Introduction
Getting started with Starfish Monitor

You already have an automated build/continuous integration server. It compiles your code, and runs your tests. You probably have an automated pre-production and production deployments too, but what happens with your application afterwards? That's where Starfish Monitor comes in.

Starfish Monitor takes over where your deployment server finishes. The build server builds the code and runs tests, deployment server deploys the application while Starfish Monitor takes care of monitoring.

A lightweight agent service called Arm is installed onto the machines that you plan to monitor. Our easy installation wizard makes it easy to connect Arms to the Starfish Monitor server, and you can rest easily at night: the connection is secured using public/private key cryptography. No passwords required, no need for servers to be on the same Active Directory domain.

Starfish Monitor diagram

Installs in minutes, no consultants needed

Starfish Monitor isn't a hosted solution; you download and install the software to your own server. That means that you own your data.

Some monitoring tools require an army of consultants to implement them. Instead, we've concentrated on continually refining our installation experience, making Starfish Monitor server and Arm easy to install and configure.

Our goal is to get you installed and deploying to production in hours, not weeks. Our customers consistently tell us that Starfish Monitor has one of the most polished installation experiences of any developer tool.

Secure out of the box

Our customers trust Starfish Monitor to securely monitor production applications and servers and to manage sensitive data both on local networks and across the internet.

Security isn't just an option; it's baked in to the very essence of the product.

  • Starfish Monitor/Starfish Arm communication uses SSL and two-way trust using TLS 1.2.
  • The web interface can easily be secured with SSL.
  • Users of the web portal can authenticate with a username and password securely stored in Starfish Monitor database.

Install the Starfish Monitor server

Download the latest Starfish Monitor installer from the Starfish Monitor website, and follow the instructions.

For more information, see the Installing Starfish Monitor section.
When the installer completes, a webpage will take you through the process of configuring your Starfish Arms. Note the server address and Starfish Monitor's certificate thumbprint.

Install Starfish Arms

Download the latest Starfish Arm installer from the Starfish Monitor website, and follow the instructions. You'll need to enter the Starfish Monitor server address and Starfish Monitor's certificate thumbprint.

For more information, see the Installing Starfish Arm section.