Self-Hosting Glances for System Monitoring

In this article, we'll walk through the complete process of working with glances in a server environment. Understanding system is essential for maintaining a reliable and performant infrastructure.

Prerequisites

• Root or sudo access to the server
• A registered domain name (for public-facing services)
• A VPS running Ubuntu 22.04 or later (2GB+ RAM recommended)
• Basic familiarity with the Linux command line

Docker Compose Setup

The default configuration works well for development environments, but production servers require additional tuning. Pay particular attention to connection limits, timeout values, and logging settings.

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  glances:
    image: glances/glances:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - glances_data:/data
      - glances_config:/config
    environment:
      - TZ=UTC
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=glances
      - POSTGRES_USER=glances
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeme

volumes:
  glances_data:
  glances_config:
  db_data:

This configuration provides a good balance between performance and resource usage. For high-traffic scenarios, you may need to increase the limits further.

• Use version control for configuration files
• Document all configuration changes
• Maintain runbooks for common operations

Initial Configuration

Regular maintenance is essential for keeping your glances installation running smoothly. Schedule periodic reviews of log files, disk usage, and security updates to prevent issues before they occur.

# Reverse proxy configuration
server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name glances.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/glances.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/glances.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_buffering off;
        client_max_body_size 0;
    }
}

The output should show the service running without errors. If you see any warning messages, address them before proceeding to the next step.

• Review log files weekly for anomalies
• Enable automatic security updates for critical patches
• Monitor disk space usage and set up alerts
• Keep your system packages updated regularly
• Test your backup restore procedure monthly

Reverse Proxy Integration

Regular maintenance is essential for keeping your glances installation running smoothly. Schedule periodic reviews of log files, disk usage, and security updates to prevent issues before they occur.

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  glances:
    image: glances/glances:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - glances_data:/data
      - glances_config:/config
    environment:
      - TZ=UTC
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=glances
      - POSTGRES_USER=glances
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeme

volumes:
  glances_data:
  glances_config:
  db_data:

The configuration above sets the recommended values for a VPS with 2-4GB of RAM. Adjust the memory-related settings proportionally if your server has different specifications.

Configuration Options

Performance benchmarks show that properly tuned glances can handle significantly more concurrent connections than the default configuration. The key improvements come from adjusting worker processes and connection pooling.

Data Persistence

For production deployments, consider implementing high availability by running multiple instances behind a load balancer. This approach provides both redundancy and improved performance under heavy load.

# Reverse proxy configuration
server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name glances.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/glances.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/glances.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_buffering off;
        client_max_body_size 0;
    }
}

Note that file paths may vary depending on your Linux distribution. The examples here are for Debian/Ubuntu; adjust paths accordingly for RHEL/CentOS-based systems.

• Set up fail2ban for brute force protection
• Keep all software components up to date
• Use SSH keys instead of password authentication
• Use strong, unique passwords for all services

Conclusion

This guide covered the essential steps for working with glances on a VPS environment. For more advanced configurations, refer to the official documentation. Don't hesitate to reach out to our support team if you need help with your specific setup.