Run the official Prometheus mysqld_exporter beside your MySQL or MariaDB server, give it a dedicated least-privilege account, let Prometheus scrape its HTTP endpoint, and use Grafana for dashboards and alerts. The exporter supports MySQL 5.6 and newer and MariaDB 10.3 and newer, although individual collectors can have stricter version requirements.
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What the monitoring stack does
MySQL and MariaDB do not expose Prometheus-format metrics directly. The exporter logs in to the database, reads status and performance information, converts those values into Prometheus metrics, and serves them over HTTP. Prometheus periodically collects that endpoint and stores the resulting time series. Grafana queries Prometheus to draw dashboards, evaluate recording rules, and send alerts.
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A practical Linux VPS layout is:
- Database: MySQL or MariaDB running on the VPS.
- Exporter:
mysqld_exporteron the same VPS or on a protected monitoring host. - Prometheus: the scraper and time-series database.
- Grafana: the visualization and alerting layer.
Keeping the exporter close to the database minimizes network exposure. Prometheus still needs network access to the exporter port, normally TCP 9104; that port should be reachable only from the Prometheus host or an approved monitoring network.
Check compatibility and define the scope
The exporter documentation lists these supported server versions:
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| Database | Supported version | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| MySQL | 5.6 or newer | Some collection methods are unavailable on older releases. |
| MariaDB | 10.3 or newer | Collector support varies by MariaDB version. |
Before installing, record the exact database release, whether Prometheus runs locally or remotely, whether the server uses TCP or a Unix socket, and which questions the monitoring must answer. A small VPS may need only availability, connections, throughput, and InnoDB health. A replication server also needs replication-related collectors, while a host-level view requires a separate Linux node exporter.
Pin a tested exporter release in production rather than always downloading the latest binary. Recheck the exporter release notes and the Grafana integration documentation when upgrading MySQL, MariaDB, Prometheus, or Grafana.
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Do not give the exporter an application password. Create a separate account whose host part matches the connection method. For a local IPv4 TCP connection, the documented pattern is:
CREATE USER 'exporter'@'127.0.0.1' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong-secret' WITH MAX_USER_CONNECTIONS 3;
GRANT PROCESS, REPLICATION CLIENT, SELECT ON *.* TO 'exporter'@'127.0.0.1';PROCESS permits the status inspection needed by several collectors, REPLICATION CLIENT permits replication-status queries, and SELECT allows reads from the relevant metadata and performance tables. These are read-oriented monitoring privileges, not application write privileges.
Connect the exporter to an address that matches this account, such as 127.0.0.1:3306. If you use a Unix socket, create the account for localhost and configure the socket path instead. MySQL and MariaDB distinguish host values, so an account for localhost does not automatically authenticate a connection coming from 127.0.0.1.
The maximum of three connections in the example protects the database from a burst of exporter sessions. Some older MariaDB releases, including 10.1, do not provide this account-level connection-limit feature; on those systems, use the exporter connection limits and conservative scrape settings instead.
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Store the password in a root-readable configuration file or a secret-management system. Avoid putting it in shell history, a world-readable service file, a public container definition, or a process listing that ordinary users can inspect.
Install mysqld_exporter
Released binary
Download a release that matches your operating system and architecture, place the executable in a protected directory such as /usr/local/bin, and create a dedicated unprivileged service account. Keep the binary and its configuration readable by that account but writable only by administrators. Verify the downloaded release according to the project’s published checksums before putting it into service.
The exporter accepts command-line flags and a configuration file. Important settings include:
mysqld.addressfor the database host, port, or socket.mysqld.usernamefor the monitoring account.config.my-cnffor credentials and client settings stored in a file.exporter.query_timeoutto stop an individual database query from running indefinitely.exporter.max_open_connectionsto cap exporter-side database connections.- Lock-wait timeout controls to prevent monitoring queries from waiting behind application transactions.
When both command-line and configuration-file values are supplied, values in the client section of the configuration file override the corresponding command-line values. Keep one authoritative configuration to avoid diagnosing a setting that is silently being overridden.
