Prometheus: What is Prometheus Node Exporter

This documentation is part of the Retrieving metrics from Linux guide. View the full guide here: How to retrieve Linux server metrics in Prometheus using Node Exporter.

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Node Exporter is software that you can install on *NIX kernels (Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, or Darwin) to expose system metrics for Prometheus. It is an essential component for monitoring server performance and infrastructure health.

In Prometheus terminology, Node Exporter acts as an exporter and is added as a target in your Prometheus configuration. Prometheus connects to Node Exporter using TCP port 9100 via HTTP at regular intervals to retrieve metrics.

In summary, Node Exporter allows you to monitor a Linux-based system. For Windows systems, you can use the Windows Exporter.

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