PRTG SDK

Overview

ZentrixLabs.PrtgSdk is a clean, lightweight .NET 9 SDK for working with the PRTG Network Monitor API. Designed for building monitoring dashboards, automated reports, and infrastructure management tools.

Available on NuGet.org

Quick Start

Installation

Install via NuGet Package Manager:

dotnet add package ZentrixLabs.PrtgSdk

Or via Package Manager Console:

Install-Package ZentrixLabs.PrtgSdk

Basic Usage

using ZentrixLabs.PrtgSdk;

// Configure PRTG connection
var options = new PrtgOptions
{
    BaseUrl = "https://prtg.example.com",
    ApiToken = "your_token_here"
};

// Initialize service
var prtgService = new PrtgService(httpClient, options, logger);

// Get all devices with their groups
var devices = await prtgService.GetAllDevicesWithGroupsAsync();

// Get sensors for a specific device
var sensors = await prtgService.GetSensorsByDeviceIdAsync(device.ObjectId);

Features

✅ Core Features

• 🔐 API Token Authentication - Secure PRTG API v1 authentication
• 📡 Device Management - Fetch devices and device groups
• 🔍 Sensor Queries - Retrieve and filter sensors
• 🧠 Sensor Classification - Intelligent sensor categorization
• 🎨 Data Formatting - Built-in formatters for display
• 🚦 Pagination Handling - Automatic pagination and throttling
• 📝 ILogger Integration - Standard .NET logging support
• 🪶 Minimal Dependencies - Lightweight and focused

API Coverage

The SDK provides access to:

• Devices: Retrieve all devices with group information
• Sensors: Query sensors by device
• Groups: Device and sensor group hierarchies
• Status: Sensor states and health information
• Metadata: Device and sensor properties

Configuration

appsettings.json

{
  "PRTG": {
    "BaseUrl": "https://prtg.example.com",
    "ApiToken": "your_token_here"
  }
}

Dependency Injection Setup

// Configure services
builder.Services.Configure<PrtgOptions>(
    builder.Configuration.GetSection("PRTG")
);

builder.Services.AddHttpClient<PrtgService>();

// Validate configuration
var prtgOptions = new PrtgOptions();
builder.Configuration.GetSection("PRTG").Bind(prtgOptions);
prtgOptions.Validate(); // Throws if invalid

Security & Authentication

API Token Best Practices

This SDK uses PRTG API v1 with token-based authentication:

• ✅ Dedicated User: Use a read-only PRTG account
• 🔐 HTTPS Required: Ensure your PRTG server uses HTTPS
• 🚫 Token Redaction: SDK automatically redacts tokens in debug logs
• ⏱️ Timeout Protection: HTTP requests have configurable timeouts
• 🔒 Minimal Permissions: Use least-privilege API accounts

Authentication Flow

// Token is passed in query string (PRTG API v1)
// SDK handles token injection automatically
var devices = await prtgService.GetAllDevicesWithGroupsAsync();

Note: For session-based auth with bearer tokens (API v2), use a different integration. This SDK is optimized for unattended, background service use.

Advanced Features

Sensor Classification

The SDK includes intelligent sensor classification:

var sensors = await prtgService.GetSensorsByDeviceIdAsync(deviceId);

// Classify sensors by type
var classified = sensors.GroupBy(s => s.SensorType);

foreach (var group in classified)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Type: {group.Key}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Count: {group.Count()}");
}

Data Formatting

Built-in formatters for display:

// Format sensor values for display
var formattedValue = sensorFormatter.FormatValue(sensor);

// Sanitize for logging (redacts sensitive data)
var sanitized = sensor.SanitizeForLog();

Pagination Handling

The SDK automatically handles PRTG’s pagination:

// Automatically handles pagination internally
var allDevices = await prtgService.GetAllDevicesWithGroupsAsync();

// SDK manages page size and continuation tokens

Logging

ILogger Integration

All operations use ILogger<T> for comprehensive logging:

Debug Level:

• API calls with sanitized URLs
• Pagination progress
• Record counts
• Operation timing

Warning Level:

• Non-success HTTP responses
• API errors
• Timeout warnings

Log Sanitization

// Automatically sanitizes sensitive data
logger.LogDebug("Sensor data: {Sensor}", sensor.SanitizeForLog());

// Redacts:
// - API tokens
// - Diagnostic messages
// - Internal status fields

Use Cases

Monitoring Dashboards

• Build custom PRTG dashboards
• Aggregate sensor data
• Display device health status
• Real-time monitoring views

