Multiple Ways to Configure Usage Reporting in NGINX

NGINX Plus R31 has a new and simpler way to report usage. This feature is built into NGINX Plus, so there's no need for a separate NGINX Agent. Customers in F5's Flex Consumption Program (FCP) and non-FCP customers on a term subscription can now report usage without any hassle.

If you haven't upgraded to R31 yet or don't intend to do so, don't worry! There are still ways to enable usage reporting. You can either install the NGINX Agent or configure HTTP health checks to get the data you need. In this article, we will provide explanations for all the methods.

There are three possible ways to report NGINX Plus instances to F5.

• Configure native NGINX usage reporting - From NGINX Plus R31  
• Install NGINX Agent
• Configure HTTP health check for NGINX Plus

To learn more, visit the recently published blog Tutorial: Configure NGINX Usage Reporting.

Prerequisites:

To report NGINX Plus usage, you must install NGINX Instance Manager on a dedicated host. Refer to the installation guide to learn about different methods of installation.

Configure native NGINX usage reporting

When you install NGINX Plus R31, it will automatically connect to the NGINX Instance Manager using "nginx-mgmt.local" as the default DNS entry. This connection is made to send usage information every 30 minutes. If you need to change the DNS entry or connection interval, you can add the mgmt{} block to the NGINX configuration. The ngx_mgmt_module offers a range of customizable directives, including UUID file, mTLS, DNS resolver, usage interval, and usage_report endpoint, among others. You can find a complete list of customizable directives in the comprehensive mgmtmodule documentation. This module allows you to customize directives for greater flexibility and convenience.

This video shows how to configure NGINX usage reporting in R31.

 

Install NGINX Agent

If you're not moving to R31 anytime soon, you can still report your NGINX Plus instances to the NGINX Instance Manager by installing the NGINX Agent and connecting to the Instance Manager. Get installation instructions at this link.

This video shows how to configure NGINX usage reporting using NGINX Agent.

 

Configure HTTP Health Check for NGINX Plus

If you don't want to install the NGINX Agent or upgrade to R31, you can still report your NGINX Plus instances by configuring an HTTP health check in the NGINX configuration file. However, this method can be time-consuming, especially if you have multiple instances in your environment. Therefore, consider these factors before choosing this option. Please refer to this documentation on how to configure HTTP health check in NGINX Plus.

This video shows how to configure NGINX usage reporting using NGINX Agent.

 

 

Conclusion

The recently released NGINX Plus R31 update makes it even simpler and more efficient to report monthly usage data on NGINX Plus instances—without impacting performance while ensuring compliance with F5 requirements.