1. What is the Architecture of Prometheus Monitoring?
Prometheus follows a unique and powerful architecture designed for scalability and flexibility. At its core, Prometheus adopts a server-client model. The main components include:
Prometheus Server: This is the central component responsible for collecting and storing time-series data through HTTP pull requests. It also processes alerts, rules, and triggers notifications when necessary.
Prometheus Storage: The storage engine is a critical part of Prometheus, managing time-series data efficiently. It utilizes a custom, compressed format for storing data on disk.
Prometheus Pushgateway: This optional component allows ephemeral and batch jobs to push their metrics to Prometheus. It simplifies integration for jobs that are not long-lived or may have short lifespans.
Prometheus Alertmanager: This module handles alerts sent by Prometheus server, deduplicates, groups, and routes them to the correct receiver (like email, Slack, etc.).
Instrumented Applications: Prometheus works by pulling metrics from instrumented applications, which expose endpoints for Prometheus to scrape.
2. What are the Features of Prometheus?
Prometheus boasts an array of features that contribute to its popularity in the monitoring landscape:
Multi-dimensional Data Model: Prometheus embraces a multi-dimensional data model, allowing efficient storage and querying of time-series data, which is crucial for monitoring diverse systems.
PromQL: A powerful query language enables users to perform complex queries on collected data, facilitating advanced analysis and troubleshooting.
Alerting: Prometheus supports a robust alerting system, providing real-time notifications based on predefined rules and thresholds.
Scalability: Its architecture supports horizontal scalability, making it suitable for small setups to large, complex environments.
Service Discovery: Prometheus easily integrates with service discovery mechanisms, allowing dynamic monitoring of changing infrastructures.
3. What are the Components of Prometheus?
Prometheus comprises several components that work seamlessly together:
Prometheus Server
Prometheus Storage
Prometheus Pushgateway
Prometheus Alertmanager
Client Libraries: Available in various languages, these libraries allow applications to expose metrics for Prometheus to scrape.
4. What database is used by Prometheus?
Prometheus relies on a custom time-series database that efficiently stores and retrieves metrics data. This database is specifically designed for the unique needs of Prometheus, ensuring optimal performance and scalability for time-series data.
5. What is the default data retention period in Prometheus?
The default data retention period in Prometheus is 15 days. However, this can be customized based on the specific requirements of the monitoring environment.