Getting started with Grafana and Prometheus

    You can also configure a Grafana Cloud instance to display system metrics without having to host Grafana yourself.

    Use the instructions in Getting started with Grafana to:

    • Install Grafana.
    • Log in to Grafana.
    • Create your first dashboard.

    You can also configure a instance to display system metrics without having to host Grafana yourself.

    Step 2. Download Prometheus and node_exporter

    Prometheus node_exporter is a widely used tool that exposes system metrics. Install node_exporter on all hosts you want to monitor. For instructions on how to install node_exporter, refer to the section in Prometheus documentation.

    Step 4. Install and configure Prometheus

    1. Install Prometheus following instructions in the topic in the Prometheus documentation.

    3. Start the Prometheus service:

      In your Grafana instance, go to the view and build queries to experiment with the metrics you want to monitor. Here you can also debug issues related to collecting metrics from Prometheus. Pay special attention to the Prometheus-specific features to avail custom querying experience for Prometheus.

      Step 6. Start building dashboards

      Now that you have a curated list of queries, create dashboards to render system metrics monitored by Prometheus. When you install Prometheus and node_exporter or windows_exporter, you will find recommended dashboards for use.