MQTT and Sensu Integration

Input and output integration overview

The MQTT Telegraf plugin is designed to read from specified MQTT topics and create metrics, enabling users to leverage MQTT for real-time data collection and monitoring.

This plugin writes metrics events to Sensu via its HTTP events API, enabling seamless integration with the Sensu monitoring platform.

Integration details

MQTT

The MQTT plugin allows for reading metrics from specified MQTT topics, creating metrics using supported input data formats. This plugin operates as a service input, which listens for incoming metrics or events rather than gathering them at set intervals like normal plugins. The flexibility of the plugin is enhanced with support for various broker URLs, topics, and connection features, including Quality of Service (QoS) levels and persistent sessions. Its configuration options incorporate global settings to modify metrics and handle startup errors effectively. It also supports secret-store configurations for securing username and password options, ensuring secure connections to MQTT servers.

Sensu

This plugin writes metrics events to Sensu via its HTTP events API. Sensu is a monitoring system that enables users to collect, analyze, and manage metrics from various components in their infrastructure. The plugin facilitates the integration of Telegraf, a server agent for collecting and reporting metrics, with the Sensu monitoring platform. Users can configure settings such as backend and agent API URLs, API keys for authentication, and optional TLS settings. The plugin’s core functionality is centered around sending metric events, including check and entity specifications, to Sensu, allowing for comprehensive monitoring and alerting. The API reference provides extensive details about the events and metrics structure, ensuring users can efficiently leverage Sensu’s capabilities for observability and incident response.

Configuration

MQTT

[[inputs.mqtt_consumer]]
  servers = ["tcp://127.0.0.1:1883"]
  topics = [
    "telegraf/host01/cpu",
    "telegraf/+/mem",
    "sensors/#",
  ]
  # topic_tag = "topic"
  # qos = 0
  # connection_timeout = "30s"
  # keepalive = "60s"
  # ping_timeout = "10s"
  # max_undelivered_messages = 1000
  # persistent_session = false
  # client_id = ""
  # username = "telegraf"
  # password = "metricsmetricsmetricsmetrics"
  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
  # insecure_skip_verify = false
  # client_trace = false
  data_format = "influx"
  # [[inputs.mqtt_consumer.topic_parsing]]
  #   topic = ""
  #   measurement = ""
  #   tags = ""
  #   fields = ""
  #   [inputs.mqtt_consumer.topic_parsing.types]
  #      key = type

Sensu

[[outputs.sensu]]
  ## BACKEND API URL is the Sensu Backend API root URL to send metrics to
  ## (protocol, host, and port only). The output plugin will automatically
  ## append the corresponding backend API path
  ## /api/core/v2/namespaces/:entity_namespace/events/:entity_name/:check_name).
  ##
  ## Backend Events API reference:
  ## https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/api/events/
  ##
  ## AGENT API URL is the Sensu Agent API root URL to send metrics to
  ## (protocol, host, and port only). The output plugin will automatically
  ## append the correspeonding agent API path (/events).
  ##
  ## Agent API Events API reference:
  ## https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/api/events/
  ##
  ## NOTE: if backend_api_url and agent_api_url and api_key are set, the output
  ## plugin will use backend_api_url. If backend_api_url and agent_api_url are
  ## not provided, the output plugin will default to use an agent_api_url of
  ## http://127.0.0.1:3031
  ##
  # backend_api_url = "http://127.0.0.1:8080"
  # agent_api_url = "http://127.0.0.1:3031"

  ## API KEY is the Sensu Backend API token
  ## Generate a new API token via:
  ##
  ## $ sensuctl cluster-role create telegraf --verb create --resource events,entities
  ## $ sensuctl cluster-role-binding create telegraf --cluster-role telegraf --group telegraf
  ## $ sensuctl user create telegraf --group telegraf --password REDACTED
  ## $ sensuctl api-key grant telegraf
  ##
  ## For more information on Sensu RBAC profiles & API tokens, please visit:
  ## - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/rbac/
  ## - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/apikeys/
  ##
  # api_key = "${SENSU_API_KEY}"

  ## Optional TLS Config
  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
  # insecure_skip_verify = false

  ## Timeout for HTTP message
  # timeout = "5s"

  ## HTTP Content-Encoding for write request body, can be set to "gzip" to
  ## compress body or "identity" to apply no encoding.
  # content_encoding = "identity"

