to copy and paste into a terminal shell window).

Complete installation guide

$ sudo docker network create sensu
$ sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
  --network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
11bbb27c3
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
$ curl -s http://localhost:8080/version
{"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
$ _

$ sudo docker network create sensu
$ sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
  --network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
11bbb27c3
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
$ curl -s http://localhost:8080/version
{"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
$ _

sudo docker network create sensu
sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
--network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
-v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
--backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
--keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
curl -s http://localhost:8080/version

$ sudo docker network create sensu
$ sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
  --network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
11bbb27c3
$ sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
$ curl -s http://localhost:8080/version
{"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
$ _

sudo docker network create sensu
sudo docker volume create sensu-backend-data
sudo docker run -d --rm --name sensu-backend \
--network sensu -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 \
-v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
sudo docker run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 \
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start \
--backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister \
--keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
curl -s http://localhost:8080/version

C:\> docker.exe network create sensu
C:\> docker.exe volume create sensu-backend-data
C:\> docker.exe run -d --rm --name sensu-backend `
  -p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 `
  -v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu `
  --network sensu `
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
C:\> docker.exe run -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 `
  sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start `
  --backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister `
  --keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux
C:\> Invoke-RestMethod -Method Get -Uri http://localhost:8080/version {"etcd":{"etcdserver":"3.3.13","etcdcluster":"3.3.0"},"sensu_backend":"6.12.0"}
C:\> _

docker.exe network create sensu
docker.exe volume create sensu-backend-data
docker.exe run -d --rm --name sensu-backend `
-p 8080:8080 -p 3000:3000 `
-v sensu-backend-data:/var/lib/sensu `
--network sensu `
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-backend start
docker run.exe -d --rm --network sensu -p :3030 `
sensu/sensu:6.12.0 sensu-agent start `
--backend-url ws://sensu-backend:8081 --deregister `
--keepalive-interval=5 --keepalive-warning-timeout=10 --subscriptions linux

Install the Sensu Go CLI

Sensuctl is a command line interface for running commands against Sensu clusters. Install sensuctl on your laptop to gain access to your multi-cloud monitoring control plane.

Verify your Sensu CLI installation

$ curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
$ sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
$ sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password "P@ssw0rd!" \
  --namespace default
$ sensuctl cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
$ sensuctl cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
$ _

$ curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
$ sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
$ sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password "P@ssw0rd!" \
  --namespace default
$ sensuctl cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
$ sensuctl cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
$ _

curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_linux_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
--username admin \
--password "P@ssw0rd!" \
--namespace default
sensuctl cluster health
sensuctl cluster id

$ curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
$ sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
$ sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
  --username admin \
  --password 'P@ssw0rd!' \
  --namespace default
$ sensuctl cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
$ sensuctl cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
$ _

curl -LO https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
sudo tar -xzf sensu-go_6.12.0_darwin_amd64.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin/
sensuctl configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 \
--username admin \
--password 'P@ssw0rd!' \
--namespace default
sensuctl cluster health
sensuctl cluster id

C:\> Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip  `
  -OutFile sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip
C:\> Expand-Archive -LiteralPath sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip -DestinationPath .
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 `
  --username admin `
  --password "P@ssw0rd!" `
  --namespace default
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe cluster health
ID                NAME     ERROR   HEALTHY
8927110dc66458af  default          true
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe cluster id
sensu cluster id: "227b26eb-26c4-46b2-bc7c-8c080b072e6b"
C:\> _

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sensu.io/sensu-go/6.12.0/sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip  `
  -OutFile sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip
Expand-Archive -LiteralPath sensu-go_6.12.0_windows_amd64.zip -DestinationPath .
./sensuctl.exe configure -n --url http://127.0.0.1:8080 `
--username admin `
--password "P@ssw0rd!" `
--namespace default
./sensuctl.exe cluster health
./sensuctl.exe cluster id

Configure your first monitor

Sensu makes it easy to deploy instrumentation (e.g. plugins or scripts) and configure new monitors. This example shows how to monitor NTP system clock drift.

Learn more about Sensu Assets

$ sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
$ sensuctl check create ntp \
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
$ sensuctl event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
$ _

$ sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
$ sensuctl check create ntp \
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
$ sensuctl event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
$ _

sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
sensuctl check create ntp \
--runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
--command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
--output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
--publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
sensuctl event list

$ sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
$ sensuctl check create ntp \
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
$ sensuctl event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
$ _

sensuctl asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
sensuctl check create ntp \
--runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" \
--command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" \
--output-metric-format nagios_perfdata \
--publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
sensuctl event list

C:\> ./sensuctl.exe asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
fetching bonsai asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
added asset: sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe check create ntp `
  --runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" `
  --command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" `
  --output-metric-format nagios_perfdata `
  --publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
C:\> ./sensuctl.exe event list
ENTITY        CHECK      OUTPUT                                                                    STATUS  SILENCED   TIMESTAMP
a749e3a10d86  keepalive  Keepalive last sent from a749e3a10d86 at 2019-09-11 15:34:25 +0000 UTC    0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:25 -0700 PDT
a749e3a10d86  ntp        NTP OK: Offset -0.03375908732 secs|offset=-0.033759s;0.500000;1.000000;   0       false      2019-09-11 08:34:22 -0700 PDT
C:\> _

./sensuctl.exe asset add sensu/monitoring-plugins:2.2.0-1
./sensuctl.exe check create ntp `
--runtime-assets "sensu/monitoring-plugins" `
--command "check_ntp_time -H time.nist.gov --warn 0.5 --critical 1.0" `
--output-metric-format nagios_perfdata `
--publish="true" --interval 30 --timeout 10 --subscriptions linux
./sensuctl.exe event list

Continue your journey with Sensu

Congrats on completing this quick start guide. This brief tutorial was designed to show you just how easy it can be to get up and running with Sensu. If you like what you’ve seen so far, the following resources will help you continue your journey.

Level-up your Sensu knowledge

If you’re brand new to Sensu or need more information about Sensu concepts, check out the following resources.

To learn at a more leisurely pace, sign up for our email courses to have Sensu lessons delivered to your inbox.

Get familiar with Sensu terminology Watch our 8-minute Sensu Go explainer video Take a tour of the Sensu observability pipeline

Keep experimenting

Now that you have a simple Sensu development environment running on your workstation it’s a great time to check out our guides. The Sensu Go Guides describe how to configure Sensu to complete specific observability tasks and workflows to monitor server resources, route alerts and reduce alert fatigue, export metrics, plan maintenance windows, and more, with examples and step-by-step walkthroughs.

Check out the guides

Prepare for production rollout

Are you ready to put Sensu to work outside your local installation? You can use the monitoring as code templates you’ve created and edited in this quick start tutorial and any guides you’ve followed to realize Sensu’s value at any scale, whether you’re deploying Sensu in a lab with 10 machines, a production environment with hundreds or thousands of servers, compute instances, and containers, and beyond.

Checkout the links below to start building your production-ready Sensu deployment, and don’t forget to reach out if we can help!

Prepare a production-ready Sensu deployment Check out our complete installation guide See the complete list of supported packages and Docker images Check out our pricing for businesses of all sizes