Sysdig

Comprehensive sysdig commands and usage patterns for efficient workflow management.

Overview

Sysdig is a powerful tool for various operations and system management. This cheat sheet covers essential commands, configuration options, and best practices.

Installation

Linux/Ubuntu

# Package manager installation
sudo apt update
sudo apt install sysdig

# Alternative installation
wget -O sysdig https://github.com/example/sysdig/releases/latest/download/sysdig-linux
chmod +x sysdig
sudo mv sysdig /usr/local/bin/

macOS

# Homebrew installation
brew install sysdig

# Manual installation
curl -L -o sysdig https://github.com/example/sysdig/releases/latest/download/sysdig-macos
chmod +x sysdig
sudo mv sysdig /usr/local/bin/

Windows

# Chocolatey installation
choco install sysdig

# Scoop installation
scoop install sysdig

# Manual installation
# Download from official website and add to PATH

Basic Commands

Command	Description
`sysdig --help`	Display help information
`sysdig --version`	Show version information
`sysdig init`	Initialize sysdig in current directory
`sysdig status`	Check current status
`sysdig list`	List available options
`sysdig info`	Display system information
`sysdig config`	Show configuration
`sysdig update`	Update to latest version

Essential Operations

Getting Started

# Initialize sysdig
sysdig init

# Basic usage
sysdig run

# With verbose output
sysdig --verbose run

# With configuration file
sysdig --config config.yaml run

Configuration

# View configuration
sysdig config show

# Set configuration option
sysdig config set key value

# Get configuration value
sysdig config get key

# Reset configuration
sysdig config reset

Advanced Operations

# Debug mode
sysdig --debug run

# Dry run (preview changes)
sysdig --dry-run run

# Force operation
sysdig --force run

# Parallel execution
sysdig --parallel run

File Operations

Command	Description
`sysdig create <file>`	Create new file
`sysdig read <file>`	Read file contents
`sysdig update <file>`	Update existing file
`sysdig delete <file>`	Delete file
`sysdig copy <src> <dst>`	Copy file
`sysdig move <src> <dst>`	Move file

Network Operations

# Connect to remote host
sysdig connect host:port

# Listen on port
sysdig listen --port 8080

# Send data
sysdig send --data "message" --target host

# Receive data
sysdig receive --port 8080

Security Features

Authentication

# Login with credentials
sysdig login --user username

# Logout
sysdig logout

# Change password
sysdig passwd

# Generate API key
sysdig generate-key

Encryption

# Encrypt file
sysdig encrypt file.txt

# Decrypt file
sysdig decrypt file.txt.enc

# Generate certificate
sysdig cert generate

# Verify signature
sysdig verify file.sig

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Command not found

# Check if installed
which sysdig

# Reinstall if necessary
sudo apt reinstall sysdig

Issue: Permission denied

# Run with sudo
sudo sysdig command

# Fix permissions
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/sysdig

Issue: Configuration errors

# Reset configuration
sysdig config reset

# Validate configuration
sysdig config validate

Debug Commands

Command	Description
`sysdig --debug`	Enable debug output
`sysdig --verbose`	Verbose logging
`sysdig test`	Run self-tests
`sysdig doctor`	Check system health

Best Practices

Security

Always verify checksums when downloading
Use strong authentication methods
Regularly update to latest version
Follow principle of least privilege

Performance

Use appropriate buffer sizes
Monitor resource usage
Optimize configuration for your use case
Regular maintenance and cleanup

Maintenance

# Update sysdig
sysdig update

# Clean temporary files
sysdig clean

# Backup configuration
sysdig backup --config

# Restore from backup
sysdig restore --config backup.yaml

Integration

Scripting

#!/bin/bash
# Example script using sysdig

if ! command -v sysdig &> /dev/null; then
    echo "sysdig is not installed"
    exit 1
fi

if sysdig run; then
    echo "Success"
else
    echo "Failed"
    exit 1
fi

API Integration

import subprocess
import json

def run_sysdig(command):
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(['sysdig'] + command.split(),
                              capture_output=True, text=True)
        return result.stdout
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: \\\\{e\\\\}")
        return None

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`SYSDIG_CONFIG`	Configuration file path	`~/.sysdig/config`
`SYSDIG_HOME`	Home directory	`~/.sysdig`
`SYSDIG_LOG_LEVEL`	Logging level	`INFO`
`SYSDIG_TIMEOUT`	Operation timeout	`30s`

Configuration File

# ~/.sysdig/config.yaml
version: "1.0"
settings:
  debug: false
  timeout: 30
  log_level: "INFO"

network:
  host: "localhost"
  port: 8080
  ssl: true

security:
  auth_required: true
  encryption: "AES256"

Examples

Basic Workflow

# 1. Initialize
sysdig init

# 2. Configure
sysdig config set host example.com

# 3. Run operation
sysdig run

# 4. Check results
sysdig status

# 5. Cleanup
sysdig clean

Advanced Workflow

# Comprehensive operation
sysdig run \
  --config production.yaml \
  --parallel \
  --verbose \
  --timeout 300

# Monitoring
sysdig monitor \
  --interval 60 \
  --alert-threshold 80

Resources

Official Documentation

Community

Tutorials

Last updated: 2025-07-05