Tyto

A real-time Linux system monitoring dashboard with multi-device support

Named after Tyto alba, the barn owl — nature's silent, watchful guardian

Features • Quick Start • Multi-Device Setup • Authentication • API • Development

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Overview

Tyto is a lightweight, containerized monitoring solution that provides real-time visibility into your Linux systems. Built with a Go backend for efficient metric collection and a SvelteKit frontend for a responsive, modern UI.

Key Highlights

• Real-time streaming via Server-Sent Events (SSE)
• Zero dependencies on the host system (runs in Docker)
• Multi-host support for monitoring multiple machines from one dashboard
• Desktop notifications for critical alerts
• Process management with kill/pause/resume functionality
• Dark/Light themes with responsive mobile design

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Features

Category	Features
System	Hostname, kernel version, uptime, architecture
CPU	Per-core usage, frequency, load averages
Memory	RAM usage, buffers, cache, swap
Disk	Mount points, usage, I/O rates
Network	Interface stats, bandwidth rates, TCP connections
Processes	Top by CPU/Memory, detailed view, signal control
Temperature	Hardware sensors via hwmon
GPU	Multi-vendor support: NVIDIA, AMD, Intel (utilization, VRAM, power, clocks)
Docker	Container stats (CPU, memory, status)
Systemd	Service status monitoring
Alerts	Configurable thresholds with desktop notifications
History	Sparkline charts for CPU, memory, network, disk I/O
Export	CSV and JSON export of current metrics
Logs	Centralized log collection from journal, files, Docker
Authentication	Local accounts and LDAP/AD integration
RBAC	Role-based access control with customizable permissions
Multi-Device	Central server with lightweight agents via mTLS

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Quick Start

Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://somegit.dev/vikingowl/tyto.git
cd tyto

# Start the containers
docker compose up -d

# Access the dashboard
open http://localhost:9847

Ports

Service	Port	Description
Frontend	9847	Web dashboard
Backend	9848	API server (internal)

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Configuration

Operational Modes

Tyto supports three operational modes:

Mode	Description
standalone	Single-host monitoring, no database required (default)
server	Central server for multi-device monitoring with database
agent	Lightweight agent that reports to a central server

Set the mode via environment variable or config file:

TYTO_MODE=server tyto

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
TYTO_MODE	standalone	Operational mode
TYTO_REFRESH_RATE	5	Metric collection interval (seconds)
TYTO_LOG_LEVEL	info	Log level (debug, info, warn, error)
TYTO_DB_TYPE	sqlite	Database type (sqlite, postgres)
TYTO_DB_PATH	/data/tyto.db	SQLite database path
TYTO_DB_URL		PostgreSQL connection string
PORT	8080	HTTP server port
PROC_PATH	/proc	Path to proc filesystem
SYS_PATH	/sys	Path to sys filesystem
MTAB_PATH	/etc/mtab	Path to mount table
DOCKER_SOCKET	/var/run/docker.sock	Docker socket path

Database Configuration

SQLite (default, recommended for single server):

database:
  type: sqlite
  path: /var/lib/tyto/tyto.db

PostgreSQL (for high availability):

database:
  type: postgres
  url: postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/tyto?sslmode=require

Data Retention

Configure metric retention with tiered aggregation:

database:
  retention:
    raw: 24h           # Full resolution
    one_minute: 168h   # 7 days
    five_minute: 720h  # 30 days
    hourly: 8760h      # 1 year
    logs: 168h         # 7 days

Required Volume Mounts

For the backend to collect host metrics, these mounts are required:

volumes:
  - /proc:/host/proc:ro          # Process information
  - /sys:/host/sys:ro            # Hardware sensors, GPU info
  - /etc/mtab:/host/etc/mtab:ro  # Disk mount information

Optional Features

Docker Monitoring

Mount the Docker socket to enable container monitoring:

volumes:
  - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro

Systemd Service Monitoring

Mount the D-Bus socket to enable systemd service monitoring:

volumes:
  - /run/dbus/system_bus_socket:/run/dbus/system_bus_socket:ro

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Multi-Host Monitoring

System Monitor supports monitoring multiple hosts from a single dashboard. Each host runs its own backend container, and the frontend can switch between them.

