en	# 16 Distributed monitoring

en	#### 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.

en	##### 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. :::