Getting Started — NodeSniff

Welcome to NodeSniff

This guide walks you through the initial deployment process. In just a few minutes, you'll install the NodeSniff agent, connect it to your organization, and begin monitoring your infrastructure.

Need more details? This guide covers the recommended installation process. For advanced topics including updates, re-registration, CLI modes, cleanup, troubleshooting, and source code, visit the NodeSniff Linux Agent GitHub repository.

Step-by-step installation video Prefer watching instead of reading? This walkthrough demonstrates the complete installation process from start to finish. The video was recorded using an older version of the NodeSniff website, but the installation process and agent configuration remain the same.

1. Create an Account

Create your NodeSniff account at www.nodesniff.com. After signing in for the first time, your dashboard will be empty and your Account Token will be displayed automatically.

You can always find your Account Token later by clicking the profile icon in the top-right corner of the dashboard. This token is required to register your first server or device with NodeSniff.

2. Install the Agent

Download the latest NodeSniff Linux Agent from the GitHub repository, then start the installation on the server you want to monitor. The NodeSniff Agent is fully open source and available on GitHub.

git clone https://github.com/nodesniff/nodesniff-linux-agent.git

cd nodesniff-linux-agent

sudo ./nsagent.py

The NodeSniff agent supports Linux systems running Python 3.7 or newer and works on x86, ARM, Raspberry Pi, and other Linux platforms.

3. Register the Agent

During the initial installation, the agent checks whether an Account Token is already configured. If no token is found, the installation will stop and you'll be asked to add one.

sudo nano /etc/nodesniff/nsagent.token

Paste your Account Token into the file, save it, then run the installer again:

sudo ./nsagent.py

The agent will validate the token, register the server with your NodeSniff account, create the required local configuration, and prepare the system for installation as a background service.

Note: A monitored system can only be registered once. To register the same machine again, first remove it from the NodeSniff dashboard and then repeat the registration process.

4. Start the Service

Install the systemd service, enable automatic startup, and start the NodeSniff agent.

sudo ./nsagent.py --service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

sudo systemctl enable nodesniff-agent

sudo systemctl restart nodesniff-agent

The service will automatically start after every system boot and continuously send encrypted monitoring data to the NodeSniff platform.

5. Verify Monitoring

Verify that the service is running correctly and that the monitored system has appeared in the NodeSniff dashboard.

systemctl status nodesniff-agent

journalctl -u nodesniff-agent -n 50 --no-pager

Installation Complete

Your NodeSniff deployment is complete when:

The nodesniff-agent service is active (running).
Your server automatically appears in the NodeSniff dashboard after successful registration.
Live monitoring metrics are updating in the dashboard.