What the agent does
- Scans packages (rpm/dpkg) and popular services (nginx, postgres, redis, mysql)
- Deduplicates overlapping findings
- Normalizes names so recommendations stay accurate
Why it matters for the business
- Visibility: see what’s really installed
- Control version drift across environments
- Foundation for alerts and updates without manual collection
How to use it
- Install the agent and set the polling interval
- Check the dashboard: new apps and changes are highlighted automatically
- Fix discrepancies quickly or schedule updates
Reducing noise
- Exclude -dev/-dbg packages unless needed
- Prefer canonical names (nginx vs nginx-core) for cleaner analytics
- Use staging to test new discovery rules before prod rollout
Mini FAQ
- Will it miss custom builds? Add a binary check (e.g.,
/opt/app --version)
- Different versions across nodes? That’s the point — drift gets surfaced
- How often to scan? Start with 5–10 minutes; tune by fleet size and churn
Handy commands (examples)
# RPM quick view
rpm -qa --qf "%{NAME} %{VERSION}\n" | head
# DPKG quick view
dpkg -l | awk '{print $2" "$3}' | head
Helpful links
