7 Best Server Monitoring Software & Tools (2023)

Server Monitoring, hands down, the most important task any IT Professional will execute in their daily routine. The process ensures that all production servers and applications are running at peak performance without any hiccups. Using the best server monitoring tool, you can prepare automated reports, run scheduled scans and get pre-emptive warnings related to the degraded health of servers within your operating environment.

The software utilizes multiple layers of technology, advanced algorithms, and protocols such as SNMP, WMI, ICMP, PerfMon, and more, depending upon what the program will monitor and run within what environment.

How Does Server Monitoring Software Help?

Well, using Server Monitoring Programs, you can check almost everything about your device, including CPU usage, RAM consumption, Hard disk utilization, Device temperature, Hardware health warnings, Monitor user logins, suspicious activities on the server, Virtual machine alerts, and so on. 

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Here’s a list of top server monitoring tools that will help you keep an eye on your infrastructure and do a lot more.

Top 7 Best Paid & Free Server Monitoring Software (2023)

Let’s discuss what all these server monitoring software have to offer with their respective Pros & Cons.

1. Nagios XI

Nagios offers best-in-class network monitoring solutions, being Nagios XI & Nagios Core one of the best utilities available for the purpose. Nagios Core is a lower-end version comparatively and available at a cheaper price. On the other side, Nagios XI is designed to fulfill enterprise-level needs with advanced reporting including SLA reports, better performance graphs, and more.

FEATURES: Nagios XI

• Customizable dashboard with user-specific needs.

• Enjoy instant remote host access.

• Ability to monitor servers, network elements, applications, system metrics, and custom services.

• Offers smart alerting systems for Email, Mobile, RSS, Custom & more.

• Prepare automated reports for performance graphs, SLA reports, capacity planning, and so on.

2. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is one of our best picks for a server monitoring system with an amazing set of features and pricing models. The software helps system admins to manage and control keys services and apps that run on both Windows and Linux servers. You can rely on the tool to handle issues for hard disk management, memory utilization, and other key performance indicators that can be managed in real-time.

FEATURES: SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

• Ability to monitor Hyper-Visor stats, cloud & other SaaS products.

• Automatic mapping & discovery of apps and dependencies.

• Out-of-the-box support for more than 200 applications for Windows and Linux.

• Has more than 800+ custom user-generated monitoring templates.

• Granular monitoring of RAM, Hard disk usage, processor usage, general hardware within servers, and so on.

• Cloud monitoring for Amazon ec2, Microsoft Azure & Rackspace out-of-the-box.

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3. Zabbix

With the tagline “Monitor Everything”, Zabbix offers tons of solutions and services for any kind of IT infrastructure. These include Network Monitoring, Server Monitoring, Cloud Monitoring, Applications & Services Monitoring. It offers decent notifications and alert modules, packed within an easy-to-use interface.

FEATURES: Zabbix 

• GUI Interface.

• Web-based server monitoring system.

• Multiple monitoring modules are included in a single package.

• Provides a multitude of metrics like CPU usage, free disk space, fan state & more.

• Ready-made templates for popular servers like HP, IBM, Dell & more with OS such as Linux, Ubuntu, and Solaris.

4. Progress WhatsUp Gold

WhatsUp Gold is another excellent server monitoring program designed for managing and monitoring servers on Windows Operating System. It comes equipped with robust layer 2/3 discovery capabilities. The tool is efficient enough for monitoring web servers, applications, virtual machines, and traffic flow across Windows, JAVA, and LAMP environments.

FEATURES: Progress WhatsUp Gold

• Not only scans the network but also understands the architecture of a network.

• Eliminates duplicate devices from the network.

• Provides inventory report on network assets, hardware & warranty status.

• Continuously monitor servers, identify potential problems and fix them instantly.

• Helps in monitoring performance, CPU usage, traffic load, temperature & more.

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5. Paessler PRTG

PRTG is an all-in-one infrastructure monitoring software, designed with sensor-based algorithms to scale on-demand as per your organization’s needs. Hence, becomes one of the best server monitoring software for small, medium, and large enterprises. With all the three capabilities to monitor the network, server, and applications, you can find all the suitable features according to your goal.

FEATURES: Paessler PRTG

• Multiple user interfaces for desktop apps. Customize accordingly.

• Real-time maps & dashboard.

• Distributed monitoring systems to manage several networks in different locations.

• Provides advanced, in-depth reporting with statistics, graphs, and more.

• Built-in alerting technologies for push notification, Slack messaging, Email notification, and more.

6. Datadog Network Performance Monitoring

Recognized as a leader in Intelligent Application and Server Monitoring in 2019 by Forrester Wave. It boasts a centralized dashboard, which is packed with several monitoring and control metrics. It offers multiple types of core server applications for web servers, operating systems, and database application servers.

FEATURES: Datadog Network Performance Monitoring

• Robust set of integrations, making it easy to instrument for any type of server.
• Real-time performance monitoring tool.
• Get concrete details from servers, databases, services, applications, etc.
• Proffers drag & drop dashboard for easy analysis, comparison between different performance metrics and events.

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7. Icinga

Icinga is a 100% free and open-source server monitoring software that runs on most of the popular Linux distros, Ubuntu, Debian, and more. The tool offers a fast web interface that gives you access to all the relevant data. Its integrated monitoring engine has huge capabilities to monitor large environments, including data centers.

FEATURES: Icinga 

• Rule-based configurations.

• Performance monitoring includes Zone & Cluster monitoring.

• Dedicated alert sending module with text notifications.

• A suitable choice for users who prefer to manage their monitoring software without a command line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is server monitoring and management?

Server monitoring is a dedicated process of accessing deep visibility into the activities on your servers, be it physical or virtual. You can utilize any of the best server monitoring software to ensure that all of your organization’s servers are working according to the expectations and requirements of your IT infrastructure.

Q2. Which is the best server monitoring tool?

Nagios XI is one of the best tools to manage and monitor servers. Based on the free Nagios Core, it is a comprehensive infrastructure monitoring system with effective server monitoring functions.

Q3. Which Is The Best Network Monitoring Tools In Linux?

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer, Nagios Network Analyzer, Icinga 2 are some of the best choices available in the market right now.