Setting Up Remote Hosts

1. Deploy on each host you want to monitor:

# On remote-host-1 (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
docker compose up -d

2. Configure CORS (if accessing from a different origin):

The backend allows cross-origin requests by default. Ensure ports are accessible.

3. Add hosts in the dashboard:
   • Click the host selector dropdown in the header
   • Click "Add Remote Host"
   • Enter a name (e.g., "Web Server") and URL (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:9847)

Network Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Your Browser                            │
│                   http://localhost:9847                      │
└──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘
                           │
            ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
            │              │              │
            ▼              ▼              ▼
     ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
     │  Host A    │ │  Host B    │ │  Host C    │
     │ (local)    │ │ :9847      │ │ :9847      │
     │ Frontend + │ │ Frontend + │ │ Frontend + │
     │ Backend    │ │ Backend    │ │ Backend    │
     └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘

Host Configuration Storage

Host configurations are stored in browser localStorage under the key tyto-hosts. The active host is stored in tyto-active-host.

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Authentication

Tyto supports multiple authentication methods for securing access to the dashboard.

Local Authentication

Local user accounts with username/password stored in the database (bcrypt hashed).

# Create initial admin user during setup
tyto setup --admin-user admin --admin-pass <password>

# Or via API after setup
curl -X POST http://localhost:9847/api/v1/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": "admin", "password": "secret", "email": "admin@example.com"}'

LDAP/Active Directory

Configure LDAP authentication in config.yaml:

auth:
  ldap:
    enabled: true
    url: ldap://ad.example.com:389
    base_dn: dc=example,dc=com
    bind_dn: cn=readonly,dc=example,dc=com
    bind_password: ${LDAP_BIND_PASSWORD}
    user_filter: (sAMAccountName=%s)
    group_mappings:
      "CN=Tyto Admins,OU=Groups,DC=example,DC=com": admin
      "CN=Tyto Operators,OU=Groups,DC=example,DC=com": operator

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Tyto includes a flexible permission system with three built-in roles:

Role	Permissions
Administrator	Full system access (*)
Operator	Manage agents, alerts, view/export metrics
Viewer	Read-only dashboard access

Custom roles can be created via the Admin panel with granular permissions:

• dashboard:view - View dashboard
• agents:view, agents:manage - Agent management
• alerts:view, alerts:acknowledge, alerts:configure - Alert handling
• users:view, users:manage - User management
• roles:view, roles:manage - Role management
• metrics:export, metrics:query - Metrics access
• pki:manage - Certificate management

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API Reference

Endpoints

Metrics & Monitoring

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/stream	SSE stream of real-time metrics
GET	/api/v1/history	Historical metric data (1 hour)
GET	/api/v1/alerts	Current alerts and configuration
POST	/api/v1/alerts/config	Update alert thresholds
POST	/api/v1/alerts/:id/acknowledge	Acknowledge an alert
GET	/api/v1/processes/:pid	Detailed process information
POST	/api/v1/processes/:pid/signal	Send signal to process
POST	/api/v1/settings/refresh	Update refresh interval
GET	/api/v1/export/metrics?format=csv|json	Export current metrics
GET	/health	Health check endpoint

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/auth/login	Login with username/password
POST	/api/v1/auth/logout	Logout (invalidate session)
POST	/api/v1/auth/register	Register new user (if enabled)
GET	/api/v1/auth/me	Get current user info
PUT	/api/v1/auth/me	Update current user profile
PUT	/api/v1/auth/me/password	Change password

User & Role Management

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/users	List all users
POST	/api/v1/users	Create new user
GET	/api/v1/users/:id	Get user details
PUT	/api/v1/users/:id	Update user
DELETE	/api/v1/users/:id	Disable user
GET	/api/v1/roles	List all roles
POST	/api/v1/roles	Create custom role
PUT	/api/v1/roles/:id	Update role
DELETE	/api/v1/roles/:id	Delete custom role

