SwissFEL is a free electron laser user facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, Switzerland designed to provide FEL radiation at photon energies ranging from 0.2 to 12 keV. Beam commissioning of the hard x-ray line ARAMIS has started in October 2016 and first lasing at 300 eV was achieved in May 2017. First pilot user experiments at photon energies ≥ 2 keV are foreseen for the end of 2017. This contribution comprehends commissioning results and first operational experience of various SwissFEL diagnostics systems, such as beam position monitors, charge and loss monitors as well as transverse profile measurements with screens and wire scanners. It also provides first results from the BC-1 compression monitor and summarizes the status of the electron and laser bunch arrival time monitors.