Kubernetes is the backbone of modern container orchestration, and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) makes deploying Kubernetes clusters seamless. But with great flexibility comes the challenge of monitoring these clusters effectively. This is where Prometheus and Grafana step in as the ultimate monitoring and visualization duo.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through setting up Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring an Amazon EKS cluster. Whether you’re a Kubernetes pro or just starting your cloud-native journey, this step-by-step tutorial will help you keep a close eye on your cluster’s health and performance.


Why Monitor EKS?

Running Kubernetes clusters on EKS involves monitoring multiple components, including nodes, pods, services, and cluster performance. Without proper monitoring, you risk:

  • Downtime due to resource constraints: Unchecked usage can lead to resource bottlenecks.
  • Unresolved incidents: Identifying issues becomes difficult without granular metrics.
  • Underutilization: Insights help optimize resource usage and reduce costs.

Prometheus provides a scalable solution for collecting Kubernetes metrics, while Grafana visualizes them beautifully.


Prerequisites

Before we dive in, ensure you have:

  1. An active AWS account with an EKS cluster.
  2. The kubectl command-line tool configured for your cluster.
  3. Helm, a Kubernetes package manager, installed.
  4. Administrative access to the cluster.

Step 1: Install Prometheus and Grafana with Helm

To simplify the deployment process, we’ll use Helm charts for both Prometheus and Grafana.

Add the Helm Repository

Deploy Prometheus

Deploy Grafana

Verify the Deployments

Run the following to ensure Prometheus and Grafana pods are up and running:


Step 2: Expose Grafana and Prometheus

By default, Prometheus and Grafana are accessible only within the cluster. To access their dashboards, expose them using NodePort or a LoadBalancer service.

Expose Prometheus

Expose Grafana

For Grafana, use a similar approach:


Step 3: Configure Prometheus to Scrape Metrics

Prometheus relies on targets to scrape metrics. Update the ConfigMap to include Kubernetes metrics endpoints. Use the following command to edit:

Add the following under scrape_configs:

Save and reload the Prometheus pod:


Step 4: Access Grafana and Import Dashboards

  1. Use the default Grafana credentials:
    • Username: admin
    • Password: prom-operator
  2. Import predefined dashboards:
    • Go to DashboardsImport.
    • Use the official Grafana dashboard IDs for Kubernetes, such as 6417 or 315.

Step 5: Visualize and Optimize

Once dashboards are imported, you’ll gain insights into:

  • Node health: CPU, memory, and disk usage.
  • Pod metrics: Resource requests and limits.
  • Cluster performance: Overall health and bottlenecks.

Prometheus’s alerting rules can notify you of critical issues, while Grafana’s advanced visualizations help in identifying trends and anomalies.


Step 6: Automate and Secure Your Monitoring Setup

  • Set up alerting: Use Alertmanager with Prometheus to receive real-time notifications.
  • Integrate authentication: Protect Grafana dashboards with OAuth or SSO integrations.
  • Automate with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): Use Terraform or Helm charts to version-control your monitoring setup.

Conclusion

By integrating Prometheus and Grafana with Amazon EKS, you unlock the ability to monitor your cluster’s health and performance proactively. This setup not only prevents costly downtimes but also empowers your team to make data-driven decisions for optimization.