Prometheus is an open-source systems monitoring and alerting toolkit originally built by SoundCloud. It is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and has a vibrant community. Prometheus collects metrics from configured targets, evaluates them using query language, and triggers alerts based on predefined rules.
Key Features 🌟
- Multi-dimensional Data Model 📈
Metrics are stored as time series data with labels, enabling complex queries and filtering. - Flexible Query Language (PromQL) 🔍
Powerful tools for analyzing and visualizing metrics in real-time. - Visualization Support 📊
Integrates with Grafana, Kibana, or Prometheus's own web interface for dashboards.
Use Cases 🧰
- Server Monitoring 🏗️
Track CPU, memory, and network usage across hosts. - Application Performance Monitoring (APM) ⚙️
Monitor latency, request rates, and error rates for services. - Custom Metrics 📝
Extend monitoring capabilities with user-defined metrics.
For deeper insights into visualization tools, check out our guide on Grafana.