ClickHouse Keeper Grafana Dashboard: Monitoring Guide

Oct 23, 2025 by Jhon Lennon 54 views

Hey guys! Today, we're diving deep into the world of ClickHouse Keeper and how to set up a Grafana dashboard to monitor its performance. If you're running ClickHouse, you know how critical the Keeper is for maintaining cluster consistency and reliability. A well-configured Grafana dashboard can be a lifesaver, giving you real-time insights into your Keeper's health. So, let's get started!

Why Monitor ClickHouse Keeper?

ClickHouse Keeper is the heart of your ClickHouse cluster, responsible for metadata management and coordination. Think of it as the brain that ensures all the nodes in your cluster are on the same page. Monitoring the Keeper is crucial for several reasons:

Ensuring Data Consistency: The Keeper ensures that all nodes in your ClickHouse cluster have a consistent view of the data. Any issues with the Keeper can lead to data inconsistencies, which can be a nightmare to resolve.
Preventing Data Loss: A failing Keeper can lead to data loss if the cluster cannot properly coordinate writes and replications. Regular monitoring helps you catch issues early before they escalate.
Maintaining High Availability: The Keeper is a critical component for ensuring high availability. If the Keeper goes down, your cluster might become unavailable for writes or even reads. Monitoring helps you proactively address potential issues.
Performance Optimization: By monitoring key metrics, you can identify performance bottlenecks and optimize the Keeper's configuration for better performance. This ensures that your ClickHouse cluster operates efficiently.
Proactive Issue Detection: Setting up alerts based on specific metrics allows you to detect issues before they impact your users. This proactive approach can save you from major incidents.

Without proper ClickHouse Keeper monitoring, you're essentially flying blind. You won't know if your Keeper is struggling until it's too late, and your cluster is already experiencing issues. Therefore, investing time in setting up a comprehensive Grafana dashboard is an investment in the stability and reliability of your ClickHouse infrastructure. So grab your coffee, and let’s get started on ensuring your ClickHouse Keeper is always in tip-top shape!

Key Metrics to Monitor

Before we jump into setting up the Grafana dashboard, let's talk about the key metrics you should be monitoring. These metrics will give you a comprehensive view of your Keeper's health and performance. Here’s a rundown:

Leader State: Knowing which Keeper node is the leader is fundamental. If the leader changes frequently, it indicates potential network or stability issues.
Follower Latency: This measures the time it takes for followers to sync with the leader. High latency can indicate network congestion or overloaded followers.
Number of Connections: The number of active connections to the Keeper. A sudden spike in connections can indicate a potential attack or misconfiguration.
Request Latency: The time it takes to process requests. High latency indicates the Keeper is under heavy load.
Queue Length: The number of pending requests. A growing queue length suggests the Keeper is struggling to keep up with the request rate.
Disk I/O: Disk read and write speeds. Slow disk I/O can be a major bottleneck for the Keeper.
CPU Utilization: The percentage of CPU being used. High CPU utilization indicates the Keeper is under heavy load.
Memory Usage: The amount of memory being used. Insufficient memory can lead to performance issues.
Number of Proposals: The number of proposals being processed. This gives you an idea of the activity level of the Keeper.
Number of Syncs: The number of times followers have synced with the leader. Frequent syncs can indicate instability.

Monitoring these key metrics will give you a holistic view of your ClickHouse Keeper's performance. By setting up alerts on these metrics, you can proactively identify and address potential issues before they impact your cluster. Remember, the goal is to catch problems early and keep your ClickHouse cluster running smoothly.

Setting Up Prometheus to Collect Keeper Metrics

Okay, so now that we know what metrics to monitor, let's get our hands dirty and set up Prometheus to collect those metrics from the ClickHouse Keeper. Prometheus is an open-source monitoring solution that excels at collecting and storing time-series data, making it a perfect fit for our needs. Here’s how to get started:

Enable Keeper Metrics: First, you need to ensure that the ClickHouse Keeper is configured to expose metrics. In your keeper_config.xml file, add or modify the <prometheus> section to enable Prometheus endpoint. This usually involves setting the endpoint and port where Prometheus can scrape the metrics.
Configure Prometheus: Next, you need to configure Prometheus to scrape the Keeper metrics endpoint. In your prometheus.yml file, add a new job configuration to target the Keeper’s Prometheus endpoint. Specify the IP address and port of your Keeper nodes.
Verify Metrics Collection: After configuring Prometheus, restart it to apply the changes. Then, check the Prometheus web interface to ensure that it's successfully scraping metrics from the Keeper. You should see metrics like clickhouse_keeper_leader_state, clickhouse_keeper_follower_latency, and others.
Troubleshooting: If Prometheus is not collecting metrics, double-check your configuration files for any typos or errors. Ensure that the Keeper’s Prometheus endpoint is accessible from the Prometheus server. You can use tools like curl to test the connection.

Setting up Prometheus to collect Keeper metrics is a crucial step in our monitoring journey. Once Prometheus is collecting the metrics, you can leverage its powerful querying capabilities to create insightful dashboards in Grafana. Trust me, guys, this setup is worth the effort. With Prometheus and Grafana working together, you’ll have a comprehensive view of your ClickHouse Keeper's health and performance, ensuring your cluster runs smoothly.