Agent Management

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/agents	List all agents
GET	/api/v1/agents/:id	Get agent details
POST	/api/v1/agents	Add agent manually
DELETE	/api/v1/agents/:id	Remove agent
POST	/api/v1/agents/:id/revoke	Revoke agent certificate
GET	/api/v1/agents/pending	List pending registrations
POST	/api/v1/agents/pending/:id/approve	Approve agent
POST	/api/v1/agents/pending/:id/reject	Reject agent

Logs

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/v1/logs	Query logs with filters
GET	/api/v1/logs/stream	SSE stream of live logs

SSE Stream Format

The /api/v1/stream endpoint sends JSON messages with this structure:

{
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "system": { "hostname": "...", "kernel": "...", "uptime": 12345 },
  "cpu": { "cores": [...], "totalUsage": 15.5, "loadAverage": {...} },
  "memory": { "total": 16000000000, "used": 8000000000, ... },
  "disk": { "mounts": [...], "io": [...] },
  "network": { "interfaces": [...], "connectionCount": 42 },
  "processes": { "topByCpu": [...], "topByMemory": [...], "total": 200 },
  "temperature": { "sensors": [...] },
  "gpu": { "available": true, "utilization": 45, ... },
  "docker": { "available": true, "containers": [...] },
  "systemd": { "available": true, "services": [...] }
}

Process Signal API

# Send SIGTERM (graceful termination)
curl -X POST http://localhost:9847/api/v1/processes/1234/signal \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"signal": 15}'

# Send SIGKILL (force kill)
curl -X POST http://localhost:9847/api/v1/processes/1234/signal \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"signal": 9}'

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Development

Prerequisites

• Go 1.23+
• Node.js 22+
• Docker & Docker Compose (for containerized development)

Local Development

# Backend (Go)
cd backend
go mod download
go run ./cmd/server

# Frontend (SvelteKit)
cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Running Tests

# Backend tests
cd backend
go test ./...

# Frontend tests
cd frontend
npm test

Project Structure

tyto/
├── backend/
│   ├── cmd/
│   │   ├── server/          # HTTP/SSE server entry point
│   │   ├── agent/           # Lightweight agent entry point
│   │   └── tyto/            # CLI tool (pki, setup)
│   ├── internal/
│   │   ├── api/             # HTTP handlers and routes
│   │   ├── alerts/          # Alert management
│   │   ├── auth/            # Authentication (local, LDAP)
│   │   ├── collectors/      # Metric collectors
│   │   │   ├── gpu/         # Multi-vendor GPU support
│   │   │   └── logs/        # Log collectors
│   │   ├── config/          # Configuration
│   │   ├── database/        # SQLite/PostgreSQL abstraction
│   │   ├── history/         # Historical data storage
│   │   ├── models/          # Data structures
│   │   ├── pki/             # Certificate management
│   │   ├── server/          # gRPC hub for agents
│   │   └── sse/             # Server-Sent Events broker
│   ├── proto/               # gRPC protocol definitions
│   └── Dockerfile
├── frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── lib/
│   │   │   ├── api/         # API clients
│   │   │   ├── components/  # Svelte components
│   │   │   │   ├── auth/    # Login, UserMenu
│   │   │   │   └── admin/   # User/Role management
│   │   │   ├── stores/      # Svelte stores
│   │   │   ├── types/       # TypeScript types
│   │   │   └── utils/       # Utility functions
│   │   └── routes/          # SvelteKit routes
│   │       ├── admin/       # Admin pages
│   │       ├── login/       # Login page
│   │       └── logs/        # Log viewer
│   └── Dockerfile
├── scripts/
│   └── install.sh           # One-line installer
├── docker-compose.yml       # Base configuration
└── docker-compose.prod.yml  # Production overrides

Building Docker Images

# Build both images
docker compose build

# Build specific service
docker compose build backend
docker compose build frontend

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Deployment

One-Line Installation

Install Tyto on any Linux system:

# Server installation
curl -fsSL https://somegit.dev/vikingowl/tyto/raw/branch/main/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash

# Agent installation
curl -fsSL https://somegit.dev/vikingowl/tyto/raw/branch/main/scripts/install.sh | \
  sudo TYTO_MODE=agent bash