Automated Reporting

• Generate infrastructure reports
• Track sensor trends
• Export monitoring data
• Schedule automated reports

Integration

• Connect PRTG to other systems
• Feed data to analytics platforms
• Trigger actions based on sensor states
• Synchronize with CMDB systems

Custom Tools

• Build specialized monitoring tools
• Create device inventory systems
• Develop alerting solutions
• Automate PRTG management

Example Workflows

Device Inventory

// Get all devices with their groups
var devices = await prtgService.GetAllDevicesWithGroupsAsync();

foreach (var device in devices)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Device: {device.Name}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Group: {device.Group}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Status: {device.Status}");
    
    // Get sensors for this device
    var sensors = await prtgService.GetSensorsByDeviceIdAsync(device.ObjectId);
    Console.WriteLine($"Sensors: {sensors.Count}");
}

Sensor Health Check

// Get all sensors for a device
var sensors = await prtgService.GetSensorsByDeviceIdAsync(deviceId);

// Filter by status
var downSensors = sensors.Where(s => s.Status == "Down");
var warningSensors = sensors.Where(s => s.Status == "Warning");

Console.WriteLine($"Down: {downSensors.Count()}");
Console.WriteLine($"Warning: {warningSensors.Count()}");

Custom Dashboard Data

// Build dashboard data structure
var dashboardData = new
{
    TotalDevices = devices.Count,
    TotalSensors = devices.Sum(d => d.SensorCount),
    HealthyDevices = devices.Count(d => d.Status == "Up"),
    DevicesNeedingAttention = devices.Count(d => d.Status != "Up")
};

Requirements

• .NET 9.0 or later
• PRTG Network Monitor server with API access
• Valid API token with read permissions

Technical Details

Architecture

• Clean Service Layer: Simple, focused API
• POCO Models: Serializable data models
• HttpClient: Standard .NET HTTP patterns
• Async/Await: Modern asynchronous operations
• DI-Ready: Works with dependency injection

Performance

• Efficient pagination handling
• Automatic throttling support
• Timeout protection
• Minimal memory footprint

Dependencies

• Minimal external dependencies
• Built on .NET 9 BCL
• Standard ILogger<T> for logging
• HttpClient for API communication

Project Structure

ZentrixLabs.PrtgSdk/
├── Models/           # Data models for devices, sensors
├── Services/         # PrtgService and API layer
├── Options/          # Configuration options
├── Classification/   # Sensor classification logic
├── Formatting/       # Data formatters
└── *.csproj          # Project file

Roadmap

Future enhancements planned:

• 🔔 Notification Management: Create and manage notifications
• 📊 Historical Data: Query historical sensor data
• 🎯 Advanced Filtering: Complex query filters
• ✏️ Write Operations: Create and modify sensors
• 🔄 Webhook Support: Webhook integration
• 🚨 Alert Management: Alert configuration and queries

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome!

To contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Submit a pull request

Development Guidelines

• Maintain clarity and reliability
• Keep dependencies minimal
• Add comprehensive logging
• Follow existing patterns
• Test all changes

Security Considerations

Token Security

• Store tokens in secure configuration
• Never commit tokens to source control
• Use environment variables or Azure Key Vault
• Rotate tokens regularly

HTTPS Requirement

• Always use HTTPS for PRTG connections
• Validate SSL certificates
• Avoid token transmission over HTTP

Logging Security

• SDK automatically redacts tokens from logs
• Use .SanitizeForLog() for sensitive data
• Configure appropriate log levels
• Protect log files from unauthorized access

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Authentication Failures

• Verify API token is valid
• Check token permissions
• Ensure HTTPS is configured
• Validate BaseUrl format

No Data Returned

• Confirm devices/sensors exist in PRTG
• Check API token read permissions
• Verify network connectivity
• Review PRTG API logs

Timeout Errors

• Increase timeout configuration
• Check PRTG server performance
• Verify network latency
• Consider pagination size

Links

• 📦 NuGet Package
• 💻 Source Code
• 📚 PRTG API Documentation

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the PRTG community for their support and the comprehensive API documentation that made this SDK possible.

License

Licensed under the MIT License.

Free to use, modify, and distribute - including in commercial products - with attribution.

---

Available on NuGet | Open Source | MIT Licensed

The SDK continues to evolve with new features and endpoints. Contributions welcome!