check_netscaler

January 9, 2026 · View on GitHub

Nagios/Icinga monitoring plugin for Citrix NetScaler (ADC) using the NITRO REST API.

Version 2.0 - Python Rewrite

This is a complete Python rewrite of check_netscaler. All 16 check commands are implemented with comprehensive test coverage and full CI/CD integration.

Looking for the stable Perl version (v1.x)? See tags < 2.0.0 for the legacy Perl implementation.

Breaking Changes from v1.x

HTTPS is now default - Use --no-ssl for HTTP instead of -s for HTTPS
Environment variable support added: NETSCALER_HOST, NETSCALER_USER, NETSCALER_PASS

Features

Monitor your NetScaler without SNMP:

Virtual Servers - Load balancer, VPN, GSLB, Content Switching, AAA
Services & Service Groups - State and member quorum monitoring
SSL Certificates - Expiration warnings
High Availability - HA status and sync monitoring
System Resources - CPU, memory, disk usage thresholds
Network Interfaces - Interface status and statistics
License Management - License expiration tracking
NTP Synchronization - Time sync validation
Configuration - Unsaved config detection
Performance Data - Generic metric collection for any NITRO object

Advanced Features

Regex-based filtering (--filter / --limit)
Custom performance data labels
Flexible threshold formats
Multiple Python versions supported (3.8-3.12)

Requirements

Python >= 3.8
requests >= 2.31.0

Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

pip install check_netscaler

From Source

git clone https://github.com/slauger/check_netscaler.git
cd check_netscaler

# Install
pip install .

# For development
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Pre-built Binaries (Standalone)

For systems without Python or pip, download standalone executables from the Releases page:

Linux: check_netscaler-linux
macOS: check_netscaler-macos
Windows: check_netscaler-windows.exe

These binaries are built with PyInstaller and include all dependencies. No Python installation required.

# Linux/macOS example
chmod +x check_netscaler-linux
./check_netscaler-linux --help

# Windows example
check_netscaler-windows.exe --help

Quick Start

# Check all load balancer vServers
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -u nsroot -p nsroot -C state -o lbvserver

# Check SSL certificate expiration
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C sslcert -w 60 -c 30

# Check CPU usage
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C above -o system -n cpuusagepcnt -w 75 -c 90

# Check HA status
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C hastatus

# Check NTP sync
check_netscaler -H 192.168.1.10 -C ntp -w "o=0.03" -c "o=0.05"

Using Environment Variables (Recommended)

For improved security and convenience, use environment variables instead of command-line arguments:

# Export credentials once
export NETSCALER_HOST=192.168.1.10
export NETSCALER_USER=monitoring
export NETSCALER_PASS=SecurePassword123

# Now run checks without passing credentials
check_netscaler -C state -o lbvserver
check_netscaler -C sslcert -w 60 -c 30
check_netscaler -C hastatus

Why use environment variables?

Security: Credentials are not visible in process listings (ps, top, /proc)
Convenience: Set once, use in multiple commands
Best Practice: Follows patterns from other monitoring plugins (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
Integration: Works seamlessly with Icinga 2 env attribute, Nagios/systemd environments

Command-line arguments always override environment variables if both are provided.

Available Commands

Command	Description
`state`	vServer/service/servicegroup/server state monitoring
`above`/`below`	Threshold-based checks (CPU, memory, disk, etc.)
`sslcert`	SSL certificate expiration
`hastatus`	High availability status
`interfaces`	Network interface monitoring
`servicegroup`	Service group member quorum
`perfdata`	Generic performance data collection
`license`	License expiration
`ntp`	NTP synchronization status
`nsconfig`	Unsaved configuration detection
`matches`/`matches_not`	String matching in API responses
`staserver`	STA server availability
`hwinfo`	Hardware information
`debug`	Raw API output for troubleshooting

Documentation

CLI Reference - Complete command-line options reference
Command Examples - Detailed usage for every command
Icinga 2 Integration - CheckCommand definitions
Nagios Integration - Command and service configurations

Development

Running Tests

# Run all tests
pytest tests/

# With coverage
pytest tests/ --cov=check_netscaler --cov-report=html

# Linting
ruff check check_netscaler/ tests/

# Formatting
black check_netscaler/ tests/

CI/CD

GitHub Actions pipeline runs automatically on every push:

Matrix testing on Python 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
Linting with ruff
Code formatting with black
Type checking with mypy
Comprehensive test suite with pytest

License

MIT License - See LICENSE