Configure the infrastructure agent

The infrastructure agent can be configured in a variety of ways. The default method is to edit the configuration variables in the newrelic-infra.yml file.

A configuration file template is available in Infrastructure config file template. You can also override the config file by setting environment variables, or use config management tools, such as Ansible or Puppet.

To configure on-host integrations that work with the infrastructure agent, see a specific integration's documentation.

Want to try out our infrastructure agent? Create a New Relic account for free! No credit card required.

Configuration methods and precedence

The default method to configure the infrastructure agent is the newrelic-infra.yml config file. You can override the config file by setting environment variables, which is ideal for containerized environments.

Environment variables override the config file. The config file overrides the agent defaults.

Here are detailed descriptions of each configuration method:

To set an environment variable, use the variable name from the config file in all caps and prefix with NRIA_; for example, NRIA_LICENSE_KEY. Only use environment variables with containerized environments.

The options described in the infrastructure config file template include their corresponding environment variables, labeled as Env var. Environment variables are also listed in Infrastructure configuration settings.

Starting with infrastructure agent 1.14.0, environment variables can also be defined in the configuration file with the following notation {{MY_ENV_VAR}}, for example:

license_key: {{MY_LICENSE_KEY}}

You can use environment variables to control config settings for on-host integrations, which can then be passed through to the infrastructure agent. Variables that can be used with each on-host integration are listed in the documentation for each integration, and can be set through one of the following methods.

From inside the config file: add an entry to the infrastructure config file to allow the agent to get the environment variables you've set.
```
passthrough_environment:
  - HTTPS_PROXY
  - HTTP_PROXY
```
From the command line: use another environment variable to pass through these settings.
```
NRIA_PASSTHROUGH_ENVIRONMENT="HTTPS_PROXY,HTTP_PROXY"
```
Each integration has a set of variables that can be overwritten by defining and passing an environment variable with the exact same name as the argument (for example, a PORT environment variable to replace the redis port argument).
Starting with infrastructure agent 1.14.0, environment variables can be defined in the integrations config file with the {{}} notation. For example:
```
integration_name: com.newrelic.redis
instances:
  - name: redis-metrics
    command: metrics
    arguments:
      hostname: localhost
      port: 6379
      password: {{MY_REDIS_PASSWORD}}
```
Tip
Make sure the newrelic-infra service has visibility to any custom environment variable defined in the host. Service managers such as systemd will not set all env vars by default and might need additional steps.

Important

For a better understanding of configuration settings, see Infrastructure configuration settings, which contains a detailed explanation of each variable.

Configuration file structure

When editing newrelic-infra.yml, you must conform to the YAML format and adhere to the following rules:

Do not modify the casing of the configuration options: YAML keys are case sensitive.
Respect the indentation levels. All indentations are in similar increments, typically of two space characters. Data in the same stanza of the file must use the same level of indentation. Indent any sub-stanzas by an additional two spaces (see examples in Custom attributes and Network interface filters).

A template of newrelic-infra.yml is available in the infrastructure agent repository. Use a validator to ensure the syntax is accurate before using the file with the infrastructure agent.

Important

Always restart the agent or your web server after changing settings.

Configuration management tools

To dynamically create your configuration file and manage the infrastructure agent with configuration management tools, see the documentation for:

Configuration methods and precedence

Configuration file (`newrelic-infra.yml`) location and description

Environment variable syntax and description

Using environment variable passthroughs with on-host integrations

Tip

Important

Configuration file structure

Important

Configuration management tools