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Monitor and maintain the platform

Monitor and maintain your GDI platform deployment to ensure reliability, security, and optimal performance. This guide covers performance monitoring, security auditing, backup procedures, and update management.

Performance monitoring​

Track system performance metrics to ensure optimal platform operation and identify potential issues before they impact users.

Monitor key performance indicators:

  • Response times: Track application response times to identify performance bottlenecks
  • Resource utilisation: Monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage across all components
  • User activity: Track user sessions, concurrent users, and usage patterns
  • Database performance: Monitor query execution times and connection pool usage
  • API performance: Track API endpoint response times and error rates

Security auditing​

Implement comprehensive security monitoring to protect your deployment and maintain compliance with data protection regulations.

Establish security monitoring procedures:

  • Access logging: Record all authentication attempts and user access to sensitive data
  • Intrusion detection: Monitor for suspicious activity and potential security threats
  • Compliance verification: Ensure adherence to data protection and security policies
  • Audit trails: Maintain detailed logs of administrative actions and system changes
  • Vulnerability scanning: Regularly scan for security vulnerabilities in deployed components

Activity monitoring and auditing​

Monitor user activity and dataset changes to maintain data integrity and track catalogue usage.

Enable activity streams​

CKAN displays a full history of dataset changes in the Activity Stream. New installations enable this by default, but you may need to activate it manually for upgrades.

To make activity history public, add this to your ckan.ini file:

ckan.auth.public_activity_stream_detail = true
CKAN 2.11.3 plugin requirement

Since CKAN 2.11.3, you must activate Activity as a plugin. See the CKAN 2.11 changelog for details.

Activity monitoring levels​

Configure activity tracking at different levels:

  • Organisation level: Track all changes within an organisation
  • Dataset level: Monitor specific dataset modifications
  • Difference view: See detailed changes between versions
  • User activity: Track individual user actions and access patterns

Audit configuration​

For complete activity configuration options, see CKAN activity settings documentation.

Data backup​

Establish reliable backup procedures to protect critical data and enable recovery from system failures or data loss.

Implement comprehensive backup strategies:

  • CKAN databases: Schedule regular backups of CKAN data and metadata
  • Configuration files: Back up all system configuration files and secrets
  • User data: Protect user accounts, roles, and permissions data
  • Backup verification: Regularly test backup restoration procedures
  • Retention policies: Define and implement appropriate backup retention periods

For database backup procedures, see Manage data and services.

Platform updates​

Manage platform updates and version deployments to maintain security, stability, and feature currency while minimising service disruption.

Follow these practices when deploying updates:

  • Minimal downtime: Plan updates during maintenance windows to reduce user impact
  • Rollback procedures: Prepare rollback plans before applying major updates
  • Testing: Validate updates in development environments before production deployment
  • Version control: Track deployed versions and maintain change documentation
  • Communication: Notify users of scheduled maintenance and expected downtime
Next steps

After setting up monitoring and maintenance: