Welcome To Our Project Blog (Data Communication & Networking)

Exploring the Power of Network Traffic Monitoring: Unleashing Prometheus, Grafana, and Docker for Data Insights

• Explore the intricacies of designing and implementing a robust system using Prometheus, Grafana, and Docker.
• Discover how this self-scraping mechanism empowers you to autonomously collect and analyze crucial performance metrics, providing valuable insights into the health and efficiency of your network.
• Gain a deeper understanding of HTTP requests as we track the total number of requests made to your web applications, measure the duration it takes for the server to process each request and respond, and monitor the size of the responses sent back to clients.
• Through the power of Prometheus, witness the seamless collection and storage of data.
• Grafana effortlessly transforms this information into visually stunning and informative dashboards. 

Join us on this journey as we unlock the true potential of network traffic monitoring and revolutionize the way you analyze and optimize your web applications.

Sofware & Applications Used

1. Docker 
• to package and deploy the various software component required for monitoring (Portainer, Prometheus, Grafana)
2. Portaine
• to provide a graphical interface to manage Docker containers, images, networks, and volumes
3. Prometheus
• to collect and store metrics related to HTTP network traffic
4. Grafana 
• to connect to Prometheus data source and create interactive dashboards to visualize and analyze data

Design of Network Traffic Environment

• Prometheus server is configured with a self-scraping mechanism to autonomously collects and analyzes its own metrics.
• It utilizes the address localhost:9090 to retrieve and monitor essential performance data.

Planning of Network Traffic Activities

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

• Foundation of communication on the World Wide Web
• An application-layer protocol used for transmitting and receiving data between web servers and web browsers.

The process goes like this:

1. User requests webpage/resource
2. HTTP request is sent to the server
3. Server processes request and send back to the HTTP (contained requested data/error message)

Key data points that are monitored and analyze included:

• Total HTTP Request
• HTTP Request Duration
• HTTP Response Size

Prometheus Self-Scraping:

• to retrieve its own metrics data, including information about its internal performance, resource usage
• Prometheus making HTTP requests to its own/metrics endpoint to collect metrics data
• In other words, Prometheus acts as both the client and the server in this scenario

Collection of Network Traffic Data

• The network traffic data will be collected by using Prometheus software

Development of Dashboard System

• Installation of Docker

• 

Diagram 1: Docker Interface

• Set Up Portainer

• 

Diagram 2: Portainer Log In Interface

• 

Diagram 2.1: List of Containers in Portainer

• Deploy & Configure Prometheus

• 

Diagram 3: Deploy Prometheus in Portainer

• 

Diagram 3.1: Deploy Garafana in Portainer

• 

Diagram 3.2: Configure Prometheus

• 

Diagram 3.3 The Endpoints/Services that Prometheus Monitors and Collects

• 

Diagram 3.4: Statistics of Cardinality of Time Series Data Stored in The System

• Install & Configure Grafana

• 

Diagram 4: Grafana Interface

• Add Prometheus as a Data Source in Grafana

• 

Diagram 5: Provide URL of Prometheus (http://prometheus:9090)

• Create Dashboards in Grafana

• 

Diagram 6: Data of CPU Utilization

• 

Diagram 6.1: Data of Memory Usage

• 

Diagram 6.2: Data of Total HTTP Request

• 

Diagram 6.3: Data of HTTP Request Duration

• 

Diagram 6.4: Data of HTTP Response Size

• Monitoring Dashboard

• 

Diagram 7: Networking Monitoring Dashboard

• 

Diagram 7.1: Networking Monitoring Dashboard

Remember, continuous monitoring is crucial for maintaining a healthy network. Regularly check your dashboards, analyze data trends, and proactively address any issues that arise. By staying vigilant, you can optimize your network traffic environment and deliver exceptional performance to your users.

We hope this journey through network traffic monitoring has inspired you to explore further and dive deeper into the realm of data insights. Armed with the knowledge and tools shared in this blog, you are well on your way to becoming a master of network monitoring.

So, go forth, experiment, and unlock the true potential of Prometheus, Grafana, and Docker in revolutionizing the way you monitor, analyze, and optimize your network traffic. Embrace the power of data and embark on a path towards network excellence.

Thank you for joining us on this exciting adventure.

HAPPY MONITORING!