How to Monitor Server Performance with Prometheus and Grafana

Introduction

Monitoring server performance is essential to ensure system reliability, identify bottlenecks, and maintain high availability. Prometheus and Grafana are powerful open-source tools that work seamlessly together to collect, visualize, and analyze server metrics in real-time. In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up Prometheus for data collection and Grafana for creating insightful dashboards to monitor your server’s performance.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have:

• An Ubuntu 22.04 VPS
• Root or sudo privileges
• Basic knowledge of Linux commands

Step 1: Update Your System

Ensure your server is up-to-date to avoid compatibility issues:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Prometheus

Prometheus is a time-series database designed for monitoring and alerting. Follow these steps to install it:

1. Create a Prometheus User:

sudo useradd –no-create-home –shell /bin/false prometheus

2. Create Directories for Prometheus Data:

sudo mkdir /etc/prometheus
sudo mkdir /var/lib/prometheus

3. Download Prometheus:

cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/prometheus/prometheus/releases/latest/download/prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz

4. Extract the Archive:

tar -xvf prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz

5. Move Binaries:

sudo mv prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64/prometheus /usr/local/bin/
sudo mv prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64/promtool /usr/local/bin/

6. Move Configuration Files:

sudo mv prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64/consoles /etc/prometheus
sudo mv prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64/console_libraries /etc/prometheus
sudo mv prometheus-2.43.0.linux-amd64/prometheus.yml /etc/prometheus

Step 3: Configure Prometheus

Edit the Prometheus configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml

Example configuration:

global:
scrape_interval: 15s

scrape_configs:
– job_name: ‘prometheus’
static_configs:
– targets: [‘localhost:9090’]

Step 4: Set Up Prometheus as a Service

Create a systemd service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/prometheus.service

Add the following:

[Unit]
Description=Prometheus
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=prometheus
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/prometheus \
–config.file=/etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml \
–storage.tsdb.path=/var/lib/prometheus/

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload systemd, start, and enable Prometheus:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start prometheus
sudo systemctl enable prometheus

Verify Prometheus:

Check if Prometheus is running:

sudo systemctl status prometheus

Access Prometheus at:

http://your_server_ip:9090

Step 5: Install Grafana

Grafana is used to visualize the data collected by Prometheus.

1. Add Grafana Repository:

sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository “deb https://packages.grafana.com/oss/deb stable main”

2. Install Grafana:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install grafana -y

3. Start and Enable Grafana:

sudo systemctl start grafana-server
sudo systemctl enable grafana-server

Access Grafana:

Visit Grafana at:

http://your_server_ip:3000

Default login credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin (change on first login)

Step 6: Configure Prometheus as a Data Source in Grafana

1. 1. Log into Grafana.
   2. Go to Settings → Data Sources.
   3. Click Add data source and select Prometheus.
   4. Set the URL to:

http://localhost:9090

1. Click Save & Test.

Step 7: Create Dashboards in Grafana

To create a dashboard:

1. 1. Click the + icon → Dashboard.
   2. Click Add new panel.
   3. In the query field, enter:

node_cpu_seconds_total

1. Adjust the visualization settings as needed.
2. Click Apply to save the panel.

Step 8: Monitor Key Metrics

Common Prometheus metrics you can track:

• CPU Usage:
  

  rate(node_cpu_seconds_total[1m])

• Memory Usage:
  

  node_memory_MemAvailable_bytes

• Disk Usage:
  

  node_filesystem_avail_bytes

• Network Traffic:
  

  rate(node_network_receive_bytes_total[5m])

Step 9: Enable Alerts in Grafana

To set up alerts:

1. 1. Go to your dashboard.
   2. Click the panel title → Edit.
   3. Go to the Alert tab and click Create Alert.
   4. Set conditions like:

WHEN avg() OF query(A, 5m, now) IS ABOVE 80

1. Save the alert configuration.

Step 10: Securing Prometheus and Grafana

• • Enable authentication for Prometheus by configuring prometheus.yml.
  • Use HTTPS for Grafana by editing /etc/grafana/grafana.ini and configuring SSL.
  • Restrict access to monitoring tools using a firewall:

sudo ufw allow 9090/tcp
sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up Prometheus and Grafana to monitor your server’s performance. This powerful combination provides real-time insights into system metrics, helping you detect and respond to issues promptly. Regular monitoring ensures optimal performance, improves resource management, and enhances the security of your infrastructure.