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Getting Started

Get up and running with DBA SaaS in minutes. This guide walks you through creating an account, installing the monitoring agent, and connecting your first PostgreSQL database.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

  • PostgreSQL 12 or higher — DBA SaaS supports PostgreSQL versions 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17
  • Linux or macOS server — the monitoring agent runs on any modern Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, RHEL 8+, Amazon Linux 2) or macOS 12+
  • Network access to DBA SaaS cloud — the agent requires outbound HTTPS (port 443) connectivity to send metrics to the DBA SaaS platform
  • Superuser or pg_monitor role — required to grant the agent read-only access to performance metrics

Step 1: Create an Account

Sign up for a DBA SaaS account at the platform dashboard. During registration you will:

  1. Enter your email address and create a password
  2. Verify your email via the confirmation link
  3. Create an organization — this is the top-level container for all your databases, team members, and billing
  4. Optionally invite team members by email so they can access the shared dashboard

Once your organization is created, you will be taken to the dashboard where you can add your first database.

Step 2: Install the Agent

The DBA SaaS monitoring agent is a lightweight process that collects metrics from your PostgreSQL instance and sends them securely to the platform. Install it with a single command:

curl -sSL https://install.dbasaas.com | bash

Key details about the agent:

  • Lightweight — uses less than 50 MB of RAM and minimal CPU
  • Runs as a systemd service — automatically starts on boot and restarts on failure
  • Secure — all data is transmitted over TLS 1.3 encrypted connections
  • No inbound ports required — the agent only makes outbound connections

After installation, the agent will prompt you for an API token. You can find this token in your dashboard under Settings > API Tokens.

Step 3: Connect Your Database

Provide the agent with your PostgreSQL connection details. You can do this interactively during setup or by editing the configuration file at /etc/dbasaas/agent.yaml.

The agent needs:

  • Host — the hostname or IP address of your PostgreSQL server (e.g. localhost or 10.0.1.5)
  • Port — default is 5432
  • Database name — the database to monitor
  • Username and password — credentials for the monitoring user

Required Permissions

The monitoring user only needs read-only access. We recommend using the built-in pg_monitor role:

CREATE USER dbasaas_monitor WITH PASSWORD 'your-secure-password';
GRANT pg_monitor TO dbasaas_monitor;

The pg_monitor role grants access to various statistics views and functions that are needed for monitoring, without allowing any data modification.

Step 4: Verify Connection

Once the agent is configured and running, verify that everything is working:

  1. Open your DBA SaaS dashboard
  2. Navigate to the Databases section
  3. Your newly connected database should appear with a green status indicator
  4. First metrics typically appear within 60 seconds of establishing the connection

If you do not see metrics after a few minutes, check the agent logs:

journalctl -u dbasaas-agent -f

Common issues include firewall rules blocking outbound HTTPS, incorrect database credentials, or missing pg_monitor role permissions.

What's Next

Now that your database is connected and sending metrics, explore these resources to get the most out of DBA SaaS:

  • Platform Guide — learn how to navigate the dashboard, configure alerts, and manage issues
  • DBLab Engine — create instant thin clones of your database for development, testing, and CI/CD pipelines