Zabbix on serverplus: monitoring from a ready image

Zabbix is an open-source monitoring system: it watches servers, sites, network gear and services, collects metrics (CPU load, memory, disk, availability of ports and sites), draws graphs and dashboards and sends alerts when something goes wrong — before users even notice.

On serverplus you do not need to assemble Zabbix by hand — the panel has a ready-made image. You create a server from the image and immediately get a working monitoring system with a web interface. The current line is Zabbix 7.x (LTS 7.0); the version is chosen in the panel.

What Zabbix is for

• Availability and load. See in real time whether servers and services are alive and how loaded they are (CPU, RAM, disk, network).
• History and graphs. Store metrics and watch trends — handy for finding the cause of "slowdowns" and planning resources.
• Alerts. Get notifications (e-mail, Telegram, etc.) on a failure, low disk space, or a site being down — and react in advance.
• A single panel. Gather all servers and services on one dashboard instead of checking each one separately.
• Auto-discovery and templates. Ready templates for Linux, Windows, databases, web servers, Docker and more — no need to configure metrics from scratch.

What is inside the image

The Zabbix image from the panel is a ready bundle, everything is already configured and running:

• Zabbix server — the core that collects and processes data.
• Web interface (frontend) — a PHP control panel in the browser.
• A database (MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL) — stores metrics and settings.
• Zabbix agent — on the monitoring server itself (so it is watched too).

Recommended configuration

• CPU and RAM. To start and for a small fleet (up to a few dozen hosts) — 1–2 vCPU and 2 GB RAM; the more hosts and metrics, the more RAM.
• Disk. From 40 GB, type ssd-universal. Metrics pile up in the database — for long history and many hosts leave headroom on disk (and nvme-fast for the database under high load).
• A public IP — to open the web interface and receive data from agents.

Step 1. Create a server from the Zabbix image

In the cloud.serverplus.uz panel, start creating a server and, at the image selection step, choose the Zabbix app:

• Location. Choose the region (for example uz-tas1 / RegionOne).
• Image → the "Apps" tab. Select the Zabbix tile and pick the version from the list.
• Configuration. Set vCPU/RAM and a disk from 40 GB (ssd-universal).
• Network and access. Enable a public IP and set the login — an SSH key (recommended) or a root password.
• Create the server and wait for it to boot.

Step 2. Log in to the web interface

• Open in a browser http://your_server_IP/ (or http://your_server_IP/zabbix) — the Zabbix login page appears.
• Log in with the default account: username Admin, password zabbix (case-sensitive).

Change the Admin password immediately. This is the first thing to do: Users → Users → Admin → Change password. Everyone knows the default Admin/zabbix — you cannot leave it on a server with a public IP.

If you like, change the interface language and theme in the user profile (top-right corner).

Step 3. Add hosts to monitor

The Zabbix server itself is already monitored. To watch other servers, install the Zabbix agent on them and add them as "hosts".

On the server you want to monitor (example for Ubuntu/Debian; for other OSes and Windows — packages at zabbix.com/download):

# add the Zabbix repository and install the agent sudo apt install -y zabbix-agent2 # set the Zabbix server IP in the config: #   /etc/zabbix/zabbix_agent2.conf → Server=Zabbix_server_IP sudo systemctl enable --now zabbix-agent2

In the Zabbix web interface: the Data collection → Hosts → Create host section. Enter a name, the host IP and the agent interface (port 10050), attach a ready template (for example Linux by Zabbix agent) and a group. Metrics start flowing within a minute.

Firewall between servers. The Zabbix server contacts the agent on port 10050. Open it on the monitored server only for the Zabbix server IP, not to the outside.

Step 4. Configure alerts

• Delivery method. Alerts → Media types — enable and configure a channel: e-mail, Telegram, a webhook, etc.
• Whom to notify. In the user profile, add an address/ID in the Media section.
• When to send. Alerts → Actions — the rule: on which trigger and to whom to send. After that Zabbix notifies you about problems itself.

Setup and security

• Change the Admin password — mandatory (see step 2).
• HTTPS. Enable SSL for the web interface (a domain + Let’s Encrypt via certbot) so the login and data don't travel in plain text.
• Firewall. Outward — only 80/443 and SSH. Port 10051 (receiving data from agents) — only from your servers' addresses; 10050 on the agents — only for the Zabbix server.
• SSH key login and basic server hardening — see the "Basic server protection" article.
• Backups. Back up the Zabbix database and configuration: a snapshot in the serverplus panel + upload to S3 object storage.

FAQ

What exactly can I monitor?

Servers (Linux, Windows), sites and HTTP services, databases, network gear over SNMP, Docker/containers, queues, availability of ports and certificates — most of these have ready templates.

Must I install an agent on every server?

No. The agent gives the most metrics, but Zabbix also works without it: over SNMP, via simple checks (ping, port, HTTP), over IPMI. For full OS monitoring, though, the agent is more convenient.

Where is the monitoring data stored?

In the database on the Zabbix server itself. The volume grows with the number of hosts and the history depth — watch the disk space and tune the retention period (housekeeping) to your needs.

How many resources are needed?

For a small fleet — 1–2 vCPU and 2 GB RAM, an ssd-universal disk. For hundreds of hosts and frequent polling — more RAM and nvme-fast for the database.

What are the default login and password?

Username Admin, password zabbix (case-sensitive). These are the standard Zabbix values — change the password right after the first login.

Which version is in the image?

The version is chosen in the panel at creation (the "Apps" tab, the Zabbix tile — a list of versions). This is the current Zabbix 7.x line; for stability take the LTS release (7.0).