# How to Install the DigitalOcean Metrics Agent Using the Metrics Agent Repository

DigitalOcean Monitoring is a free, opt-in service that lets you track Droplet resource usage in real time, visualize performance metrics, and receive alerts via email or Slack to proactively manage your infrastructure’s health.

The DigitalOcean metrics agent is an open-source Go utility that collects system-level metrics and forwards them to DigitalOcean. It enables extended Droplet monitoring features, including usage graphs, alerting, and custom metrics.

**Note**:

  **Data Collection Disclosure:** The DigitalOcean metrics agent collects and sends system telemetry data for the purpose of performance monitoring and alerting. No Customer Content is collected or transmitted. Historical data remains in our database for 90 days after uninstalling the agent, after which it is automatically deleted.

  For GPU Droplets created via the control panel using our AI/ML Ready image, the metrics agent option is selected by default. To uninstall the metrics agent, read [How to Uninstall the DigitalOcean Metrics Agent](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/monitoring/how-to/uninstall-metrics-agent/index.html.md).

You can install the metrics agent by manually configuring the DigitalOcean package repository instead of using the [automated installation script](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/monitoring/how-to/install-metrics-agent/index.html.md). Use this option for more control over your system’s package sources or to audit and manage repository configuration directly.

## Check Which Operating System Your Droplet Uses

The package manager used to install the metrics agent repository depends on your operating system. For example, Ubuntu and Debian use `apt`, while CentOS and Fedora use `yum`. Each package manager requires its own repository format and configuration process.

To check which operating system your Droplet is running, use the following command:

```shell
cat /etc/os-release
```

For example, if your Droplet is uses Ubuntu, you should see output similar to this:

```text
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="22.04.4 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS"
VERSION_ID="22.04"
```

## Install Metrics Agent Repository

Installing the DigitalOcean metrics agent repository depends on your operating system. After you [check which operating system your Droplet uses](#check-which-operating-system-your-droplet-uses), follow the steps for your system to add the repository, verify the GPG key, and install the `do-agent` package.

## Ubuntu and Debian

To add the metrics agent repository, open a new file using a text editor of your choice (for example, `nano`) to define the DigitalOcean repository source:

```shell
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/digitalocean-agent.list
```

This command opens a blank file in the `nano` editor. Then, add the following line to the file.

```text
deb https://repos.insights.digitalocean.com/apt/do-agent/ main main
```

This line adds the DigitalOcean APT repository to your package sources so your system can locate the `do-agent` package.

Afterwards, save the changes and exit the file.

After creating the configuration file, download and add the DigitalOcean GPG key for the DigitalOcean repository. This verifies the authenticity of the packages you install:

```shell
curl https://repos.insights.digitalocean.com/sonar-agent.asc | sudo apt-key add -
```

The command returns output confirming the key was added:

```text
| sudo apt-key add -
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  1688  100  1688    0     0  34163      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 34448
Warning: apt-key is deprecated. Manage keyring files in trusted.gpg.d instead (see apt-key(8)).
OK
```

To confirm that the GPG key is present, run the following command to see if your key is listed:

```shell
sudo apt-key list | grep -i digitalocean
```

If you see similar output like below, then the GPG key is present in your Droplet:

```text
uid           [ unknown] DigitalOcean Insights Engineering <sonar-agent@digitalocean.com>
```

Restart your system’s package list so that it includes the DigitalOcean repository and its available packages:

```shell
sudo apt-get update
```

You should see output confirming a successful connection to the repositories. If you see warnings about duplicate entries, it means the same repository is listed more than once. These warnings are safe to ignore as long as your `.list` file contains the correct, non-duplicated entry, which you confirmed earlier.

```text
Hit:1 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu oracular InRelease
Hit:2 http://mirrors.digitalocean.com/ubuntu oracular-updates InRelease
Hit:3 https://repos.insights.digitalocean.com/apt/do-agent main InRelease
...
Reading package lists... Done
W: Target Packages (main/binary-amd64/Packages) is configured multiple times ...
...
```

