Install and Configure Grafana and Prometheus on Windows VPS

This guide provides a detailed setup for installing and configuring Grafana and Prometheus on a Windows VPS running Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, CentOS 9 Stream, or AlmaLinux 9. It includes Node Exporter for system metrics, Nginx as a reverse proxy for Grafana, and secure configuration practices. For reliable VPS hosting, explore Netcloud24.

Author: Łukasz Bodziony | Website: Windows VPS

Prerequisites

• Windows VPS with root or sudo access.
• Minimum 2GB RAM, 10GB disk space, and 2 CPU cores.
• SSH client (e.g., PuTTY or ssh) for remote access.
• Basic Linux command-line knowledge.
• Ports required: 9090 (Prometheus), 9100 (Node Exporter), 3000 (Grafana), 80/443 (Nginx).
• Optional: Domain name for Grafana with SSL (recommended).

Distribution Comparison

Part 1: Install and Configure Prometheus

1. Common Steps for All Distributions

1. Update system:For Ubuntu/Debian:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

   For CentOS/AlmaLinux:

   sudo dnf update -y

2. Create Prometheus user and directories:

   sudo useradd --no-create-home --shell /bin/false prometheus
   sudo mkdir /etc/prometheus /var/lib/prometheus
   sudo chown prometheus:prometheus /var/lib/prometheus

3. Download Prometheus (use latest version, e.g., 2.55.0):For x86_64 systems:

   cd /tmp
   wget https://github.com/prometheus/prometheus/releases/download/v2.55.0/prometheus-2.55.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz
   tar xvf prometheus-2.55.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz
   cd prometheus-2.55.0.linux-amd64

   For ARM64, replace with prometheus-2.55.0.linux-arm64.tar.gz.

4. Move binaries and configs:

   sudo mv prometheus promtool /usr/local/bin/
   sudo mv consoles console_libraries prometheus.yml /etc/prometheus/
   sudo chown -R prometheus:prometheus /etc/prometheus
   sudo chmod -R 775 /etc/prometheus

5. Configure Prometheus:Edit /etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml:

   global:
     scrape_interval: 15s
   scrape_configs:
     - job_name: 'prometheus'
       static_configs:
         - targets: ['localhost:9090']
     - job_name: 'node_exporter'
       static_configs:
         - targets: ['localhost:9100']

6. Create systemd service:

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

   Add:

   [Unit]
   Description=Prometheus Monitoring
   Wants=network-online.target
   After=network-online.target
   
   [Service]
   User=prometheus
   Group=prometheus
   Type=simple
   ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/prometheus \
       --config.file=/etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml \
       --storage.tsdb.path=/var/lib/prometheus/ \
       --web.console.templates=/etc/prometheus/consoles \
       --web.console.libraries=/etc/prometheus/console_libraries
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

7. Start and enable Prometheus:

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

8. Verify Prometheus:Access http://your-vps-ip:9090 in a browser (temporary firewall rule required).

Part 2: Install and Configure Node Exporter

1. Common Steps for All Distributions

1. Create Node Exporter user:

   sudo useradd --no-create-home --shell /bin/false node_exporter

2. Download Node Exporter (e.g., version 1.8.2):For x86_64 systems:

   cd /tmp
   wget https://github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/releases/download/v1.8.2/node_exporter-1.8.2.linux-amd64.tar.gz
   tar xvf node_exporter-1.8.2.linux-amd64.tar.gz
   cd node_exporter-1.8.2.linux-amd64

   For ARM64, replace with node_exporter-1.8.2.linux-arm64.tar.gz.

