The 7 Best Server Monitoring Tool in 2023

Snigdha
By Snigdha | Last Updated on April 28th, 2024 12:41 pm

As the world of technology is going full steam ahead, ensuring the seamless performance of your web applications is paramount. In a recent survey, it was found that 25% of apps were only accessed once after downloading (Source). Any downtime or performance issues can lead to frustrated users and potential revenue loss. That's where server monitoring tools and workflow automation come to the rescue.

But with a plethora of options available, how do you choose the best server monitoring tool for your needs? In this curated list, we'll explore the best server monitoring software and evaluate each one based on their pros, cons, and pricing to help you make an informed decision. Additionally, we'll discuss what factors contribute to making a server monitoring tool the best choice for your organization.

What Makes the Top Server Monitoring Tools?

Before delving into the specific server monitoring tools, it's essential to understand the criteria that define the best option. Here are some key factors to consider:

  1. Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface and straightforward setup can save your IT team valuable time. The best server monitoring tool should be accessible to both beginners and experts.
  2. Comprehensive Monitoring: It should offer a wide range of monitoring capabilities, including server performance, application performance, network health, and more. The more comprehensive, the better.
  3. Alerting and Notification: The tool should provide robust alerting mechanisms to notify you of issues in real-time, ensuring prompt action can be taken.
  4. Scalability: As your business grows, so should your server monitoring tool. It should be able to handle increased traffic and infrastructure demands without a hitch.
  5. Customization: Every organization is unique. Look for a tool that allows you to customize alerts, reports, and dashboards to match your specific requirements.
  6. Integration: Seamless integration with your existing tools and services is essential. It should work well with your tech stack, whether you're using cloud services, databases, or different operating systems.
  7. Performance Analytics: Detailed performance analytics and historical data are crucial for identifying trends and making informed decisions.
  8. Security: The tool should meet stringent security standards to protect your data and infrastructure. Data encryption and secure authentication are non-negotiable.
  9. Cost-Effectiveness: Consider the cost of the tool and whether it aligns with your budget. Some tools offer a free version or trial, while others charge based on usage.
  10. Support and Documentation: Access to excellent customer support and comprehensive documentation can make a significant difference when you encounter issues or need assistance.

Best Server Monitoring Apps

We have now discussed the top considerations for choosing the best web server monitoring tools. With these criteria in mind, let's dive into the top server monitoring tools and see how they stack up.

  1. Amazon CloudWatch

    2. Amazon CloudWatch is a comprehensive and one of the best web server monitoring tools provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It allows you to monitor and manage your AWS resources and applications in real-time, providing insights into system-wide performance.

    Pros

    • Seamless integration with AWS services.
    • Extensive metrics and customizable dashboards.
    • Automated actions and scaling based on predefined thresholds.
    • In-depth log analytics and anomaly detection.
    • Pay-as-you-go pricing, ensuring cost-efficiency.

    Cons

    • Focused primarily on AWS resources.
    • May have a steeper learning curve for beginners.

    Pricing

    Amazon CloudWatch offers a free tier with limited capabilities. Beyond that, pricing is based on the number of custom metrics, dashboards, and alarms you use.

  2. Sentry

    3. Sentry is an open-source error tracking and application-monitoring platform designed to help developers identify and resolve issues in real time. While not a traditional server monitoring tool, it plays a crucial role in monitoring application health and is widely regarded as one of the top server monitoring apps.

    Pros

    • Real-time error tracking and reporting.
    • Detailed error diagnostics, including stack traces.
    • Seamless integration with popular programming languages and frameworks.
    • Customizable alerting and issue assignment.
    • Open-source and community-driven.

    Cons

    • Focuses on application errors rather than server performance.
    • Limited infrastructure monitoring capabilities.

    Pricing

    Sentry offers a free plan with basic features. Paid plans are available based on the number of events and retention periods.

  3. PagerDuty

    4. PagerDuty is an incident management platform that provides real-time alerting and on-call scheduling. While it's not a traditional server monitoring tool, it plays a crucial role in ensuring timely responses to incidents.

