NGINX Cookbook, 2nd Edition

Chapter 16. Introduction to NGINX Instance Manager

16.0 Introduction

NGINX Instance Manager is a service that works with an agent on your NGINX instances. The service can scan your networks for existing NGINX instances, as well as TLS certificates. By providing an inventory of instances and certificates, you can view your landscape of web servers and proxies from a single interface or API. The API enables you to scan, check, and update your data plane through automation that you can integrate into your existing tools and workflows.

The NGINX Instance Manager agent collects metrics from NGINX or NGINX Plus, and allows for direct configuration checks and updates from a centralized interface. You can use NGINX Instance Manager as a metric collection integration point, which reduces the complexity of adding NGINX stub status or NGINX Plus metric API endpoints to your consolidated metric-gathering platform.

NGINX Instance Manager requires a license; however, there is a free trial available so that you can explore its functionality and value for yourself.

16.1 Setup Overview

Problem

You would like to set up an NGINX Instance Manager.

Solution

Installing the NGINX Instance Manager server follows the same workflow as other licensed NGINX products. You must first obtain a license file, and either the package or a repository certificate key pair. Once you have the necessary files, you use the package manager for your system to install the software. For the most up-to-date and accurate ...