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Zabbix template export and import format

Zabbix uses XML as the standard format for exporting and importing configuration objects such as templates, hosts, triggers, and graphs^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L174-L197]. This format allows administrators to port configurations between different Zabbix instances or save them as version-controlled files^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L174-L197].

File Structure

An export file must be well-formed XML and begins with a standard XML declaration and version encoding^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L174-L176]. All content is enclosed within a root <zabbix_export> element^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L177-L197].

Root Metadata

The root element typically contains versioning and date information:

  • <version>: Specifies the version of the Zabbix export format (e.g., 3.4)^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L178].
  • <date>: An ISO 8601 timestamp indicating when the export was created^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L179].

Primary Sections

The XML structure is divided into specific top-level sections that group related configuration data^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L180-L197]:

  • <groups>: Defines host groups referenced within the export^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L180-L184].
  • <templates>: Contains the core definitions of the templates being exported^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L185-L197].
  • <graphs>: Defines graph configurations associated with the templates^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L194-L197].

Template Definition

Within the <templates> section, individual <template> elements define the specific monitoring logic^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L186-L197].

Identification and Description

A template includes metadata to identify and describe its purpose^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L187-L194]:

  • <template>: The unique technical name or key of the template^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L187].
  • <name>: The display name for the template^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L188].
  • <description>: A text field explaining the template's function^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L189].
  • <groups>: Associates the template with a specific host group^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L190-L193].

Items Configuration

Monitoring items are defined within the <items> block of a template^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L194-L196]. Each <item> element contains detailed configuration parameters^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L196-L233]:

  • General Settings:
    • <name>: Display name of the item^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L197].
    • <type>: The numerical type of the item (e.g., 0 for Zabbix agent)^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L199].
    • <key>: The unique item key (e.g., mypay.robot[robot1047])^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L202].
  • Data Settings:
    • <delay>: The update interval (e.g., 30s)^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L203].
    • <history>: How long historical data is kept^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix-key.md#L204].
    • <trends>: How long trend data is stored^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L205].
    • <value_type>: The numerical code for the data type received^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L208].
    • <units>: The unit of measure for the item's value^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md#L210].
  • Associations:
    • <applications>: Links the item to an application grouping^[600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix-key.md#L225-L229].
  • [[Zabbix]]
  • [[XML]]

Sources

  • 600-developer__operation-maintenance__zabbix__zabbix-key.md