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Apache Monitoring Tools & Software

apache monitoring tools and software

Marc Wilson UPDATED: October 23, 2023

According to research from Netcraft, Apache has been the leader in the web servers market space, since 1996, one year after its initial release in 1995. As of 2022, Apache is it still in the top two most used web servers, only after Nginx. Apache monitoring tools are crucial in helping you keep track of critical metrics such as server uptime, total traffic, busy/idle workers, user requests, CPU, memory, of your on-premises server (or cloud server).

Netcraft

Although there has been a decline in its use, Apache still holds more than half of the active sites on the internet. The web server is still loved because it is open-source with a great community, easy to install, and secured. But monitoring it can be challenging when there are tons of metrics to check, infrastructure, and app dependencies.

Here is our list of the best Apache monitoring tools:

  1. ManageEngine Applications Manager – FREE TRIAL A great onsite monitoring service that includes application dependency mapping and will assess the performance of Apache. Available for Windows Server and Linux.
  2. Site24x7 Infrastructure – FREE TRIAL with Apache integration A cloud-0based service that tracks Apache web Server performance along with all dependent applications and resources.
  3. Datadog Infrastructure with Apache Integration A monitoring service for all of the applications that lie behind a Web page right back through to the server resources that support them. This is a cloud-based system.
  4. Dynatrace APM An AI-driven applications performance monitor that uses machine learning to constantly adjust performance expectations and predict resource requirements. This is a cloud-based service.
  5. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor A monitoring system that includes the tracing of application interdependencies and can watch Apache Web Server performance. Runs on Windows Server.

Some tools can even help you keep up with the end-user experience. They can help you troubleshoot and make sure that your Apache remains healthy.

Why it is Important to Monitor Apache Web Servers

Keeping an Apache web server healthy is not only a matter of checking services and processes, it is more complicated than that. The Apache is a software package that delivers countless features, such as SSL, FTP, XML, HTTP/2, IPv6, and a lot more. And most Apache installations run though characteristic models of web service stacks that depend on each other, like LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), or XAMPP (Cross-Platform, Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl).

Although Apache has always relied on on-premises infrastructure, from servers, networks, and storage, today, people also run it through the cloud. The instances running the web server should also be monitored. Running web server infrastructure on-premises brings another challenge to the table. The server must be up and running, checking the CPU, memory, and other network metrics such as traffic become another daily monitoring task. Even though Apache is highly reliable and secure, users are sometimes faced with common SSL problems, compilation, conflicted software or blocked ports, etc.

The Best Apache Monitor Tools

Our methodology for selecting Apache monitoring tools and software

We reviewed the Apache monitoring market and analyzed the options based on the following criteria:

  • Ability to schedule and automate scans and audits
  • Facility to analyze Apache server performance over time
  • Graphical interpretation of data, such as charts and graphs
  • Free trial period, a demo, or a money-back guarantee for no-risk assessment
  • Good price that reflects value for money when compared to the functions offered

1. ManageEngine Applications Manager – FREE TRIAL

ManageEngine Applications Manager

ManageEngine Applications Manager is an APM (Application Performance Monitoring) software. It is capable of keeping track of servers, databases, VMs, cloud, end-user experience, and SLAs.

Why do we recommend it?

We recommend ManageEngine Applications Manager for its detailed real-time Apache monitoring. While using this tool for a while, what really amazed us was its automated root cause analysis, which swiftly pinpoints issues. Likewise, we also loved its comprehensive visibility across application stacks, which enhances operational efficiency.

Who is it recommended for?

This tool is perfect for medium to large enterprises that need robust IT monitoring. It's a lifesaver for IT admins and DevOps teams that want to keep things running smoothly without constant firefighting. If you're looking to reduce headaches and boost operational efficiency in monitoring Apache, ManageEngine is the way to go.