Run it as a service
A production service should start after networking and the database are available, restart after a failure, run without root privileges, and bind its HTTP listener to a private address. A typical service definition points to the pinned exporter binary, references a root-owned credentials file, and sets the database address explicitly. After creating the service, start it and inspect its logs for authentication, socket, or collector errors.
Do not bind port 9104 to every public interface unless a firewall still blocks Internet access. The exporter endpoint contains operational database information and is not an end-user web page.
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Container deployment
The documented container pattern creates a network, pulls the prom/mysqld-exporter image, publishes port 9104, and supplies a DATA_SOURCE_NAME value. The command-line template is:
export DATA_SOURCE_NAME='user:password@(hostname:3306)/'
./mysqld_exporterFor a container, pass the same variable to the exporter and publish 9104:9104 only on the private interface or internal network. Replace the template credentials and hostname; never commit a real password to a compose file or image layer. A container can reach a database on the host only when its network route and host address are configured correctly, so test the connection from inside the container rather than assuming localhost means the VPS host.
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Add a scrape job to Prometheus that resolves the exporter host and port. For an exporter on the same VPS, a minimal configuration is:
scrape_configs:
- job_name: mysql
static_configs:
- targets: ['127.0.0.1:9104']Use the exporter’s private address when Prometheus runs on another machine. Choose a scrape interval appropriate for the workload; very short intervals multiply database queries and exporter connections without necessarily improving diagnosis. Keep the target label meaningful if one Prometheus instance monitors several database servers.
Reload Prometheus using the method provided by your installation. Open the Prometheus targets page and confirm that the job is UP. An DOWN state means Prometheus could not complete the HTTP scrape; it does not by itself prove that the database credentials are wrong.
Verify the complete path
Test each layer in order so a network error is not mistaken for a database privilege error:
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- From the exporter host, connect to MySQL or MariaDB with the monitoring account and the same TCP address or socket configured for the service.
- Request the exporter’s HTTP metrics endpoint locally and confirm that it returns Prometheus text rather than an authentication or startup error.
- From the Prometheus host, test that the exporter address and TCP 9104 are reachable through the firewall.
- In Prometheus, query
mysql_version_infoandmysql_global_status_connections. Their presence confirms that Prometheus is receiving database metrics. - In Grafana, add Prometheus as the data source and run the same queries in Explore before importing or building dashboards.
If the endpoint responds but the expected metrics are missing, inspect exporter logs and the database account grants. A collector may be disabled, unsupported by the installed server version, or unable to read a required table.
Build useful Grafana dashboards and alerts
Grafana’s MySQL exporter quickstart describes roughly 1,000 default Prometheus time series. That is a configuration-dependent estimate, not a fixed limit: enabling or disabling collectors changes the count, and each additional database target multiplies the stored series.
Start with panels that answer operational questions rather than displaying every metric:
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- Is the database available? Show server version, uptime, and a clear availability indicator.
- Are clients exhausting capacity? Show active connections, configured limits where available, and connection saturation over time.
- Is workload changing? Graph query throughput and latency-related indicators, then compare spikes with deployment or traffic events.
- Is InnoDB healthy? Track buffer-pool size and activity, plus the storage and lock indicators relevant to your workload.
- Is replication healthy? Add replication status and lag panels only on servers that actually participate in replication.
- Is the VPS itself constrained? Add Linux host metrics from a node exporter when CPU, memory, filesystem, or disk pressure can explain database symptoms.
Use alerts with sustained conditions and a clear owner. A brief connection spike may be normal; a persistent saturation condition combined with failed connections is more actionable. Keep exporter reachability alerts separate from database-health alerts so an exporter crash is not confused with a database outage.
The documented Grafana Cloud MySQL integration packages preconfigured dashboards and 15 preconfigured alert rules. Those defaults can accelerate adoption, but review every expression, threshold, notification route, and label before relying on it for production incidents.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Control load and secure the endpoint
Monitoring queries consume resources. Begin with the collectors required by your dashboards, then add others after measuring scrape duration and database impact. On a busy VPS, an exporter that times out or waits on locks can become another source of load.
- Set a query timeout so a problematic collection does not run forever.
- Set a lock-wait timeout so monitoring does not remain blocked behind application transactions.
