Freedom251 › Kubernetes Monitoring
Thanos
What Thanos is
Thanos is an open-source set of components for building highly available Prometheus setups and retaining metrics over long periods. It can query metrics across multiple Prometheus servers and clusters, and use object storage for unlimited retention. Listed storage options include GCP, S3, Azure, Swift, and Tencent COS. Thanos can downsample historical data to speed queries across large time ranges and configure retention policies. It works with tools such as Grafana that support the Prometheus Query API, and can run in Kubernetes, on bare metal, and in other cloud-native or traditional environments. The documented dependency is one or more Prometheus v2.2.1+ installations with persistent disk; object storage is optional. Thanos uses TLS for object-storage communication by default, but does not encrypt local metrics, and its HTTP APIs lack authorization and TLS support. The Apache License 2.0 project was founded by Improbable and points users to Slack and GitHub Issues for support.
Who it suits
Thanos suits teams operating Prometheus installations that need to query across servers or clusters and retain metrics in object storage. It is intended for distributed deployments, not single-node production use.
What it does well
- Queries metrics across Prometheus servers and clusters.
- Supports unlimited retention using object storage.
- Downsamples historical data for large-range queries.
- Works with Grafana via the Prometheus Query API.
What to know first
- Requires Prometheus v2.2.1+ with persistent disk.
- Local metrics are not encrypted by Thanos.
- HTTP APIs lack authorization and TLS support.
- Single-node production use is not recommended.
Limits
The documented dependency is one or more Prometheus v2.2.1+ installations with persistent disk; object storage is optional. Thanos does not encrypt local metrics, and its HTTP APIs lack authorization or TLS support.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | Apache License 2.0 · no paid plans or usage limits stated | Free |
As thanos.io lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Install one or more Prometheus v2.2.1+ installations with persistent disk.
- Choose whether to use object storage; it is optional.
- Select a supported object-storage provider if needed: GCP, S3, Azure, Swift, or Tencent COS.
- Deploy Thanos in a cloud-native or traditional environment such as Kubernetes or bare metal.
- Connect compatible tools such as Grafana through the Prometheus Query API.
Verdict
Thanos provides cross-cluster querying and long-term storage for Prometheus environments. Its security limitations around local metrics and HTTP APIs should be weighed when planning a deployment.
Questions
Is Thanos free?
Yes. Its Open source plan costs nothing under Apache License 2.0, with no paid plans or usage limits stated.
What does Thanos do with Prometheus metrics?
It supports queries across multiple Prometheus servers and clusters, and can use object storage for unlimited retention.
Which object storage providers are supported?
The listed options are GCP, S3, Azure, Swift, and Tencent COS.
What does Thanos require?
Its documented dependency is one or more Prometheus v2.2.1+ installations with persistent disk. Object storage is optional.
Where can Thanos run, and what tools work with it?
It runs in environments including Kubernetes and bare metal. It is compatible with tools such as Grafana that support the Prometheus Query API.
What security protections does Thanos provide?
It uses TLS by default for object-storage communication. Local metrics are not encrypted by Thanos, and its HTTP APIs lack authorization or TLS support.
Facts from Thanos's own pages
- Dependencies
- The documented dependency is one or more Prometheus v2.2.1+ installations with persistent disk; object storage is optional. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Thanos runs in cloud-native and traditional environments, including Kubernetes and bare metal. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Downsampling
- Thanos can downsample historical data to speed queries over large time ranges and configure retention policies. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Global queries
- Thanos lets users query metrics across multiple Prometheus servers and clusters. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The integrations documentation describes StoreAPI connections, including Geras for OpenTSDB and a proxy for Prometheus remote read. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- License and origin
- Thanos is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and was founded by Improbable. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Production guidance
- The documentation does not recommend running Thanos on a single node in production because it is designed as a distributed system. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Prometheus compatibility
- Thanos is compatible with tools such as Grafana that support the Prometheus Query API. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Thanos is an open-source set of components for building highly available Prometheus setups with long-term storage. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Retention
- Thanos can use object storage to retain metrics for unlimited time. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- Thanos uses TLS by default for object storage communication, but its security policy says local metrics are not encrypted by Thanos and its HTTP APIs lack authorization or TLS support. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Storage providers
- The homepage lists GCP, S3, Azure, Swift, and Tencent COS as supported object storage options. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Support channels
- The project points users to its Slack community and GitHub issue tracker for contact and support. · thanos.io, 4 Oct 2026
Where Thanos stands on Freedom251
- Kubernetes Monitoring#28 of 54
- Metrics Monitoring Tools#23 of 37