Observium stores its configuration and device metadata in a MySQL/MariaDB database. You should remove the database and the associated user to free up resources. Log into MySQL: sudo mysql -u root -p Run the following commands:
If you no longer need Apache on the server, you can uninstall it completely:
# Check if directory exists ls -la /opt/observium 2>/dev/null
# Check for remaining dependencies (dry run) sudo apt remove --dry-run apache2 mysql-server php snmp
If you’ve decided to move away from Observium to another monitoring tool—or just need to clean up your Ubuntu server—you’ll quickly notice there isn’t a single "uninstall" button. Because Observium is usually installed manually into a directory like /opt/observium uninstall observium ubuntu
If an observium user was created during installation, remove it along with the observium group:
Run the following command to drop the Observium database (replace observium with your actual database name if you customized it during installation): DROP DATABASE observium; Use code with caution.
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If you added the cron jobs directly to the root or a specific user's crontab instead of /etc/cron.d/ , open that crontab: sudo crontab -e Use code with caution. Observium stores its configuration and device metadata in
Removing Observium is not difficult, but it’s — and that’s by design, to prevent accidental data loss. Always back up your RRD files and database before uninstalling if you think you might need historical data again.
Observium is a powerful network monitoring platform, but there may come a time when you need to remove it entirely — perhaps migrating to LibreNMS, Prometheus, or simply reclaiming resources. Because Observium isn’t installed from standard Ubuntu repositories, a simple apt remove won’t suffice. This guide walks through a , including the web interface, database, RRD files, and cron jobs.
: Remove the Observium cron file to stop background polling: sudo rm /etc/cron.d/observium
Observium relies on several cron tasks for polling and discovery. You must remove these to stop the background processes. Open the Observium cron file (typically located in /etc/cron.d/ sudo rm /etc/cron.d/observium If you added cron jobs via crontab -e , remove any lines pointing to /opt/observium/ 2. Delete the Installation Directory Most installations reside in /opt/observium Because Observium is usually installed manually into a
sudo apt-get remove --purge apache2 mysql-server php7.4 php7.4-cli php7.4-mysql php7.4-gd php7.4-snmp php7.4-curl snmp fping graphviz rrdtool
for discussions on decommissioning servers and migration tips. For users looking for alternatives, the Reddit Sysadmin community
This guide assumes the standard installation path ( /opt/observium ). If you installed it in a custom directory, adjust the commands accordingly. Step 1: Disable and Remove Observium Cron Jobs
sudo userdel observium sudo groupdel observium