- Limit exporter-side open connections; the README documents a default maximum of two open connections per scrape.
- Keep the database account’s host restriction narrow and its privileges limited to the documented monitoring grants.
- Allow TCP 9104 only from Prometheus or the monitoring network.
- Use TLS or a private network when the exporter-to-database connection crosses hosts.
- Watch exporter scrape duration, error counters, and database connection counts after every collector or interval change.
The account limit, exporter connection limit, scrape interval, query timeout, and lock timeout work together. Raising all of them at once can hide the source of load; change one control, observe the result, and retain the smallest values that meet your alerting needs.
Troubleshoot common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Prometheus target is DOWN | Wrong address, blocked port, or exporter not running | Exporter service status, local HTTP response, firewall rules, and the Prometheus host’s route to TCP 9104. |
| Exporter reports access denied | Host part does not match or grants are incomplete | Connect with the exact configured address and inspect the account definition for 127.0.0.1 versus localhost. |
| Exporter cannot connect through a socket | Socket path is wrong or the account uses a TCP host | Find the server’s active socket, configure it explicitly, and create the matching localhost account. |
| Only some metrics exist | Collector disabled, privilege missing, or server version limitation | Exporter logs, enabled collectors, grants, and the compatibility notes for the installed MySQL or MariaDB release. |
| Scrapes time out | Slow collection, lock contention, or excessive collectors | Scrape duration, database process activity, lock-wait and query-timeout settings, and collector selection. |
| Database connection count rises unexpectedly | Scrape concurrency or insufficient connection limits | Prometheus interval and parallelism, exporter maximum open connections, and the account’s MAX_USER_CONNECTIONS. |
| Grafana panel is empty | Wrong data source, label mismatch, or no samples in the selected time range | Run a raw PromQL query such as mysql_version_info in Explore and inspect the panel’s job and instance filters. |
Self-hosted stack or hosted monitoring?
Self-hosting Prometheus and Grafana gives you direct control over collectors, scrape intervals, retention, network placement, upgrades, and alert routing. It also makes you responsible for patching, backups, storage sizing, high availability, and notification delivery.
A hosted option reduces the control-plane work. Grafana Cloud’s documented MySQL integration uses Prometheus MySQL Exporter and supplies dashboards plus 15 alert rules. You still manage the exporter, database credentials, firewall path, and the quality of the alert thresholds, while the hosted service handles more of the Prometheus and Grafana operation.
| Decision factor | Self-hosted Prometheus and Grafana | Hosted Grafana integration |
|---|---|---|
| Operational ownership | You patch, upgrade, back up, scale, and route alerts. | The provider operates the hosted control plane; you still operate the exporter and database connection. |
| Network and credentials | Metrics and credentials can remain inside your infrastructure. | You must design a secure path from the exporter to the hosted service and protect API credentials. |
| Retention and query cost | Controlled by your storage and retention settings. | Governed by the hosted plan and its usage limits. |
| Collector and interval control | Full control over enabled collectors and scrape timing. | Still configurable at the exporter, with hosted defaults layered on top. |
| Portability | Prometheus-compatible data and dashboards can be moved between installations. | Convenient managed operation, with migration depending on export and retention options. |
Choose the self-hosted route when data locality and customization matter more than maintenance time. Choose hosted monitoring when reducing control-plane administration is worth the service cost and network design.
Operate the setup after deployment
Monitoring is a service, not a one-time installation. Keep a short runbook containing the database version, exporter version, service account host, credential-file location, Prometheus target, firewall rule, enabled collectors, and alert recipients.
- Test an alert periodically so notification routing is known to work.
- Review exporter and database logs after upgrades.
- Recheck collector compatibility when moving between MySQL or MariaDB major versions.
- Measure scrape duration and database load after changing intervals or collectors.
- Rotate the exporter password using a planned maintenance step and verify the target returns to UP.
- Back up Prometheus and Grafana configuration when those systems are self-hosted.
With a least-privilege account, a private exporter endpoint, verified Prometheus targets, and dashboards tied to concrete operating decisions, a Linux VPS can provide useful MySQL and MariaDB visibility without granting the monitoring process application-level access.
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