Install Sensu plugins

Extend Sensu’s functionality with plugins, which provide executables for performing status or metric checks, mutators for changing data to a desired format, and handlers for performing an action on a Sensu event.

Install plugins with dynamic runtime assets

Dynamic runtime assets are shareable, reusable packages that make it easier to deploy Sensu plugins. Read Use dynamic runtime assets to install plugins to become familiar with workflows that involve assets.

NOTE: Dynamic runtime assets are not required to use Sensu Go. You can install Sensu plugins using the sensu-install tool or a configuration management solution.

Use the Sensu Catalog to find, configure, and install many plugins directly from your browser. Follow the Catalog prompts to configure the Sensu resources you need and start processing your observability data with a few clicks.

You can also use Bonsai, the Sensu asset hub, a centralized place for downloading and sharing dynamic runtime assets. Bonsai lists hundreds of plugins, libraries, and runtimes with instructions and examples to help you automate your monitoring workflows. You can also share your asset on Bonsai.

Install plugins with the sensu-install tool

To use community plugins that are not yet compatible with Sensu Go, use the sensu-install tool.

If you’ve used previous versions of Sensu, you’re probably familiar with the Sensu Community Plugins organization on GitHub. Although some of these plugins are enabled for Sensu Go, some do not include the components necessary to work with Sensu Go. Read each plugin’s instructions for information about whether it is compatibile with Sensu Go.

NOTE: Plugins in the Sensu Plugins GitHub organization are community-maintained: anyone can improve on them. To get started with adding to a plugin or sharing your own, head to the Sensu Community Slack channel. Maintainers are always happy to help answer questions and point you in the right direction.

The sensu-install tool comes with an embedded version of Ruby, so you don’t need to have Ruby installed on your system.

To install a Sensu Community plugin with Sensu Go:

  1. Install the sensu-plugins-ruby package from packagecloud.

  2. Run the sensu-install command to install plugins in the Sensu Community Plugins GitHub organization by repository name. Plugins are installed into /opt/sensu-plugins-ruby/embedded/bin.

To list all flags for the sensu-install command, run:

sensu-install --help

The response will be similar to this example:

Usage: sensu-install [options]
    -h, --help                       Display this message
    -v, --verbose                    Enable verbose logging
    -p, --plugin PLUGIN              Install a Sensu PLUGIN
    -P, --plugins PLUGIN[,PLUGIN]    PLUGIN or comma-delimited list of Sensu plugins to install
    -e, --extension EXTENSION        Install a Sensu EXTENSION
    -E, --extensions EXTENSION[,EXT] EXTENSION or comma-delimited list of Sensu extensions to install
    -s, --source SOURCE              Install Sensu plugins and extensions from a custom SOURCE
    -c, --clean                      Clean up (remove) other installed versions of the plugin(s) and/or extension(s)
    -x, --proxy PROXY                Install Sensu plugins and extensions via a PROXY URL

For example, to install the Sensu InfluxDB plugin:

sudo sensu-install -p influxdb

To install a specific version of the Sensu InfluxDB plugin with sensu-install, run:

sudo sensu-install -p 'sensu-plugins-influxdb:2.0.0'

NOTE: We recommend specifying the plugin version you want to install to maintain the stability of your observability infrastructure. If you do not specify a version to install, Sensu automatically installs the latest version, which may include breaking changes.

Use a configuration management tool or Sensu dynamic runtime assets to pin the versions of any plugins installed in production.

NOTE: If a plugin is not Sensu Go-enabled and there is no analogue on Bonsai, you can add the necessary functionality to make the plugin compatible with Sensu Go. Follow the Discourse guide Contributing Assets for Existing Ruby Sensu Plugins to walk through the process.

Troubleshoot the sensu-install tool

Some plugins require additional tools to install them successfully. An example is the Sensu disk checks plugin.

To download and update package information:

sudo apt-get update
sudo yum update

Depending on the plugin, you may need to install developer tool packages:

sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo yum groupinstall "Development Tools"