As modern applications become more complex, monitoring and observability are increasingly crucial in ensuring reliability and performance. AWS CloudWatch is a popular solution for gathering and analyzing system metrics. Still, with the introduction of CloudWatch’s Multi-Source Query feature, you can now extend this capability by integrating external sources like Prometheus. In this guide, we’ll explore how to connect Prometheus metrics to AWS CloudWatch, configure network settings for secure access, and collect metrics from VictoriaMetrics in Kubernetes.

Introduction to AWS CloudWatch Multi-Source Query Feature

AWS CloudWatch’s Multi-Source Query feature allows you to query and visualize metrics from multiple sources within the CloudWatch Metrics Explorer. This means you can combine AWS native metrics, custom metrics, and external data sources like Prometheus all in one place.

The benefits of this feature include:

  • Centralized Monitoring: All your metric data is accessible from a single interface, improving observability.
  • Advanced Insights: Query across multiple sources to identify correlations and gain deeper insights.
  • Ease of Use: Native support for querying Prometheus metrics simplifies setup and data integration.

Let’s dive into how to connect external Prometheus metrics to AWS CloudWatch.

Connecting Metrics from External Prometheus to AWS CloudWatch

To connect external Prometheus metrics to AWS CloudWatch, you must create a data source connection between the two. Here’s a step-by-step process:

  1. Set Up Prometheus: Ensure that your external Prometheus is up and running. You could be using VictoriaMetrics or any other Prometheus-compatible system for metrics collection.
  2. Configure Prometheus Endpoint: AWS CloudWatch needs a Prometheus-compatible endpoint from which to scrape metrics. This typically includes configuring an HTTP endpoint in Prometheus that exposes /metrics.
  3. Create a Data Source in AWS CloudWatch:
    • Navigate to AWS CloudWatch > Metrics > All Metrics.
    • In the Multi-Source Queries section, select Add Data Source.
    • Choose Prometheus as the data source type.
    • Provide the Prometheus endpoint URL and configure any required authentication (such as basic auth or TLS certificates).
    • Test the connection to ensure that CloudWatch can access the Prometheus metrics endpoint.
  4. Configure Scraping Rules: In CloudWatch, define the scraping rules to specify how frequently metrics should be collected and the time range for each query.

Once connected, CloudWatch can query and visualize Prometheus metrics alongside native AWS metrics.

Configuring Network Settings for Secure Access

Security is critical when integrating external systems with AWS CloudWatch. You must adequately configure network settings to ensure secure communication between your external Prometheus instance and AWS.

Steps for Secure Configuration:

  • VPC Peering or Transit Gateway: If Prometheus is running within a Kubernetes cluster on a separate VPC, you might need to set up VPC peering or use a Transit Gateway to allow traffic between your VPCs.
  • TLS/SSL Encryption: Ensure that data transferred between Prometheus and CloudWatch is encrypted using TLS/SSL. You may need to configure certificates on both ends to establish secure connections.
  • Network ACLs and Security Groups: Configure Network Access Control Lists (NACLs) and Security Groups to allow inbound and outbound traffic only from trusted IP addresses and services.
  • IAM Roles and Permissions: Set up IAM roles with the appropriate permissions to allow AWS CloudWatch to access the Prometheus data source.

Collecting Metrics from VictoriaMetrics in Kubernetes

If you’re using VictoriaMetrics, a Prometheus-compatible metrics collection system, here’s how to set it up to collect and send metrics to AWS CloudWatch.

  1. Deploy VictoriaMetrics on Kubernetes:
    • Install VictoriaMetrics on your Kubernetes cluster. You can use Helm to simplify the deployment process.
    • Once deployed, configure VictoriaMetrics to scrape Prometheus metrics from your Kubernetes services.
  2. Expose VictoriaMetrics Endpoint:
    • Expose an HTTP endpoint that allows AWS CloudWatch to scrape metrics. You should configure a Kubernetes Service or an Ingress to expose the /metrics path.
    • Ensure that the endpoint is securely exposed over HTTPS with TLS encryption.
  3. Integrate VictoriaMetrics with AWS CloudWatch:
    • Follow the steps mentioned earlier to configure VictoriaMetrics as an external Prometheus-compatible data source in AWS CloudWatch.
    • Test the connection and ensure metrics are being ingested into CloudWatch for further analysis.

Editing and Deleting Data Sources in AWS CloudWatch

Once you’ve connected an external data source like Prometheus to AWS CloudWatch, you may need to update or remove it over time. AWS CloudWatch provides a straightforward interface for managing these data sources.

Editing Data Sources:

  • Navigate to CloudWatch Metrics > All Metrics > Multi-Source Queries.
  • Select the data source you wish to edit, click Edit, and update the endpoint URL, authentication details, or scraping rules as necessary.
  • Save the changes and test the connection to ensure continued metric collection.

Deleting Data Sources:

  • To delete a data source, navigate to the same section, select the data source you want to remove, and click Delete.
  • Confirm the deletion. After this, CloudWatch will no longer collect metrics from that data source.

Conclusion

Integrating external Prometheus metrics with AWS CloudWatch using the Multi-Source Query feature allows for centralized monitoring and advanced insights. By securely configuring the network and ensuring proper data ingestion from systems like VictoriaMetrics, you can build a robust observability solution for your applications.

References

Set up and configure Prometheus metrics collection on Amazon EC2 instances

Install the CloudWatch agent with Prometheus metrics collection on Amazon EKS and Kubernetes clusters