The Nagios Cross-Platform Agent (NCPA) is an open-source monitoring tool that delivers comprehensive monitoring for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It offers active/passive checks, real-time metrics, and custom plugin support through an intuitive web interface.
Analyze real-time metrics, test API functionality, identify resource-heavy processes, and utilize custom plugins —all from one intuitive platform.
Instant insights into CPU, memory, disk, and network usage with real-time graphs. Identify and resolve performance issues quickly to maintain optimal system health.
Develop and test custom plugins directly in the web interface. The built-in API browser makes extending NCPA’s capabilities simple and efficient.
Monitor active processes across operating systems to pinpoint resource-hungry applications. Stay informed and take action to optimize performance.
Access detailed documentation directly within the interface. Configure, troubleshoot, and maximize NCPA’s features with step-by-step guidance.
NCPA is developed in Python, enabling it to operate seamlessly on various operating systems. Official binaries are available for Windows, Mac OS X, and multiple Linux distributions.
Utilize the check_ncpa.py plugin for active checks or configure passive checks to send data to any NRDP server, providing flexibility to meet your organization’s monitoring requirements.
Leverage real-time graphing capabilities to monitor server statistics such as CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, facilitating immediate insights into system performance.
Easily integrate your own Nagios-compatible plugins with NCPA. Execute custom plugins via the API, as active checks, or as passive checks, tailoring the monitoring system to your specific needs.
The integrated web GUI allows you to browse the API, access comprehensive documentation, view system information, configure settings, and generate real-time graphs, all within an intuitive interface.
NCPA packages all necessary dependencies, including Python and required modules, into a single installable agent, simplifying setup and eliminating compatibility concerns.
View the changelog to see a list of all features and bug fixes.
Don’t see your version of OS on this list? Visit our GitHub to build it for your own distribution!
| Platform | Compatibility | Installation Method |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10+, Windows Server 2016+ | EXE Installer - 64-bit |
| RPM Linux | EL8+, SuSE 15+ | |
| DEB Linux | Debian 11+, Ubuntu 22+ | |
| MacOS X | MacOS 13+ | DMG Installer - 64-bit |
| Solaris | 11.4 SRU81 |
NOTE: before upgrading to NCPA 3 from NCPA 2 on Linux, you must upgrade your GPG key as can be seen at repo.nagios.com.
For active checks. Version: 1.2.4: Download check_ncpa.py
Download the older versions of NCPA. Go to download archive.
Want to see NCPA in action? Start using NCPA to monitor your own environment with these quick-start guides. Get started with:
Here are some links to documents that relate to NCPA that are more in-depth than the getting started guide.
Read the help documentation that comes standard in the NCPA. You can also view this in any NCPA GUI by clicking the Help tab.
Of course! While we built NCPA with Nagios XI in mind (due to some awesome integration via the NCPA config wizard) but the agent can send passive checks to Nagios Core or use our check_ncpa.py plugin to run active checks from Nagios Core.
Python is a very flexible language. It can be used on most operating systems and when we wanted to be able to run our binaries without any requirements, it's modular layout pairs perfectly with it's small footprint. Python also has a large community and is a very popular language.
While the Nagios Open Source Software License may seem rather restricting, we want to work together by collaborating with the community. You may fork the NCPA GitHub repository to contribute to the development of NCPA. However, you cannot fork the code to create a competing product.
The quickest way to get in contact with the developers is by creating an issue on the project's GitHub issues page. Try to be as descriptive as possible so we can reproduce the bug and fix it.
Yes, it is. You may have noticed that NCPA has periods of active daily development and periods where there may be hardly any development from the Nagios developers. This is a true open source project for the Nagios developers and we don't normally work on it during the business work day. We are normally busy making cool new features and squashing bugs in the variety of enterprise monitoring products that Nagios Enterprises offers. This means 95% of all NCPA development is done on the developer's own time. With that said, we will try to respond to any issues on GitHub as quickly as possible, so don't be shy.
The origins of NCPA can be traced back to the 2012 Nagios World Conference, where a network admin stated, “I have no idea why agents are so difficult”. After reflecting on the statement, we had no answer. The idea for NCPA to be a single monitoring agent that was secure, simple, and easy to manage was formed.
In 2014, the first version of NCPA was released with the basic features that are core to the project such as the cross-platform API.
Today, NCPA has come a long way from the initial idea back in 2014. It includes countless extra features with many more under development.
If you’d like to get involved with development, check out the contributing guide on GitHub. If you’re not a developer, but would like to help in other ways, feel free to give your feedback and comments in the issues section of the project.
