Linux Server Health Check Script

Run a complete Linux server health check from one script — CPU, memory, disk, load, and service status.

What this script does

Reports CPU usage, load average, and uptime
Checks RAM and swap utilization
Monitors disk usage on all mounts
Verifies critical services are running (nginx, mysql, sshd)
Exit code 1 if any check fails (good for monitoring)

Prerequisites

Linux with systemd
Root or sudo for service checks

Step 1: Save the script

sudo nano /usr/local/bin/server-health-check.sh
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/server-health-check.sh

Step 2: Full script (scroll to read)

server-health-check.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

SERVICES=("sshd" "nginx" "mariadb")
DISK_WARN=90
LOAD_WARN=2
ISSUES=0

warn(){ echo "WARNING: $*"; ISSUES=1; }
ok(){ echo "OK: $*"; }

echo "=== Server Health: $(hostname -s) $(date) ==="
echo "--- Uptime & Load ---"
uptime
CORES=$(nproc)
LOAD=$(awk '{print $1}' /proc/loadavg)
awk -v l="$LOAD" -v c="$CORES" -v w="$LOAD_WARN" 'BEGIN{if(l>c*w) exit 1}' || warn "High load: $LOAD (cores: $CORES)"

echo "--- Memory ---"
free -h
MEM=$(free | awk '/Mem:/ {printf "%.0f", $3/$2*100}')
(( MEM < 95 )) && ok "Memory ${MEM}%" || warn "Memory usage ${MEM}%"

echo "--- Disk ---"
df -hP | awk 'NR==1 || $5+0>=0 {print}'
while read -r pct mount; do
  pct=${pct%%%}
  (( pct < DISK_WARN )) && ok "Disk $mount ${pct}%" || warn "Disk $mount ${pct}%"
done < <(df -P | awk 'NR>1 {print $5, $6}')

echo "--- Services ---"
for svc in "${SERVICES[@]}"; do
  if systemctl is-active --quiet "$svc"; then ok "$svc running"; else warn "$svc NOT running"; fi
done

(( ISSUES == 0 )) && echo "All checks passed" || echo "Issues detected"
exit $ISSUES

Scroll inside the box to read the full script.

Step 3: Configure settings

SERVICES — list of systemd units to verify
DISK_WARN — disk usage alert %
LOAD_WARN — load average multiplier vs CPU cores

Linux server health check shell script output

Step 4: Test manually

sudo /usr/local/bin/server-health-check.sh

echo $?  # 0=OK, 1=issues found

Schedule with cron

sudo crontab -e

Add:

*/15 * * * * /usr/local/bin/server-health-check.sh >> /var/log/health-check.log 2>&1

Linux Server Health Check Shell Script (CPU, RAM, Disk & Services)

What this script does

Prerequisites

Step 1: Save the script

Step 2: Full script (scroll to read)

Step 3: Configure settings

Step 4: Test manually

Schedule with cron

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