What is the main purpose of Zabbix agents?

Zabbix agents play a crucial role in the Zabbix monitoring system by collecting performance and availability metrics from the monitored devices. They are installed on the systems being monitored, and their primary function is to gather a variety of data points, including CPU load, memory usage, disk space, network performance, and other critical performance metrics. This data is then sent to the Zabbix server for processing and visualization.

By functioning in this capacity, Zabbix agents enable comprehensive monitoring of both physical and virtual resources, helping IT teams to detect issues proactively, troubleshoot problems, and maintain optimal performance across their infrastructure. This is essential for ensuring that services remain available and performant, ultimately supporting the overall goals of system reliability and efficiency.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately represent the main purpose of Zabbix agents. For instance, agents do not provide a web-based interface nor manage database configurations; those functionalities are handled by other components within the Zabbix framework.