Promtool Command Examples (with examples)

1. Checking If Config Files are Valid

Prometheus uses configuration files to define its behavior. It is important to ensure that the configuration files are valid to avoid any potential issues with the monitoring system. The promtool check config command allows us to validate a configuration file and report any errors.

promtool check config config_file.yml

• config_file.yml is the path to the configuration file that needs to be validated.

Example Output:

Checking config file "config_file.yml"
Configuration file is valid

2. Checking If Rule Files are Valid

Prometheus rule files contain alerting and recording rules that define notifications and metrics aggregations. It is essential to verify the rule files’ correctness to ensure accurate monitoring and alerting. The promtool check rules command can be used to validate rule files.

promtool check rules rules_file.yml

• rules_file.yml is the path to the rule file that needs to be validated.

Example Output:

Checking rule file "rules_file.yml"
Rule files are valid

3. Checking Metrics for Consistency and Correctness

Prometheus metrics are essential for monitoring applications and systems. However, it is crucial to validate these metrics to ensure their consistency and correctness. The promtool check metrics command allows us to pass Prometheus metrics to stdin and verify them.

curl --silent http://example.com:9090/metrics/ | promtool check metrics

• http://example.com:9090/metrics/ is the URL endpoint where the Prometheus metrics from a target application or system are exposed.

Example Output:

Checking metrics from http://example.com:9090/metrics/
Metrics are consistent and correct

4. Unit Testing Rules Configuration

To maintain the reliability of the alerting and recording rules, it is crucial to regularly test them. The promtool test rules command allows us to perform unit tests on rules configurations to ensure their proper functionality.

promtool test rules test_file.yml

• test_file.yml is the path to the rules configuration file that contains the unit tests.

Example Output:

Running unit tests from "test_file.yml"
All unit tests passed successfully

By performing unit tests on rules configurations, we can catch any potential errors or incorrect behavior, ensuring that our monitoring system operates accurately.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored various use cases of the promtool command for validating and testing Prometheus configurations, rules, and metrics. We learned how to check the validity of config and rule files, verify metrics for consistency, and conduct unit tests on rules configurations. Incorporating these checks and tests into our Prometheus monitoring workflow helps us ensure the integrity and accuracy of our monitoring system.