PKI Setup (mTLS)

For secure multi-device deployments, set up mTLS certificates:

# Initialize Certificate Authority (on server)
tyto pki init-ca --cn "Tyto CA" --out /etc/tyto/pki/

# Generate server certificate
tyto pki gen-server --ca-dir /etc/tyto/pki/ --dns tyto.example.com

# Generate agent certificates
tyto pki gen-agent --ca-dir /etc/tyto/pki/ --agent-id web-server-01
tyto pki gen-agent --ca-dir /etc/tyto/pki/ --agent-id db-server-01

# List certificates
tyto pki list --ca-dir /etc/tyto/pki/

# Revoke a compromised certificate
tyto pki revoke --serial ABC123 --ca-dir /etc/tyto/pki/

Agent Configuration

Deploy the agent on each monitored host:

# /etc/tyto/config.yaml
mode: agent

agent:
  id: web-server-01
  server_url: tyto-server.example.com:9849
  interval: 5s
  tls:
    ca_cert: /etc/tyto/certs/ca.crt
    agent_cert: /etc/tyto/certs/agent.crt
    agent_key: /etc/tyto/certs/agent.key

Systemd Service

Tyto installs as a systemd service:

# Check status
systemctl status tyto

# View logs
journalctl -u tyto -f

# Restart
systemctl restart tyto

Production Docker Compose

Use the production overlay for resource limits:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
T	Toggle dark/light theme
R	Cycle refresh rate
?	Show keyboard shortcuts
Esc	Close modals/panels

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Alerts & Notifications

Configuring Thresholds

1. Open the Alerts card
2. Click "Configure Thresholds"
3. Set warning and critical percentages for each metric type
4. Click "Save Configuration"

Desktop Notifications

1. Enable the "Desktop Notifications" toggle in the Alerts card
2. Allow browser notification permission when prompted
3. Notifications will appear for new warning/critical alerts

Note: Critical alerts require manual dismissal; warnings auto-close after 10 seconds.

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Log Collection

Tyto can collect and aggregate logs from multiple sources across all monitored hosts.

Supported Sources

Source	Description
Systemd Journal	System and service logs via journalctl
File	Tail log files with format parsing
Docker	Container stdout/stderr logs

Agent Log Configuration

Configure log collection in the agent's config.yaml:

agent:
  logs:
    enabled: true
    buffer_size: 1000
    flush_interval: 5s

    journal:
      enabled: true
      units:           # Empty = all units
        - nginx.service
        - docker.service
      priority: 4      # 0=emerg to 7=debug

    files:
      - path: /var/log/nginx/access.log
        format: nginx
      - path: /var/log/app/*.log
        format: json

    docker:
      enabled: true
      containers: []   # Empty = all containers

Log Query Parameters

GET /api/v1/logs?agent_id=web-01&level=error,warn&limit=100

Parameter	Description
agent_id	Filter by agent
source	Filter by source type (journal, file, docker)
source_name	Filter by source name (unit, filename, container)
level	Comma-separated levels (debug, info, warning, error, fatal)
q	Full-text search in message
from, to	Time range (ISO 8601)
limit, offset	Pagination

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Troubleshooting

No metrics displayed

1. Check if backend is running: docker compose ps
2. Verify volume mounts: docker inspect sysmon-backend
3. Check backend logs: docker compose logs backend

GPU not detected

AMD GPU requires:

• AMD GPU with amdgpu driver
• /sys/class/drm/card*/device/ accessible
• Volume mount: -v /sys:/host/sys:ro

NVIDIA GPU requires:

• NVIDIA driver installed on host
• nvidia-smi available in PATH
• For Docker: --gpus all or nvidia-container-toolkit

Intel GPU requires:

• Intel GPU with i915 or xe driver
• /sys/class/drm/card*/ accessible
• Volume mount: -v /sys:/host/sys:ro

Docker containers not showing

Ensure Docker socket is mounted:

volumes:
  - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro

Systemd services not showing

Mount D-Bus socket and ensure the container can access it:

volumes:
  - /run/dbus/system_bus_socket:/run/dbus/system_bus_socket:ro

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

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