Monitor microservices health status on Linux servers. Track service health, check inter-service communication, detect failures. Setup monitoring with Zuzia.app.

Last updated: 2026-01-11

How to Monitor Microservices Health Status on Linux

Need to monitor microservices health status on your Linux server? Want to track service health, check inter-service communication, and detect failures? This guide shows you how to monitor microservices using built-in Linux commands and set up automated monitoring with Zuzia.app.

For comprehensive microservices monitoring strategies, see Microservices Architecture Health Monitoring Guide. For troubleshooting microservices issues, see Microservices Communication Failures.

Why Monitoring Microservices Health Matters

Microservices health monitoring helps you detect service failures immediately, track inter-service communication, prevent cascading failures, maintain service availability, and respond quickly to microservices issues. Regular monitoring prevents service failures from going undetected and causing widespread outages.

Method 1: Check Service Health Endpoints

Most microservices provide health check endpoints:

Check HTTP Health Endpoints

# Check HTTP health endpoint
curl -f http://service:8080/health

# Check detailed health status
curl http://service:8080/health | jq

# Check readiness endpoint
curl http://service:8080/ready

# Check liveness endpoint
curl http://service:8080/live

# Monitor health endpoint continuously
watch -n 5 'curl -s http://service:8080/health'

Health endpoints provide service status and health information.

Monitor Service Response Times

# Measure response time
time curl -s http://service:8080/health

# Check response time with curl
curl -w "@-" -o /dev/null -s http://service:8080/health <<'EOF'
time_namelookup:  %{time_namelookup}\n
time_connect:     %{time_connect}\n
time_total:       %{time_total}\n
EOF

# Monitor response times
while true; do curl -w "%{time_total}\n" -o /dev/null -s http://service:8080/health; sleep 1; done

Response time monitoring helps detect performance degradation.

Method 2: Check Service Processes

Monitor microservices processes and containers:

Check Service Processes

# List service processes
ps aux | grep service-name

# Check service process status
pgrep -f service-name

# Monitor service process
watch -n 1 'ps aux | grep service-name'

# Check process resource usage
top -p $(pgrep -f service-name)

Process monitoring verifies services are running.

Check Docker Containers

# List running containers
docker ps

# Check container status
docker ps --filter "name=service-name"

# Check container health
docker inspect service-name | jq '.[0].State.Health'

# Monitor container logs
docker logs -f service-name

Container monitoring shows service status in containerized environments.

Method 3: Monitor Inter-Service Communication

Track communication between microservices:

Monitor Service-to-Service Requests

# Check service logs for requests
grep "request" /var/log/service.log | tail -20

# Monitor API calls between services
tcpdump -i any -n "host service1 and host service2"

# Check service mesh metrics (if using Istio/Linkerd)
curl http://localhost:15000/stats/prometheus | grep service

# Monitor network connections
ss -tn | grep service-port

Inter-service communication monitoring detects communication failures.

Method 4: Automated Microservices Health Monitoring with Zuzia.app

Manually checking microservices works for troubleshooting, but for production systems, you need automated microservices health monitoring that alerts you when service failures or performance issues are detected.

Setting Up Automated Microservices Monitoring

Add Scheduled Task in Zuzia.app Dashboard
- Navigate to your server in Zuzia.app
- Click "Add Scheduled Task"
- Choose "Command Execution" as the task type
Configure Microservices Health Check Command
- Enter command: curl -f http://service:8080/health
- Set execution frequency: Every 1-5 minutes
- Configure alert conditions: Alert when health check fails
- Set up comparison with previous runs to detect changes
Set Up Notifications
- Choose notification channels (email, webhook, Slack, etc.)
- Configure alert thresholds (e.g., alert if health check fails, response time > 1s)
- Set up escalation rules for critical service failures
- Configure different alert levels for different services

Monitor Specific Microservices

For critical services, create dedicated monitoring tasks:

# Check service health
curl -f http://service:8080/health

# Check service response time
time curl -s http://service:8080/health

# Check container status
docker ps --filter "name=service"

# Check service processes
ps aux | grep service-name

Zuzia.app stores all command outputs in its database, allowing you to track microservices health over time, identify service failures early, and detect performance issues before users are impacted.

