# Data collection plugins

Netdata supports **internal** and **external** data collection plugins:

-   **internal** plugins are written in `C` and run as threads inside the `netdata` daemon.

-   **external** plugins may be written in any computer language and are spawn as independent long-running processes by the `netdata` daemon.
     They communicate with the `netdata` daemon via `pipes` (`stdout` communication).

To minimize the number of processes spawn for data collection, Netdata also supports **plugin orchestrators**.

-   **plugin orchestrators** are external plugins that do not collect any data by themeselves.
     Instead they support data collection **modules** written in the language of the orchestrator.
     Usually the orchestrator provides a higher level abstraction, making it ideal for writing new
     data collection modules with the minimum of code.

     Currently Netdata provides plugin orchestrators
     BASH v4+ [charts.d.plugin](charts.d.plugin/),
     node.js [node.d.plugin](node.d.plugin/) and
     python v2+ (including v3) [python.d.plugin](python.d.plugin/).

## Netdata Plugins

|plugin|lang|O/S|runs as|modular|description|
|:----:|:--:|:-:|:-----:|:-----:|:----------|
|[apps.plugin](apps.plugin/)|`C`|linux, freebsd|external|-|monitors the whole process tree on Linux and FreeBSD and breaks down system resource usage by **process**, **user** and **user group**.|
|[cgroups.plugin](cgroups.plugin/)|`C`|linux|internal|-|collects resource usage of **Containers**, libvirt **VMs** and **systemd services**, on Linux systems|
|[charts.d.plugin](charts.d.plugin/)|`BASH` v4+|any|external|yes|a **plugin orchestrator** for data collection modules written in `BASH` v4+.|
|[checks.plugin](checks.plugin/)|`C`|any|internal|-|a debugging plugin (by default it is disabled)|
|[cups.plugin](cups.plugin/)|`C`|any|external|-|monitors **CUPS**|
|[diskspace.plugin](diskspace.plugin/)|`C`|linux|internal|-|collects disk space usage metrics on Linux mount points|
|[fping.plugin](fping.plugin/)|`C`|any|external|-|measures network latency, jitter and packet loss between the monitored node and any number of remote network end points.|
|[ioping.plugin](ioping.plugin/)|`C`|any|external|-|measures disk read/write latency.|
|[freebsd.plugin](freebsd.plugin/)|`C`|freebsd|internal|yes|collects resource usage and performance data on FreeBSD systems|
|[freeipmi.plugin](freeipmi.plugin/)|`C`|linux, freebsd|external|-|collects metrics from enterprise hardware sensors, on Linux and FreeBSD servers.|
|[idlejitter.plugin](idlejitter.plugin/)|`C`|any|internal|-|measures CPU latency and jitter on all operating systems|
|[macos.plugin](macos.plugin/)|`C`|macos|internal|yes|collects resource usage and performance data on MacOS systems|
|[nfacct.plugin](nfacct.plugin/)|`C`|linux|external|-|collects netfilter firewall, connection tracker and accounting metrics using `libmnl` and `libnetfilter_acct`|
|[xenstat.plugin](xenstat.plugin/)|`C`|linux|external|-|collects XenServer and XCP-ng metrics using `libxenstat`|
|[perf.plugin](perf.plugin/)|`C`|linux|external|-|collects CPU performance metrics using performance monitoring units (PMU).|
|[node.d.plugin](node.d.plugin/)|`node.js`|any|external|yes|a **plugin orchestrator** for data collection modules written in `node.js`.|
|[plugins.d](plugins.d/)|`C`|any|internal|-|implements the **external plugins** API and serves external plugins|
|[proc.plugin](proc.plugin/)|`C`|linux|internal|yes|collects resource usage and performance data on Linux systems|
|[python.d.plugin](python.d.plugin/)|`python` v2+|any|external|yes|a **plugin orchestrator** for data collection modules written in `python` v2 or v3 (both are supported).|
|[slabinfo.plugin](slabinfo.plugin/)|`C`|linux|external|-|collects kernel SLAB details on Linux systems|
|[statsd.plugin](statsd.plugin/)|`C`|any|internal|-|implements a high performance **statsd** server for Netdata|
|[tc.plugin](tc.plugin/)|`C`|linux|internal|-|collects traffic QoS metrics (`tc`) of Linux network interfaces|

## Enabling and Disabling plugins

Each plugin can be enabled or disabled via `netdata.conf`, section `[plugins]`.

At this section there a list of all the plugins with a boolean setting to enable them or disable them.

The exception is `statsd.plugin` that has its own `[statsd]` section.

Once a plugin is enabled, consult the page of each plugin for additional configuration options.

All **external plugins** are managed by [plugins.d](plugins.d/), which provides additional management options.

### Internal Plugins

Each of the internal plugins runs as a thread inside the `netdata` daemon.
Once this thread has started, the plugin may spawn additional threads according to its design.

#### Internal Plugins API

The internal data collection API consists of the following calls:

```c
collect_data() {
    // collect data here (one iteration)

    collected_number collected_value = collect_a_value();

    // give the metrics to Netdata

    static RRDSET *st = NULL; // the chart
    static RRDDIM *rd = NULL; // a dimension attached to this chart

    if(unlikely(!st)) {
        // we haven't created this chart before
        // create it now
        st = rrdset_create_localhost(
                "type"
                , "id"
                , "name"
                , "family"
                , "context"
                , "Chart Title"
                , "units"
                , "plugin-name"
                , "module-name"
                , priority
                , update_every
                , chart_type
        );

        // attach a metric to it
        rd = rrddim_add(st, "id", "name", multiplier, divider, algorithm);
    }
    else {
        // this chart is already created
        // let Netdata know we start a new iteration on it
        rrdset_next(st);
    }

    // give the collected value(s) to the chart
    rrddim_set_by_pointer(st, rd, collected_value);

    // signal Netdata we are done with this iteration
    rrdset_done(st);
}
```

Of course, Netdata has a lot of libraries to help you also in collecting the metrics. The best way to find your way through this, is to examine what other similar plugins do.

### External Plugins

**External plugins** use the API and are managed by [plugins.d](plugins.d/).

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