SignalFx Tutorial: Monitoring EC2 Instances
Monitoring your EC2 instances is crucial for maintaining a healthy AWS infrastructure. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to set up SignalFx to monitor your EC2 instances effectively. SignalFx and EC2 work together seamlessly to provide comprehensive monitoring capabilities.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have:
- An EC2 instance running (Amazon provides a free tier for testing)
- A SignalFx account (you can start with a 14-day trial on signalfx.com)
Step-by-Step Setup
1. Access SignalFx Integration
First, log into your SignalFx account and navigate to the INTEGRATIONS menu.

2. Configure Smart Agent
Click on the SFx SMARTAGENT icon, then select the SETUP tab. Follow the installation instructions provided.
3. View Infrastructure
Once configured, head to the INFRASTRUCTURE tab to see your monitored resources.

4. Monitor EC2 Metrics
Click on any host to view detailed resource utilization metrics for your EC2 instance.

Next Steps
Now that you have SignalFx monitoring your EC2 instances, you can:
- Set up alerts for critical metrics
- Create custom dashboards
- Monitor application performance
- Track resource utilization