# What is the architecture of the monitoring solution (centralized vs distributed)?

**URL:** <https://community.dynatrace.com/t/what-is-the-architecture-of-the-monitoring-solution-centralized-vs-distributed/52357>\
**Category:** Open Q&A\
**Tags:** getting-started, network-monitoring\
**Created:** [July 4, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://community.dynatrace.com/t/what-is-the-architecture-of-the-monitoring-solution-centralized-vs-distributed/52357 "2025-07-04T13:33:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gosia\_Murawska](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@Gosia\_Murawska](https://community.dynatrace.com/u/Gosia_Murawska)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://community.dynatrace.com/t/what-is-the-architecture-of-the-monitoring-solution-centralized-vs-distributed/52357/1 "2025-07-04T13:33:58Z")

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And what are the advantages of this architecture?

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**Author:** ![theharithsa](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/dynatrace/user_avatar/community.dynatrace.com/theharithsa/32/16236_2.png) [@theharithsa](https://community.dynatrace.com/u/theharithsa)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://community.dynatrace.com/t/what-is-the-architecture-of-the-monitoring-solution-centralized-vs-distributed/52357/2 "2025-07-04T13:34:28Z")

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Dynatrace uses a&nbsp; **hybrid-centralized architecture** :

- The&nbsp; **SaaS backend** &nbsp;(Dynatrace Cluster/Grail) provides centralized data storage, AI-based analytics (Davis AI), and UI access. - Data collection is&nbsp; **distributed** , using OneAgents and ActiveGates:
- **OneAgent** &nbsp;gather telemetry from hosts and applications.
- **ActiveGate** &nbsp;support secure data forwarding, network zone bridging, and SNMP/API-based extension execution. This allows scalable observability across distributed infrastructures while managing data ingestion and analytics centrally.