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# 16 Distributed monitoring

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#### Overview

Zabbix provides an effective and reliable way of monitoring a
distributed IT infrastructure using Zabbix
[proxies](/manual/distributed_monitoring/proxies).

Proxies can be used to collect data locally on behalf of a centralized
Zabbix server and then report the data to the server.

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##### Proxy features

When making a choice of using/not using a proxy, several considerations
must be taken into account.

| |Proxy|
|--------|--|
|*Lightweight*|**Yes**|
|*GUI*|No|
|*Works independently*|**Yes**|
|*Easy maintenance*|**Yes**|
|*Automatic DB creation*|**Yes**^1^|
|*Local administration*|No|
|*Ready for embedded hardware*|**Yes**|
|*One way TCP connections*|**Yes**|
|*Centralized configuration*|**Yes**|
|*Generates notifications*|No|

^1^ Automatic DB creation feature works only with SQLite.
Other supported databases require [manual setup](/manual/appendix/install/db_scripts).

::: noteimportant
The Zabbix proxy is not aware of maintenance periods; see [Calculation of queues during maintenance](/manual/maintenance#calculation-of-queues-during-maintenance) for details.
:::

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