Pros:

  • Offers on-premise and cloud deployment options, giving companies more choices for install
  • Highlights interdependencies between applications to map out how performance issues can impact businesses operations
  • Offers log monitoring to track metrics like memory usage, disk IO, and cache status, providing a holistic view into your database health
  • Automatically detect databases, server hardware, and devices for real-time asset management

Cons:

  • Takes time to fully explore all features and options available

Among its many capabilities, the Application Manager offers the Apache Monitor, which can help you identify and fix performance issues in your Apache web server and its vital web services. Applications Manager does not rely on agents to monitor the Apache server. It collects important metrics from the webserver using data collection protocols such as SSH, SNMP, Windows Management Instrumentation, and more.

The software aggregates all the data so that you can easily troubleshoot performance issues. The dashboard will display vital monitoring metrics such as:

  • Requests/minute
  • Request response
  • Apache workers
  • Busy servers
  • Uptime
  • CPU utilization

When there is an issue with your Apache web server, the Applications Manager software will send you instant notifications to your email or phone.

Price: Applications Manager comes in two different packages:

  • Free – Monitor up to 5 apps or servers
  • Professional – $945 for 25 monitors
  • Enterprise – $9,595 for 250

Download: Get the free edition of Applications Manager and start monitoring your Apache for up to five apps or servers.

You can also download a fully-featured Professional/Enterprise free trial for 30 days.

Access 30-day FREE Trial!

2. Site24x7 Infrastructure – FREE TRIAL

Site 24x7

Site24x7 Infrastructure is an extensive performance monitoring software for DevOps and IT Operations. It can help you keep track of servers, networks, websites, and applications deployed on the cloud or on-premises.

Key Features:

  • Keep track of services like HTTPS, DNS Server, FTP Server, SSL/TLS Certificate, and more
  • Monitor server outages and uncover issues
  • Test and record web browser user interactions and improve applications
  • Monitor your cloud resources and VMs

Why do we recommend it?

Site24x7 offers an impressive suite of features that make Apache server monitoring straightforward and thorough. With detailed performance analytics and customizable alerts, it's easy to monitor your server's health. Also, Site24x7 integrates seamlessly with cloud environments, which makes it perfect for businesses with hybrid infrastructures.

When you install the Apache plugin into the Site24X7, you can obtain real-time performance data and historical metrics on a single dashboard. Some of the metrics that the software can collect from your webserver are, uptime, requests per second, busy workers, idle workers, CPU load, total traffic, and more.

Who is it recommended for?

This Apache monitoring tool is recommended for IT admins and DevOps teams looking for a robust tool that simplifies Apache server oversight. If you need to juggle multiple tasks and need a reliable monitor that alerts you before issues become critical, Site24x7 is an ideal choice. As an example of a use case, Site24x7 can help e-commerce companies with Apache monitoring, error tracking, and automated alerts.

Pros:

  • One of the most holistic monitoring tools available, supporting networks, infrastructure, and real user monitoring in a single platform
  • Uses real-time data to discover devices and build charts, network maps, and inventory reports
  • Platform is intuitive, little training is needed to get it fully functional
  • User monitoring can help bridge the gap between technical issues, user behavior, and business metrics
  • Supports a freeware version

Cons:

  • Very detailed platform that will require time to fully learn all of its features and options

License and Price: There are four 24×7 editions:

  • Starter – $9.00/month
  • Pro – $35.00/month
  • Classic – $89.00/month
  • Enterprise – $449.00/month

Download: Get a 30-day free trial of the Site24x7 Pro Edition and start monitoring Apache.

Start 30-day Free Trial!

3. Datadog Infrastructure with Apache Integration

Datadog Apache Monitoring

Datadog is a cloud platform with a range of monitoring modules. Datadog Infrastructure is an extensible monitoring system for applications and services that support front-end software and interfaces, such as websites. The Datadog system can be expanded by integrations that add on specialist monitoring capabilities and there is an integration for Apache Web Server.

Key Features:

  • Watches the statuses of Apache Web Server
  • Monitors the server resource usage by Apache and the availability of those resources
  • Tracks response times, service availability, and connection statuses
  • Retains metrics on the Datadog cloud server for 15 months to support performance analysis
  • Generates service maps that show application dependencies to speed root cause analysis
  • Issues alerts when performance problems are identified

Distinctive Feature

Datadog's Apache monitoring offers automated service maps that visually display application dependencies and interactions. These maps speed up the root cause analysis process by locating issues within a complex system of services.