3. Move binary:

   sudo mv node_exporter /usr/local/bin/
   sudo chown node_exporter:node_exporter /usr/local/bin/node_exporter

4. Create systemd service:

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

   Add:

   [Unit]
   Description=Node Exporter
   Wants=network-online.target
   After=network-online.target
   
   [Service]
   User=node_exporter
   Group=node_exporter
   Type=simple
   ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/node_exporter
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

5. Start and enable Node Exporter:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl start node_exporter
   sudo systemctl enable node_exporter

6. Verify Node Exporter:Access http://your-vps-ip:9100/metrics to confirm metrics are available.

Part 3: Install and Configure Grafana

1. Ubuntu 24.04

1. Add Grafana repository:

   sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https software-properties-common
   wget -q -O - https://packages.grafana.com/gpg.key | sudo apt-key add -
   echo "deb https://packages.grafana.com/oss/deb stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grafana.list
   sudo apt update

2. Install Grafana:

   sudo apt install grafana -y

3. Start and enable Grafana:

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

4. Verify Grafana:Access http://your-vps-ip:3000 (default login: admin/admin).

2. Debian 12

Follow Ubuntu 24.04 steps for Grafana installation and configuration.

3. CentOS 9 Stream / AlmaLinux 9

1. Add Grafana repository:

   sudo nano /etc/yum.repos.d/grafana.repo

   Add:

   [grafana]
   name=grafana
   baseurl=https://packages.grafana.com/oss/rpm
   repo_gpgcheck=1
   gpgcheck=1
   gpgkey=https://packages.grafana.com/gpg.key
   enabled=1

2. Install Grafana:

   sudo dnf install grafana -y

3. Follow steps 3–4 from Ubuntu 24.04.

Part 4: Configure Nginx as Reverse Proxy for Grafana

1. Install Nginx

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install nginx -y

For CentOS/AlmaLinux:

sudo dnf install nginx -y

2. Configure Nginx

1. Create Nginx configuration:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/grafana

   Add (replace your-domain.com with your domain or VPS IP):

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name your-domain.com;
   
       location / {
           proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
           proxy_set_header Host $host;
           proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
           proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
           proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
       }
   }

2. Enable configuration:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/grafana /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   sudo nginx -t
   sudo systemctl restart nginx

3. Install SSL (recommended):Use Certbot for Let’s Encrypt:

   For Ubuntu/Debian:

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
   sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

   For CentOS/AlmaLinux:

   sudo dnf install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
   sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

Part 5: Configure Grafana with Prometheus Data Source

1. Log in to Grafana:Access https://your-domain.com or http://your-vps-ip:3000. Default credentials: admin/admin (change password immediately).
2. Add Prometheus data source:Go to Configuration > Data Sources > Add data source, select Prometheus, set URL to http://localhost:9090, and save.
3. Create dashboard:Go to Create > Dashboard, add panels, and use Node Exporter metrics (e.g., CPU usage, memory, disk I/O). Import dashboard ID 1860 for a pre-built Node Exporter dashboard.

Part 6: Configure Firewall

1. Ubuntu 24.04 / Debian 12

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Note: Avoid opening ports 9090/9100/3000; use Nginx and SSH tunneling for secure access.

2. CentOS 9 Stream / AlmaLinux 9

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=80/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=443/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Note: Keep ports 9090/9100/3000 closed; rely on Nginx and SSH tunneling.

Netcloud24 Hosting Solutions

Troubleshooting

• Prometheus not running: Check logs with journalctl -u prometheus. Verify prometheus.yml syntax.
• Node Exporter no metrics: Ensure node_exporter service is running (systemctl status node_exporter).
• Grafana inaccessible: Confirm Nginx configuration and firewall settings. Check systemctl status grafana-server.
• Contact support: Reach out to Netcloud24 for assistance.

Security Recommendations

• Use strong passwords for Grafana admin account.
• Enable SSL via Let’s Encrypt for Grafana access.
• Restrict firewall to ports 80/443 and SSH (22); use SSH tunneling for local access to Prometheus/Node Exporter.
• Regularly update Prometheus, Node Exporter, and Grafana.
• Enable Netcloud24’s VPN and firewall for additional security.