Configuration

The agent reads one JSON file, client.config.json. It says which plugins to run, how to configure each one, and where to send the results. Enrollment writes a working file for you. This page covers the file when you want to change it.

Where the file lives

The agent looks for client.config.json in this order and uses the first one that parses:

1. The path given with --config. If you name a file and it can't be read, the agent exits instead of falling back to defaults.
2. The current working directory.
3. The agent's state directory, usually ~/.config/daemonitor. Getting started lists the full order.
4. /etc/daemonitor/client.config.json.

A file that exists but isn't valid JSON is skipped with a warning. If nothing is found, the agent runs with { "plugins": ["os"] }.

The startup banner prints which file it loaded:

daemonitor-client 1.2.1 on web-01
  endpoint  https://daemonitor.com/api
  config    /home/deploy/.config/daemonitor/client.config.json
  plugins   os, docker, web

Restart the agent after editing the file. It does not watch for changes.

Structure

{
  "connectors": ["rest-api"],
  "plugins": ["os", "docker", "web"],

  "os": {
    "name": "os",
    "uniqueId": "os",
    "refreshInterval": 30000
  },
  "docker": {
    "name": "docker",
    "uniqueId": "docker",
    "refreshInterval": 60000,
    "dockerBin": "docker",
    "projects": [],
    "exclude": []
  },
  "web": {
    "name": "web",
    "uniqueId": "web",
    "refreshInterval": 60000,
    "endpoints": [
      {
        "name": "Marketing site",
        "url": "https://www.example.com/",
        "expectedStrings": ["Example Domain"],
        "expectedStatusCode": 200,
        "timeout": 5000
      }
    ]
  }
}

There are three kinds of top-level key.

Key	What it does
plugins	Array of plugin names to run. A plugin not named here does not run, even if it has a block below.
connectors	Where reports go. Optional. Defaults to rest-api.
<plugin name>	One object per plugin, keyed by the same name used in plugins.

The system key and endpoint do not belong in this file. The agent takes them from credentials.json, a flag or an environment variable, and passes them to the rest-api connector itself.

The plugins array

Names are matched case-insensitively. The agent in @daemonitor/client 1.2.x loads these plugins:

Name	Watches
os	CPU, memory, disk, network, uptime
pm2	Processes managed by pm2
docker	Docker containers, one report per compose project
lxc	LXC, LXD or Incus containers
web	HTTP checks against URLs
wordpress	WordPress security posture through WP-CLI
logwatch	Web access logs for attack patterns
netscan	Ping reachability of LAN devices
snmp	SNMP devices such as printers and NAS units
tplink	TP-Link extenders and access points
3cx	A 3CX phone system
patroni	A Patroni Postgres node. Needed for cluster leader tracking
adsense	Google AdSense earnings
ga4	Google Analytics 4 properties

When enrollment builds your config and you picked no plugins, it uses what the agent found on the machine. It enables pm2 if the binary is on PATH, docker if the socket is readable by the user the service will run as, lxc if an LXD socket exists, and always os.

Per-plugin blocks

Every plugin reads the block named after it. Three fields are common to all of them.

Field	Meaning
name	Display name for the plugin's row in the dashboard.
uniqueId	The identity of the row on the server. Reports with the same uniqueId update the same service. Defaults to <name>-<n>, where n depends on plugin load order, so set it explicitly. Cluster rules match on it.
refreshInterval	Milliseconds between reports.

Defaults when refreshInterval is absent:

Plugin	Default
pm2	5000
os, patroni, netscan	30000
docker, lxc, web, logwatch, 3cx	60000
tplink	120000
wordpress, snmp	300000
adsense, ga4	900000

Don't set an interval longer than the dashboard's staleness window. A service that hasn't reported for 5 minutes shows as offline. wordpress gets 15 minutes and adsense and ga4 get 30. See How status works.

The plugin-specific fields, such as endpoints for web or sites for wordpress, are documented on each plugin's own page.

Web checks managed from the dashboard

Web checks can live in the dashboard under Settings, Web monitors, instead of in this file. The web plugin fetches them when its block has both of these fields:

"web": {
  "uniqueId": "web",
  "refreshInterval": 60000,
  "configUrl": "https://daemonitor.com/api/monitors/for-client",
  "systemKey": "<this system's key>",
  "endpoints": []
}

The plugin merges the two lists by name and URL. A check defined in the dashboard wins over a local one with the same name and URL. If a fetch fails, the plugin keeps running the last list it fetched.

Connectors

A connector decides where reports go. Two exist.

Type	What it does
rest-api	Sends each report to the server with PUT /api/clientstate/update. This is the one you want.
console	Prints a line per report to stdout. Set "verbose": true in its config to print the full payload. Useful for testing a plugin without sending anything.

The short form is an array of names:

"connectors": ["rest-api", "console"]

The long form takes a config object:

"connectors": [
  { "type": "rest-api", "name": "REST API", "config": {} },
  { "type": "console", "config": { "verbose": true } }
]

rest-api always inherits the endpoint and system key the agent resolved at startup, so its config can stay empty. A value you set in its config, such as apiUrl or systemKey, overrides the inherited one.

Each push has a 15 second timeout. A failed push is logged and dropped. The next interval sends a fresh report, so nothing queues up.

Command-line flags and environment variables

Every flag has an environment variable. A flag wins over the variable.

Flag	Variable	Meaning
--token <token>	DAEMONITOR_TOKEN	Enrollment token. Only used when no key is stored yet.
--key <key>	DAEMONITOR_KEY, or SYSTEM_KEY	System key. Skips enrollment.
--endpoint <url>	DAEMONITOR_ENDPOINT, or API_BASE_URL	API base URL. Default https://daemonitor.com/api.
--config <path>		Path to client.config.json.
--dir <path>	DAEMONITOR_DIR	State directory for credentials.json and the config.
--plugins <list>		Comma-separated plugin list. Replaces the plugins array from the file.
--install-service		Install and start the systemd unit, then exit. Needs root.
-h, --help		Print usage.
-v, --version		Print the agent version.

The agent also loads a .env file from its working directory, so these variables can live there.

Where the agent gets its key, in order:

1. --key or DAEMONITOR_KEY.
2. credentials.json from an earlier enrollment.
3. Enrollment with --token.

The endpoint follows the same idea. With no --endpoint, the agent uses the endpoint stored in credentials.json, so an agent enrolled against a self-hosted server keeps talking to it.

A minimal file for a web server

{
  "plugins": ["os", "web"],
  "os": { "name": "os", "uniqueId": "os" },
  "web": {
    "name": "web",
    "uniqueId": "web",
    "endpoints": [
      { "name": "Shop", "url": "https://shop.example.com/", "expectedStatusCode": 200 },
      { "name": "API health", "url": "https://api.example.com/health", "expectedStrings": ["ok"] }
    ]
  }
}

Run daemonitor-client once in the foreground and check that the banner lists both plugins, then restart the service.