    Pros

    • Robust alerting and incident escalation features.
    • Integrates with various monitoring tools and services.
    • On-call scheduling and rotation management.
    • Advanced analytics and reporting.
    • Mobile app for alerts and incident response on the go.

    Cons

    • Not a standalone server monitoring tool.
    • Pricing can be relatively high for smaller teams.

    Pricing

    PagerDuty offers different pricing tiers based on the number of users and features required.

  4. Middleware

    5. Middleware is a full-stack cloud observability platform aimed at optimizing operational efficiency, minimizing downtime, and elevating user experience. Middleware also offers Server Monitoring, and helps reduce MTTD and MTTR.The platform provides comprehensive visibility into servers health and performance by equipping you with logs, metrics and traces data in one place.

    Pros

    • Correlate Logs and Metrics data in one unified dashboard.
    • Improve server performance by identifying error-causing resources.
    • Reduce alert fatigue with machine learning-based monitors.
    • Efficiently search and filter with tags for troubleshooting.
    • Instrument code with a single script for a consolidated dashboard.
    • Spot emerging issues in real-time without pre-configuration.
    • Users can receive real-time alerts on performance metrics without pre-configuration.

    Cons

    • Limited On-Premise Monitoring: Currently, Middleware does not monitor on-premise servers.

    Pricing

    • Free Forever Developer Account: Comprehensive monitoring without immediate financial commitment.
    • Tailored Paid Plans: Customized plans with a flexible pay-as-you-go model after the trial period.

  5. OpsGenie

    6. OpsGenie, now part of Atlassian, is an incident alerting and response platform. It focuses on ensuring that the right people are alerted when issues arise, facilitating rapid resolution.

    Pros

    • Powerful alerting and notification capabilities.
    • Integrates seamlessly with various monitoring tools.
    • Escalation policies and on-call scheduling.
    • Detailed incident timelines and tracking.
    • Integration with other Atlassian products.

    Cons

    • Primarily focused on incident response, not monitoring.
    • Pricing can be expensive for larger organizations.

    Pricing

    OpsGenie offers various pricing plans based on the number of users and the required features.

  6. Datadog

    7. Often quoted among top server monitoring software, Datadog is a cloud-based monitoring and analytics platform that provides end-to-end visibility into your infrastructure and applications. It offers real-time performance monitoring, extensive integrations, and APM (Application Performance Monitoring) capabilities.

    Pros

    • Comprehensive monitoring for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
    • Detailed dashboards and customizable alerts.
    • APM for application performance monitoring.
    • Seamless integration with over 400 technologies.
    • Machine learning-driven anomaly detection.

    Cons

    • Cost can be high for organizations with a large number of monitored resources.
    • Learning curve for configuring advanced features.

    Pricing

    Datadog's pricing is based on the number of hosts and additional features required. They offer a free trial and a free tier with limited capabilities.

  7. Pingdom

    8. Pingdom is a website and server monitoring tool by SolarWinds. It focuses on uptime monitoring and performance testing for websites and web applications.

    Pros

    • Easy setup and user-friendly interface.
    • Real-time alerts for website downtime.
    • Performance monitoring from multiple global locations.
    • Page speed analysis and historical data.
    • Integration with other SolarWinds products.

    Cons

    • Limited infrastructure monitoring capabilities.
    • May not provide in-depth server performance metrics.

    Pricing

    Pingdom offers tiered pricing based on the number of checks, page speed tests, and monitoring frequency.

Conclusion

Selecting the best server monitoring tool for your organization depends on your specific requirements, budget, and existing infrastructure. Amazon CloudWatch is an excellent choice for those heavily invested in AWS services, while Datadog and EdgeDelta offers comprehensive monitoring for a wide range of environments. Sentry is a valuable tool for developers focused on application health, while PagerDuty and OpsGenie excel in incident management.

When evaluating these tools, remember to consider factors such as ease of use, customization options, integration capabilities, and scalability. Additionally, take advantage of free trials or free tiers to test the tools in your own environment and see which one aligns best with your needs.

Ultimately, the best server monitoring tool is the one that empowers your organization to proactively identify and resolve issues, ensuring the reliability and performance of your applications and infrastructure.

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Snigdha

Content Head at Appy Pie

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