check_netscaler

Nagios/Icinga monitoring plugin for Citrix NetScaler (ADC) using the NITRO REST API.

Version 2.0 - Python Rewrite

This is a complete Python rewrite of check_netscaler. All 16 check commands are implemented with comprehensive test coverage and full CI/CD integration.

Looking for the stable Perl version (v1.x)? See tags < 2.0.0 for the legacy Perl implementation.

Breaking Changes from v1.x

• HTTPS is now default - Use --no-ssl for HTTP instead of -s for HTTPS
• Environment variable support added: NETSCALER_HOST, NETSCALER_USER, NETSCALER_PASS

Features

Monitor your NetScaler without SNMP:

• Virtual Servers - Load balancer, VPN, GSLB, Content Switching, AAA
• Services & Service Groups - State and member quorum monitoring
• SSL Certificates - Expiration warnings
• High Availability - HA status and sync monitoring
• System Resources - CPU, memory, disk usage thresholds
• Network Interfaces - Interface status and statistics
• License Management - License expiration tracking
• NTP Synchronization - Time sync validation
• Configuration - Unsaved config detection
• Performance Data - Generic metric collection for any NITRO object

Advanced Features

• Regex-based filtering (--filter / --limit)
• Custom performance data labels
• Flexible threshold formats
• Multiple Python versions supported (3.12-3.14)

Requirements

Python >= 3.12
requests >= 2.31.0

Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

pip install check_netscaler

From Source

git clone https://github.com/slauger/check_netscaler.git
cd check_netscaler

# Install
pip install .

# For development
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Pre-built Binaries (Standalone)

For systems without Python or pip, download standalone executables from the Releases page:

• Linux: check_netscaler-linux
• macOS: check_netscaler-macos
• Windows: check_netscaler-windows.exe

These binaries are built with PyInstaller and include all dependencies. No Python installation required.

# Linux/macOS example
chmod +x check_netscaler-linux
./check_netscaler-linux --help

# Windows example
check_netscaler-windows.exe --help

Quick Start

# Check all load balancer vServers
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -u nsroot -p nsroot -C state -o lbvserver

# Check SSL certificate expiration
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C sslcert -w 60 -c 30

# Check CPU usage
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C above -o system -n cpuusagepcnt -w 75 -c 90

# Check HA status
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C hastatus

# Check NTP sync
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C ntp -w "o=0.03" -c "o=0.05"

Using Environment Variables (Recommended)

For improved security and convenience, use environment variables instead of command-line arguments:

# Export credentials once
export NETSCALER_HOST=192.168.1.10
export NETSCALER_USER=monitoring
export NETSCALER_PASS=SecurePassword123

# Now run checks without passing credentials
check_netscaler -C state -o lbvserver
check_netscaler -C sslcert -w 60 -c 30
check_netscaler -C hastatus

Why use environment variables?

• Security: Credentials are not visible in process listings (ps, top, /proc)
• Convenience: Set once, use in multiple commands
• Best Practice: Follows patterns from other monitoring plugins (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
• Integration: Works seamlessly with Icinga 2 env attribute, Nagios/systemd environments

Command-line arguments always override environment variables if both are provided.

Available Commands

Documentation

• CLI Reference - Complete command-line options reference
• Command Examples - Detailed usage for every command
• Icinga 2 Integration - CheckCommand definitions
• Nagios Integration - Command and service configurations

Development

Running Tests

# Run all tests
pytest tests/

# With coverage
pytest tests/ --cov=check_netscaler --cov-report=html

# Linting
ruff check check_netscaler/ tests/

# Formatting
black check_netscaler/ tests/

CI/CD

GitHub Actions pipeline runs automatically on every push:

• Matrix testing on Python 3.12, 3.13, 3.14
• Linting with ruff
• Code formatting with black
• Type checking with mypy
• Comprehensive test suite with pytest

License

MIT License - See LICENSE

Contributors

• slauger - Original author
• macampo
• Velociraptor85
• bb-ricardo
• DerInti

Links

• Issue Tracker
• Pull Requests
• NetScaler NITRO API Documentation