Check Down Hosts at a Glance – a 2025 Nagios XI Dashlet

Nagios XI contains many features and details about your hosts and their services. While you can go into to view them a number of ways sometimes with everything going on you want a quick glance to see what the problem areas are. The Down Hosts Dashlet allows users to see in their dashboards which hosts are down at a glance. We will be going over what the dashlet does, how it works, as well as how to set it up.

What the Hosts Down Dashlet does & How

This dashlet is a useful tool for monitoring the status of your hosts within Nagios XI. It provides a quick overview by scanning through all your hosts and displaying only those that are in a down state. This focused approach helps you identify issues faster, without having to sift through your entire list of hosts.

What makes this dashlet especially convenient is that each host name is a clickable link, which takes you directly to the host’s detailed status page. This allows you to quickly investigate the problem and take the necessary actions. It’s a simple yet effective way to enhance your dashboard and streamline the monitoring process, making it easier to stay on top of any critical issues.

The Hosts Down Dashlet uses Nagios XI’s built-in API to collect real-time data about the status of your hosts. It queries the API to check the status of all hosts and then filters out those that are marked as down. This process ensures that the dashlet always provides an accurate list of hosts that are down.

Setting up the Dashlet

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Hosts Down Dashlet on your Nagios XI instance (download here), setting it up is quick and easy. First, head to the Admin section to find and copy your API key. This unique code allows the dashlet to securely access and display the necessary data from your Nagios XI instance. Then, navigate to the Dashboards tab and go to Available Dashlets. From there, locate and click on the “Down Hosts Dashlet,” choose the dashboard you want to add it to, and paste your API key in the provided field. Once that’s done, the dashlet will be ready to show the real-time status of your hosts.

Conclusion

Setting up the Hosts Down Dashlet in Nagios XI is a quick and straightforward process that enhances your ability to monitor critical host statuses in real time. With just a few simple steps, you can have the dashlet up and running, giving you a clear overview of any issues that need immediate attention. For more advanced details on how the API works and how to make the most of it, check here.