Best Practices for Monitoring Microservices Health

1. Monitor Microservices Continuously

Monitor microservices every 1-5 minutes. Service failures can occur at any time, so frequent monitoring helps detect issues immediately. Use Zuzia.app automated monitoring to monitor microservices continuously without manual intervention.

2. Monitor Both Individual Services and Dependencies

Monitor at multiple levels: individual service health, inter-service communication, and dependency health. Service-level monitoring shows individual service status, communication monitoring shows inter-service connectivity, and dependency monitoring helps prevent cascading failures.

3. Track Service Response Times

Monitor service response times to detect performance degradation. High response times may indicate service problems or resource constraints. Set up alerts for response times exceeding thresholds.

4. Monitor Inter-Service Communication

Monitor communication between microservices to detect communication failures. Track request success rates, latency between services, and circuit breaker status.

5. Plan Service Improvements

Use microservices monitoring data for planning service improvements. Analyze service performance trends, identify services needing optimization, and plan capacity upgrades.

Troubleshooting Common Microservices Monitoring Issues

Service Health Check Fails

If service health check fails:

# Check service status
curl -v http://service:8080/health

# Check service processes
ps aux | grep service-name

# Check container status
docker ps --filter "name=service"

# Review service logs
docker logs service-name

Service health check failures require immediate investigation.

High Response Times

If service response times are high:

# Check response time
time curl http://service:8080/health

# Check service resource usage
top -p $(pgrep -f service-name)

# Check service logs
docker logs service-name | tail -50

# Monitor service performance
watch -n 1 'curl -w "%{time_total}\n" -o /dev/null -s http://service:8080/health'

High response times indicate performance issues requiring optimization.

FAQ: Common Questions About Monitoring Microservices Health

How often should I monitor microservices health on my Linux server?

We recommend monitoring microservices health every 1-5 minutes. Service failures can occur at any time, so frequent monitoring helps detect issues immediately. For critical services, monitor more frequently. Use Zuzia.app automated monitoring to monitor microservices continuously without manual intervention.

What should I do when microservices health check fails?

When microservices health check fails, first check service status using health endpoints and process checks. Review service logs for errors. Check inter-service communication. Restart services if safe. Investigate root cause to prevent recurrence.

Can I monitor microservices without affecting performance?

Yes, microservices health checks are lightweight and don't affect service performance. Health endpoint checks generate minimal traffic. However, avoid checking too frequently to minimize impact.

How do I identify which microservice has failed?

Use health endpoint checks to identify failed services. Check service processes or containers. Review service logs for errors. Check inter-service communication logs. Zuzia.app tracks individual service health and can help identify failed services.

Why is monitoring microservices health important?

Monitoring microservices health helps detect service failures immediately, prevent cascading failures, maintain service availability, track inter-service communication, and respond quickly to issues. Service failures can cause widespread outages, so tracking microservices health is essential for maintaining system reliability.

How do I compare microservices health across multiple servers?

Use Zuzia.app to monitor microservices health across multiple servers simultaneously. Each server executes microservices checks independently, and all results are stored in Zuzia.app's database for centralized comparison and analysis. You can view microservices health for all servers in a single dashboard.

Does Zuzia.app track microservices health changes over time?

Yes, Zuzia.app stores all command outputs in its database, allowing you to track microservices health over time and identify when service failures or performance issues occur. You can view historical data to see service health trends, identify failure patterns, and verify that service restarts were successful.

Related guides
Related recipes
Related problems
- Microservices Communication Failures
- Service Mesh Connectivity Failures

How to Monitor Microservices Health Status on Linux