Node Exporter Setup

Basic Installation

1. Download the latest release from the official GitHub releases page:

   export VERSION=<latest_version>     # Replace with the current version number
   wget https://github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/releases/download/v${VERSION}/node_exporter-${VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz
   

2. Extract the tarball:

   tar -xvf node_exporter-${VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz
   

3. Move the binary to the correct location:

   sudo mv node_exporter-${VERSION}.linux-amd64/node_exporter /usr/local/bin/
   

4. Create a system user for the node exporter:

   sudo useradd -rs /bin/false node_exporter
   

5. Create a systemd service file:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/node_exporter.service
   

   Add the following content:

   [Unit]
   Description=Node Exporter
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   User=node_exporter
   Group=node_exporter
   Type=simple
   ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/node_exporter
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   

6. Enable and start the service:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable node_exporter
   sudo systemctl start node_exporter
   

7. Verify installation:

   sudo systemctl status node_exporter
   

   Also check if the metrics endpoint is accessible:

   curl http://localhost:9100/metrics
   

Troubleshooting

1. Service fails to start:

   • Check logs: sudo journalctl -u node_exporter
   • Verify permissions: Ensure the node_exporter user has access to the binary
   • Port conflicts: Make sure port 9100 is not in use by another service

2. Metrics not appearing:

   • Verify the exporter is running: ps aux | grep node_exporter
   • Check firewall rules: Ensure port 9100 is accessible
   • Test connectivity: curl http://localhost:9100/metrics

3. High CPU/memory usage:

   • Disable unnecessary collectors to reduce resource usage
   • Increase scrape interval in Prometheus configuration

Security Considerations

• Consider using a reverse proxy with TLS for secure communication
• Implement authentication if the exporter is exposed to untrusted networks
• Use firewall rules to restrict access to the metrics endpoint