Alignak backend

The Alignak backend is a REST backend dedicated to the Alignak framework. It is used to:

  • manage monitoring configuration (hosts, services, contacts, timeperiods…)

    • creates and updates monitoring objects configuration
    • user rights management
    • template management for hosts and services

  • manage retention

    • loads and saves retention information for checks/hosts/services

  • manage live states

    • creates and updates states for hosts and services
    • manages acknowledges, downtimes, re-checks

  • feed time series databases with performance data

    • get performance data from the elements check to feed Graphite and/or Influx

  • system activity log

    • store all the system activity in a timestamped log

More information is available in the project repository.

The backend full documentation is available on https://alignak-backend.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

REST API

The Alignak backend, based on the Python Eve framework, implements a complete REST API to manage the monitored objects data model.

The detailed API is available in the backend documentation.

Using the backend with Alignak

Installing the Alignak backend is an easy operation. The different installation methods are detailed in the documentation but the most easy way is to:

# On Debian base distro
# Assuming that you already have a running MongoDB instance
sudo apt install uwsgi uwsgi-plugin-python alignak-backend

Once installed, the backend is ready to run and you can start with:

sudo systemctl enable alignak-backend
sudo systemctl start alignak-backend

Configuring the Alignak backend is made easy thanks to a settings.json file. The default configuration makes the backend run on the local interface, on port 5000, and it creates an admin user that can be used to log-in.

Once installed, the backend needs to be related to Alignak daemons. This is achieved thanks to the Alignak backend modules.

A backend installation tutorial exists on the SysAdmin.cool web site.

Feeding the backend

On start, the backend creates some elements if they do not yet exist:

  • a default super administrator user named admin with an admin password
  • a default Realm (All)
  • default groups (users groups, hosts groups and services groups) named All
  • default time periods: 24x7 and None

Those default elements are used as default values for the newly created elements to insure data model integrity.

Creating or updating data in the backend is made simple thanks to:

  • direct curl commands
  • using a REST client like PostMan
  • using the Alignak backend client Python library
  • using the Alignak backend client PHP library
  • a flat-files Nagios configuration importation script

Backend clients

Several backend client or libraries exist to use the REST API. They will not be described in this document.

For more information, see:

To be completed…

Backend importation script

The easiest and fastest way to populate data in the Alignak backend is to import your existing configuration into the backend.

The alignak-backend-import makes it as easy as:

alignak-backend-import /etc/my_config/config.cfg

Once this script has finished its execution, you will be able to browse your contacts, hosts, services, … in the Alignak backend.

The most often alignak-backend-import command is:

alignak-backend-import -d -b http://backend:5000 -u username -p password /etc/my_config/config.cfg

where you specify that you want to delete existing data (-d), indicate where is located you backend (-b) and how to log-in (-u, -p).

More information is available in this documentation.