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Datadog Documentation

Complete guides for Datadog agent setup, configuration, and network connectivity testing with enterprise-grade monitoring.

Datadog Endpoints Reference​

US Datacenter (Default)​

  • API: api.datadoghq.com
  • Traces/APM: trace.datadoghq.com
  • Logs Intake: http-intake.logs.datadoghq.com
  • RUM: rum.datadoghq.com

EU Datacenter​

  • API: api.datadoghq.eu
  • Traces/APM: trace.datadoghq.eu
  • Logs Intake: http-intake.logs.datadoghq.eu
  • RUM: rum.datadoghq.eu

Key Datadog Agent Configuration​

Basic Configuration​

api_key: your_api_key_here
site: datadoghq.com          # or datadoghq.eu
hostname: your-server-name

tags:
  - env:production
  - service:myapp
  - team:devops

logs_enabled: true

apm_config:
  enabled: true
  apm_dd_url: https://trace.datadoghq.com

Proxy Configuration​

proxy:
  https: "http://proxy-server:8080"
  http: "http://proxy-server:8080"
  no_proxy:
    - "localhost"
    - "127.0.0.1"

Common Datadog Operations​

Agent Management​

sudo systemctl start datadog-agent       # Start agent
sudo systemctl stop datadog-agent        # Stop agent
sudo systemctl restart datadog-agent     # Restart agent
sudo systemctl status datadog-agent      # Check status
sudo systemctl enable datadog-agent      # Enable auto-start

Testing & Verification​

sudo datadog-agent status                # Show agent status
sudo datadog-agent diagnose              # Run diagnostics
sudo datadog-agent configcheck           # Validate config
sudo datadog-agent check nginx           # Test integration

Logging​

sudo tail -f /var/log/datadog/agent.log          # Follow logs
sudo grep -i error /var/log/datadog/agent.log    # Find errors
sudo journalctl -u datadog-agent -f              # System logs

Connectivity Testing​

# Test API connectivity
curl -s https://api.datadoghq.com/api/v1/validate \
  -H "DD-API-KEY: $DD_API_KEY"

# Test through proxy
curl -x http://proxy-server:8080 \
  https://api.datadoghq.com/api/v1/validate

# Check port connectivity
nc -zv api.datadoghq.com 443

Command Statistics​

  • Total Datadog Commands: 75+
  • Setup Commands: 25+
  • Proxy Testing Commands: 25+
  • Monitoring Commands: 25+

Quick Troubleshooting​

Agent Not Starting​

sudo datadog-agent configcheck           # Check config syntax
sudo journalctl -u datadog-agent -n 50   # View recent errors

No Metrics Sending​

sudo grep "api_key" /etc/datadog-agent/datadog.yaml
curl -s https://api.datadoghq.com -H "DD-API-KEY: test"

Proxy Issues​

sudo tail -50 /var/log/datadog/agent.log | grep -i proxy
curl -v -x http://proxy-server:8080 https://api.datadoghq.com

Environment Variables​

# Essential variables
DD_API_KEY="your_api_key"
DD_SITE="datadoghq.com"              # or datadoghq.eu
DD_ENV="production"
DD_SERVICE="myapp"
DD_VERSION="1.0.0"

# Proxy configuration
HTTP_PROXY="http://proxy-server:8080"
HTTPS_PROXY="http://proxy-server:8080"
NO_PROXY="localhost,127.0.0.1"

Best Practices​

Best Practices
  1. Secure API Keys: Store in environment variables, not in files
  2. Use HTTPS: Always communicate with Datadog over HTTPS
  3. Monitor Agent: Set up monitoring for the monitoring agent itself
  4. Test Before Production: Always test proxy and connectivity first
  5. Keep Logs: Enable and monitor agent logs for troubleshooting
  6. Tag Resources: Use consistent tags for organization
  7. Review Integrations: Only enable needed integrations
  8. Update Regularly: Keep agent updated for security patches
  9. Document Configuration: Keep proxy and endpoint settings documented
  10. Plan Failover: Have backup endpoints in your configuration

Documentation Sections​