Creating a Grafana Dashboard

Alright, we've got Prometheus collecting our Keeper metrics, now it's time to create a Grafana dashboard to visualize that data! Grafana is an amazing open-source data visualization tool that allows you to create customizable dashboards with various panels, graphs, and charts. Here’s how to create a Grafana dashboard for your ClickHouse Keeper:

Add Prometheus as a Data Source: First, you need to add Prometheus as a data source in Grafana. Go to the Grafana web interface, navigate to Configuration > Data Sources, and click on “Add data source.” Choose Prometheus and enter the URL of your Prometheus server.
Create a New Dashboard: Next, create a new dashboard by clicking on the “+” icon in the left-hand menu and selecting “Dashboard.” This will create a blank dashboard where you can add panels.
Add Panels for Key Metrics: Now, let's add panels to display our key metrics. For each metric, click on “Add new panel,” select Prometheus as the data source, and write a PromQL query to fetch the metric. For example, to display the leader state, you can use the query clickhouse_keeper_leader_state. Choose an appropriate visualization type, such as a gauge or a graph.
Customize Your Dashboard: Customize your dashboard by adding titles, descriptions, and annotations. Arrange the panels in a way that makes it easy to understand the overall health of your Keeper. Use different visualization types to highlight important trends and patterns.
Set Up Alerts: To proactively monitor your Keeper, set up alerts in Grafana. For each critical metric, define thresholds that trigger alerts when the metric exceeds or falls below the threshold. Configure alert notifications to be sent to your email, Slack, or other messaging platforms.

Creating a Grafana dashboard is where all our hard work comes to life. With a well-designed dashboard, you can quickly identify issues, track performance trends, and ensure the health of your ClickHouse Keeper. Don't be afraid to experiment with different visualization types and layouts to create a dashboard that works best for you. A great dashboard is not just about displaying data; it's about providing actionable insights that help you maintain a stable and efficient ClickHouse cluster.

Example Dashboard Panels and Queries

To give you a head start, here are some example dashboard panels and PromQL queries you can use in your Grafana dashboard:

Leader State: This panel shows which Keeper node is the leader. Use a singlestat or gauge panel with the query clickhouse_keeper_leader_state. A value of 1 indicates the node is the leader.
Follower Latency: This panel displays the latency between the leader and followers. Use a graph panel with the query clickhouse_keeper_follower_latency. You can also add thresholds to highlight high latency.
Number of Connections: This panel shows the number of active connections to the Keeper. Use a graph panel with the query clickhouse_keeper_connections. A sudden spike in connections can indicate a potential issue.
Request Latency: This panel displays the time it takes to process requests. Use a graph panel with the query clickhouse_keeper_request_latency. High latency indicates the Keeper is under heavy load.
CPU Utilization: This panel shows the CPU utilization of the Keeper. Use a graph panel with the query clickhouse_keeper_cpu_usage. High CPU utilization indicates the Keeper is under heavy load.
Memory Usage: This panel displays the memory usage of the Keeper. Use a graph panel with the query clickhouse_keeper_memory_usage. Insufficient memory can lead to performance issues.

These are just a few examples to get you started. Feel free to explore other metrics and create panels that are relevant to your specific needs. Remember to customize the panels with titles, descriptions, and annotations to make your Grafana dashboard more informative and user-friendly. With these example panels and queries, you'll be well on your way to creating a comprehensive monitoring solution for your ClickHouse Keeper.

Best Practices for Monitoring ClickHouse Keeper

Before we wrap up, let's go over some best practices for monitoring ClickHouse Keeper to ensure you get the most out of your setup:

Set Realistic Alert Thresholds: Avoid setting alert thresholds that are too sensitive, as this can lead to alert fatigue. Instead, set thresholds that are based on historical data and represent genuine issues.
Regularly Review Your Dashboard: Make it a habit to regularly review your Grafana dashboard to identify trends and patterns. This will help you proactively address potential issues before they impact your cluster.
Document Your Setup: Document your monitoring setup, including the metrics you are monitoring, the queries you are using, and the alert thresholds you have set. This will make it easier to troubleshoot issues and maintain your setup over time.
Keep Your Software Up to Date: Ensure that your ClickHouse Keeper, Prometheus, and Grafana are always up to date with the latest versions. This will ensure that you have access to the latest features and bug fixes.
Monitor the Monitoring Tools: Don't forget to monitor your monitoring tools! Ensure that Prometheus and Grafana are running smoothly and have sufficient resources. If your monitoring tools are down, you won't be able to detect issues in your ClickHouse cluster.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your ClickHouse Keeper monitoring setup is effective and reliable. Monitoring is an ongoing process, so be prepared to adapt your setup as your ClickHouse cluster evolves. With a well-configured monitoring solution, you can rest assured that your ClickHouse cluster is running smoothly and efficiently.

Conclusion

So there you have it, folks! A comprehensive guide to setting up a Grafana dashboard for monitoring ClickHouse Keeper. We've covered everything from why monitoring is crucial to setting up Prometheus, creating dashboard panels, and following best practices. By implementing these steps, you'll gain invaluable insights into your Keeper's performance and ensure the stability of your ClickHouse cluster.

Remember, guys, monitoring is not a one-time task. It's an ongoing process that requires continuous attention and refinement. As your ClickHouse cluster grows and evolves, so too should your monitoring setup. Stay vigilant, keep an eye on those metrics, and you'll be well-equipped to handle any challenges that come your way.

Now go forth and monitor your ClickHouse Keepers like the pros! Happy monitoring!