Why do we recommend it?

While using Datadog for Apache we were really impressed by its in-depth tracking of over 180 Apache metrics like connection stats and response times. This detail means issues don't just slip by, you catch them early. Also, the 15-month data retention offers a comprehensive view of performance trends, making it easier to optimize operations efficiently.

The Apache monitoring system collects more than 180 different metrics in real time, including HTTP status codes, connection counts, rejected connections, response times, and latency. The service can also monitor load balancing services and service resource availability.

Who is it recommended for?

Datadog is suitable for IT and DevOps teams overseeing large-scale web servers that need detailed, real-time data. We highly recommend it if your setup involves managing complex systems where understanding the nuances can significantly impact performance. Teams that value detailed analytics and proactive management will find Datadog especially beneficial.

Pros:

  • Great interface, easy to use, and highly customizable
  • Cloud-based SaaS product allows monitoring with no server deployments or onboarding costs
  • Can monitor both internally and externally giving network admins a holistic view of network performance and accessibility
  • Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps on the fly
  • Prebuilt widgets allows users to create detailed dataflows in just a few clicks
  • Allows businesses to scale their monitoring efforts reliably through flexible pricing options

Cons:

  • Would like to see a longer trial period for testing

License and Price: There are three editions of Datadog Infrastructure. All of them are charged for by subscription. The Apache Web Service is free to add on to the package. These plans are:

  • Free – $0/month for up to five hosts
  • Pro – $15/month per host
  • Enterprise – $23.month per host

The Apache integration is not available with the Free option.

Download: Datadog Infrastructure is a cloud-based service so you don’t need to download software to access the console. The account setup wizard will download an agent onto your server. You can access a 14-day free trial of either of the paid plans.

4. Dynatrace APM

Dynatrace APM

Dynatrace is a cloud infrastructure monitoring and APM software. It provides automated visibility for infrastructure, services, applications, cloud, and user experience. Among its many supporting monitoring services (over 129), Dynatrace can provide comprehensive Apache web server performance monitoring.

Key Features:

  • Keep track of network traffic and connectivity metrics
  • Analyze the response time of Apache services
  • End-to-end service request flow visualization
  • Real user experience monitoring

Why do we recommend it?

Dynatrace stands out for Apache monitoring due to its deep visibility and real-time analytics for managing complex app environments. Moreover, its AI automation can quickly pinpoint issues before they affect user experience. But that is not all, Dynatrace also has an excellent anomaly detection feature that correlates different metrics to diagnose root causes swiftly.

You can get full visibility into your Apache server processes, running services, and all its dependent applications. Dynatrace can collect critical metrics from the Apache server or the network, such as busy workers, response size, No. of requests, CPU, traffic, and find problems with the help of the Dynatrace anomaly-detection engine.

To start with Dynatrace, install a single agent on a Dynatrace server, and the software will auto-discover all Apache servers in your environment. The software will show you the app topology and their dependencies.

Who is it recommended for?

We'd recommend Dynatrace for organizations with significant Apache server resources. It is perfect for large enterprises, especially the ones with complex software environments spanning multiple technologies and architectures. A use case can be for a financial services company that relies on Apache web servers. They can use Dynatrace APM to avoid any performance degradation that can lead to significant disruptions in customer service and potential revenue loss.

Pros:

  • Sleek, customizable interface
  • Real-time LAN and WAN monitoring that supports virtual environments, great for MSPs and large enterprise networks
  • Can visualize complicated physical connections with ease
  • Offers application performance tracking as well as resource monitoring on the process level for in-depth LAN management

Cons:

  • More geared toward larger networks and enterprise organizations

Price: Get a quote.

Download: Get a free trial of Dynatrace APM for 15 days.

5. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

SolarWinds Server Application Monitor

Server & Application Monitor (SAM) from SolarWinds is one of the most comprehensive Server and Application Monitoring software in the market.

