How to Use Custom HTTP URL to Install Agents with AppDynamics Smart Agent (with S3 Example)

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The AppDynamics Smart Agent offers a powerful way to automate agent installation, updates, and management. While it supports default artifact repositories, you can also host your own agent binaries and use the Custom HTTP URL option to install agents — great for enterprise customization and version control.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to host agents in Amazon S3 and use the Smart Agent to install them via a custom HTTP URL.

Prerequisites

Before we start, ensure:

• You have access to an Amazon S3 bucket

• The Smart Agent is installed on your host

• The agent ZIP file (e.g., Machine Agent, Java Agent) is available locally

Step 1: Upload the Agent to S3

Use the AWS CLI to upload your agent ZIP file to S3:

aws s3 cp machineagent-bundle-64bit-linux-25.4.0.4712.zip s3://your-bucket-name/

Replace your-bucket-name with your actual S3 bucket.

Step 2: Make the Object Publicly Accessible

To allow Smart Agent (which runs in AppDynamics cloud) to download the file, it must be public.

Allow Public Access via ACL:

aws s3api put-object-acl \
  --bucket your-bucket-name \
  --key machineagent-bundle-64bit-linux-25.4.0.4712.zip \
  --acl public-read

Step 3: Get the Public HTTP URL

Public S3 objects are accessible at:

https://<bucket-name>.s3.<region>.amazonaws.com/<object-key>

Example:

https://appd-agent-smart.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/machineagent-bundle-64bit-linux-25.4.0.4712.zip

Step 4: Use the URL in Smart Agent

1. Go to AppDynamics Controller → Smart Agent UI

2. Select Install Agent

3. Choose the agent type (e.g., Machine Agent)

4. Under Custom HTTP URL, paste the S3 link

   

Result

Smart Agent will now download the ZIP from your public S3 URL and install the agent on the target host.