  ## NOTE: Due to the way TOML is parsed, tables must be at the END of the
  ## plugin definition, otherwise additional config options are read as part of
  ## the table

  ## Sensu Event details
  ##
  ## Below are the event details to be sent to Sensu.  The main portions of the
  ## event are the check, entity, and metrics specifications. For more information
  ## on Sensu events and its components, please visit:
  ## - Events - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/events
  ## - Checks -  https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/checks
  ## - Entities - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/entities
  ## - Metrics - https://docs.sensu.io/sensu-go/latest/reference/events#metrics
  ##
  ## Check specification
  ## The check name is the name to give the Sensu check associated with the event
  ## created. This maps to check.metadata.name in the event.
  [outputs.sensu.check]
    name = "telegraf"

  ## Entity specification
  ## Configure the entity name and namespace, if necessary. This will be part of
  ## the entity.metadata in the event.
  ##
  ## NOTE: if the output plugin is configured to send events to a
  ## backend_api_url and entity_name is not set, the value returned by
  ## os.Hostname() will be used; if the output plugin is configured to send
  ## events to an agent_api_url, entity_name and entity_namespace are not used.
  # [outputs.sensu.entity]
  #   name = "server-01"
  #   namespace = "default"

  ## Metrics specification
  ## Configure the tags for the metrics that are sent as part of the Sensu event
  # [outputs.sensu.tags]
  #   source = "telegraf"

  ## Configure the handler(s) for processing the provided metrics
  # [outputs.sensu.metrics]
  #   handlers = ["influxdb","elasticsearch"]

Input and output integration examples

MQTT

1. Smart Home Monitoring: Use the MQTT Consumer plugin to monitor various sensors in a smart home setup. In this scenario, the plugin can be configured to subscribe to topics for different devices, such as temperature, humidity, and energy consumption. By aggregating this data, homeowners can visualize trends and receive alerts for unusual patterns, enhancing the overall quality and efficiency of home automation systems.

2. IoT Environmental Sensing: Deploy the MQTT Consumer to gather environmental data from sensors distributed across different locations. For instance, this can include readings from air quality sensors, temperature sensors, and noise level meters. The plugin can be configured to extract relevant tags and fields from the MQTT topics which allows for detailed analyses and reporting on environmental conditions at scale, supporting better decision making for urban planning or environmental initiatives.

3. Real-Time Vehicle Tracking and Telemetry: Integrate the MQTT Consumer plugin within a vehicle telemetry system that collects data from various sensors in real-time. With the plugin, metrics related to vehicle performance, location, and fuel consumption can be sent to a centralized monitoring dashboard. This real-time telemetry data enables fleet managers to optimize routes, reduce fuel costs, and improve vehicle maintenance schedules through proactive data analysis.

4. Agricultural Monitoring System: Leverage this plugin to collect data from agricultural sensors that monitor soil moisture, crop health, and weather conditions. The MQTT Consumer can subscribe to multiple topics associated with farming equipment and environmental sensors, allowing farmers to make data-driven decisions to improve crop yields while also conserving resources, enhancing sustainability in agriculture.

Sensu

1. Real-Time Infrastructure Monitoring: Utilize the Sensu plugin to send performance metrics from various servers and services directly to Sensu. This real-time data flow enables teams to visualize infrastructure health, track resource usage, and receive immediate alerts for any anomalies detected. By centralizing monitoring through Sensu, organizations can create a holistic view of their systems and respond swiftly to issues.

2. Automated Incident Response Workflows: Leverage the plugin to automatically trigger incident response workflows based on the metrics events sent to Sensu. For example, if CPU usage exceeds a defined threshold, the Sensu system can be configured to alert the operations team, which can then initiate automated remediation processes, reducing downtime and maintaining system reliability. This integration allows for proactive management of system resources.

3. Dynamic Scaling of Resources: Use the Sensu plugin to feed metrics into an auto-scaling system that adjusts resources based on demand. By tracking metrics like request load and resource utilization, organizations can automatically scale their infrastructure up or down, ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency without manual intervention.

4. Centralized Logging and Monitoring: Combine the Sensu with logging tools to send logs and performance metrics to a centralized monitoring system. This comprehensive approach allows teams to correlate logs with metric events, providing deeper insights into system behavior and performance, which aids in troubleshooting and performance optimization over time.

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