Key Features:

  • Keep track of the entire LAMP
  • Monitor the processes of the Tomcat web server
  • Automatic app discovery
  • Built-in reporting templates

Distinctive Feature

SolarWinds SAM's Apache Server Monitoring Template offers detailed monitoring of Apache servers. It provides metrics for CPU usage, memory consumption, error logs, and request statistics. Uptime monitoring ensures continuous server operation.

Why do we recommend it?

We highly recommend SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor for its exceptional ability to identify and resolve complex application and infrastructure issues. In addition, we recently got our hands on SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor to see how well it plays with other systems. We hooked it up to many different servers, and it synced up without a hitch, giving us real-time updates and sharper analytics on the spot. We were impressed by how well it integrates with other SolarWinds tools.

With it, you can keep track of the performance of servers and applications from more than 1200 different vendors. With SAM, you can monitor the uptime and performance of your Apache webserver. It allows you to keep track of important metrics like server uptime, total traffic, busy/idle workers, server user requests, KB per second, KB per request, and more.

SAM will not only monitor Apache but the entire server environment, through the software bundle LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP), which is directly related to Apache. For example, you can keep track of your Linux OS, and get alerts when the CPU is high or when there is a faulty process. You can also monitor other Apache-related products, such as Apache-Tomcat.

Who is it recommended for?

This Apache monitoring tool is our top recommendation for IT pros who need deep insights into their application and server operations. In addition, it's perfect for medium to large businesses that need real-time monitoring and proactive system management. Moreover, its adaptability to both cloud and on-premise setups makes it an excellent pick for organizations with hybrid IT environments.

Pros:

  • Designed with large and enterprise networks in mind
  • Supports auto-discovery that builds network topology maps and inventory lists in real-time based on devices that enter the network
  • Can map applications, networks, and infrastructure as well as highlight bottlenecks and dependencies
  • Supports geographic location data to map and monitor global assets
  • Uses drag and drop widgets to customize the look and feel of the dashboard
  • Robust reporting system with pre-configured compliance templates

Cons:

  • This is a feature-rich enterprise tool that can take time to fully explore

Price: 30 Day Free Trial Download below!

Download: Get a 30-day free trial of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor and start monitoring your Apache web server.

Conclusion

Apache has been around for a while. And it is still serving close to half of all websites on all the Internet. Today, Apache is a vital component of any web architecture and is the core element of the popular LAMP and XAMPP stacks.

Although it is highly reliable and secured by itself, it is always a good idea to keep end-to-end monitoring on your Apache web-server. CPUs get overloaded, security gets hacked, or traffic gets bottle necked.

A website can go down for 1001 reasons, and it can be difficult to troubleshoot without any proper metrics analysis. The five tools shown here can keep track of the major processes and services of the Apache server. They can help you maintain a guaranteed uptime, improve performance, and even help you find root causes of problems.

Some of these tools can also monitor critical and often overlooked elements such as end-user experience, cloud resources, VMs, hardware and database, and more. Fortunately, all of these powerful tools have free trials, and some of them have unlimited-time free with limited capabilities. So there is no reason not to start monitoring your Apache web server today.

Apache Monitor Tools & Software FAQs

How does Apache monitoring integrate with other IT monitoring tools?

Apache monitoring can integrate with other IT monitoring tools, such as network monitoring software and application performance monitoring software, to provide a comprehensive view of the IT environment.

Can Apache monitoring be performed in real-time?

Yes, Apache monitoring can be performed in real-time, providing up-to-date information about the performance and health of Apache web servers.

What is the difference between Apache monitoring and web server monitoring?

Apache monitoring focuses specifically on the performance and health of Apache web servers, while web server monitoring may encompass a broader range of web server technologies.

Can Apache monitoring be performed remotely?

Yes, Apache monitoring can be performed remotely, allowing administrators to monitor Apache web servers from a central location.

What are the system requirements for Apache monitoring?

The system requirements for Apache monitoring will vary depending on the specific monitoring tool and the amount of data being monitored.

How does Apache monitoring affect website and web application users?

Apache monitoring helps ensure the reliability and availability of Apache web servers, which in turn can improve the user experience for website and web application users.