Lastly, install the metrics agent by installing the `do-agent` package from the DigitalOcean repository using your system’s package manager:

```shell
sudo apt-get install do-agent
```

The command returns output confirming the agent was successfully downloaded, installed, and enabled to start automatically using `systemd` like below:

```text
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  do-agent
...
Selecting previously unselected package do-agent.
(Reading database ... 76045 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../do-agent_3.17.1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking do-agent (3.17.1) ...
Setting up do-agent (3.17.1) ...
Detecting SELinux
SELinux not enforced
useradd: user 'do-agent' already exists
enable systemd service
Created symlink '/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/do-agent.service' → '/etc/systemd/system/do-agent.service'.
...
```

## CentOS and Fedora

To create the repository configuration file, open a new `.repo` file using a text editor of your choice (for example, `nano`) where you define the DigitalOcean package repository:

```shell
sudo nano /etc/yum.repos.d/digitalocean-agent.repo
```

This command creates and opens a blank file in the `nano` editor. Add the following contents to define the repository configuration, like this:

```text
[sonar]
name=do agent
baseurl=https://repos.insights.digitalocean.com/yum/do-agent/$basearch
failovermethod=priority
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://repos.insights.digitalocean.com/sonar-agent.asc
```

This configuration block defines the DigitalOcean repository:

- `baseurl`: where your system fetches the package
- `gpgcheck=1`: ensures that package signatures is verified
- `gpgkey`: location of the key used for verification

After pasting the contents of the config file, save and exit the file.

Then, download and add the DigitalOcean GPG key to ensure that the install package is trusted and not tampered with:

```shell
sudo rpm --import https://repos.insights.digitalocean.com/sonar-agent.asc
```

This command does not produce any output if successful. To confirm the key was added, run the following command, which lists all installed GPG keys and filters for one associated with DigitalOcean, like this:

```shell
rpm -qa gpg-pubkey --qf "%{NAME}-%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}\n" | xargs -I{} rpm -qi {} | grep -i digitalocean
```

If the key was added successfully, the command outputs a confirmation that the DigitalOcean GPG key is present and trusted by your system:

```text
Summary     : DigitalOcean Agent Signing Key
```

Lastly, install the metrics agent via the `do-agent` package from the DigitalOcean repository using your system’s package manager:

```shell
sudo yum install do-agent
```

You should see output showing the system is ready to install the `do-agent` package, listing its size and origin. When prompted with `Is this ok [y/N]:`, type `y`, and then press `ENTER` to confirm you want to proceed with the installation.

```text
Updating and loading repositories:
 do agent                                                        100% | 105.7 KiB/s |   7.8 KiB |  00m00s
Repositories loaded.
Package                           Arch      Version                           Repository             Size
Installing:
 do-agent                         x86_64    3.17.1-1                          sonar              12.5 MiB

Transaction Summary:
 Installing:         1 package

Total size of inbound packages is 5 MiB. Need to download 5 MiB.
After this operation, 13 MiB extra will be used (install 13 MiB, remove 0 B).
Is this ok [y/N]:
```

After you confirm the installation, the system completes the remaining steps. The output shows the agent being installed and prepared to run:

```text
[1/1] do-agent-0:3.17.1-1.x86_64                                 100% |  44.6 MiB/s |   4.8 MiB |  00m00s
...
[3/3] Installing do-agent-0:3.17.1-1.x86_64                      100% |   2.3 MiB/s |  12.5 MiB |  00m05s
Complete!
```

After installing the metrics agent, [verify that it is active and running](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/monitoring/how-to/install-metrics-agent/index.html.md#install-verify).

In the [DigitalOcean Control Panel](https://cloud.digitalocean.com), go to your Droplet’s **Graphs** tab to view its metrics. Data appears a few minutes after the metrics agent is activated and begins reporting.