- Prometheus
- node_exporter
- NGINX
- systemd
Prometheus VPS HostingMetrics and alert rules on your own server
Prometheus scrapes metrics from your servers and apps and stores them as time series you can query and alert on. We set it up on a hardened KVM VPS with node exporter, so you own the data and the retention.
- KVM virtualisation
- NVMe storage
- Root SSH access
- Free one-time setup
- 99.9% uptime SLA
$systemctl list-units --type=service --state=active
- prometheusmetrics server on localhost:9090
- node_exporterhost metrics on :9100
- nginxHTTPS reverse proxy
- ufwfirewall: 22, 80, 443
- fail2banSSH brute-force guard
- unattended-upgradessecurity updates
Installed and secured before handover.
Why Self-Host Prometheus on a VPS
Hosted metrics bill by series and by retention. Prometheus on your server has no per-series fee.
Open source, no per-series fee
Scrape what you need; the limit is your disk and memory.
You choose the retention
Keep 15 days by default or set a time or size limit of your own.
Pull-based and simple
Prometheus scrapes targets over HTTP, so exporters stay small.
Pairs with Grafana
Use Prometheus as the data source for your dashboards.
How a Prometheus Server Is Set Up
Prometheus scrapes exporters and stores the data locally. NGINX protects the web UI.
-
Reverse proxy
NGINX
HTTPS and access control in front of the UI.
-
Metrics server
Prometheus
Scrapes targets, evaluates rules, stores samples.
-
Exporters
node_exporter
Host metrics on port 9100; add more exporters yourself.
-
Storage
Local TSDB
On NVMe; 15 days kept unless you change it.
Engineer's notes
- Prometheus keeps 15 days of data unless you set --storage.tsdb.retention.time or --storage.tsdb.retention.size.
- Its docs put storage at about 1 to 2 bytes per sample; disk need is retention x samples per second x bytes per sample.
- Local storage is not clustered or replicated: treat it like a single-node database and use snapshots for backups.
- The web UI on port 9090 has no login of its own: put NGINX with authentication in front of it.
- 443HTTPS, NGINX
- 80HTTP, redirects to HTTPS
- 22SSH, you only
- 9090Prometheus, localhost only
What You Can Run
Server monitoring
CPU, memory, disk and network from node exporter.
Application metrics
Scrape your own apps through a client library.
Alert rules
Rules that flag trouble early; routing needs Alertmanager, set up by you.
Grafana dashboards
Connect Grafana as a front end for the data.
Kubernetes and Docker metrics
Scrape containers and clusters you run.
Uptime and probe checks
Probe endpoints with the blackbox exporter, added by you.
Which Plan for Your Prometheus Server
Series count and retention decide the size, not the number of users.
A starting point, not a limit: every plan upgrades in place, keeping your data, IP address and configuration.
Running Prometheus on Your Server
Ubuntu and Debian package Prometheus and node exporter; versions follow the distribution.
-
Install the packages
Prometheus and node exporter from the distribution repository.
sudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install -y prometheus prometheus-node-exporter -
Check the services
Both should be active; Prometheus serves on port 9090.
sudo systemctl status prometheuscurl -s http://127.0.0.1:9090/-/ready -
Set the retention
Defaults to 15 days; pass a flag to change it.
sudo nano /etc/default/prometheus# ARGS="--storage.tsdb.retention.time=30d"sudo systemctl restart prometheus -
Add a scrape target
Edit prometheus.yml, validate it, then reload.
sudo nano /etc/prometheus/prometheus.ymlpromtool check config /etc/prometheus/prometheus.ymlsudo systemctl reload prometheus
Example commands: adjust names, paths and versions to your project. Deploying and maintaining your application is yours to do, or ask us for a quote.
Prometheus commands you will use every week
Copy, paste, adjust the names. Each one is safe to run as your own user on the server.
Service status
sudo systemctl status prometheusReadiness check
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9090/-/readyValidate the config
promtool check config /etc/prometheus/prometheus.ymlReload after a change
sudo systemctl reload prometheusFollow the log
sudo journalctl -u prometheus -fDisk used by the data
sudo du -sh /var/lib/prometheusHosted Metrics or Your Own Prometheus?
A hosted service removes the server work. Your own Prometheus has no per-series fee and keeps data on your server.
Hosted metrics
- PricingPer series or per host
- Where data livesThe provider's cloud
- RetentionSet by the plan
- Upgrades and backupsHandled by the provider
- Server administrationHandled by the provider
Prometheus VPS
- PricingFlat server cost
- Where data livesYour server
- RetentionSet by you, limited by disk
- Upgrades and backupsYours: updates and snapshots
- Server administrationYours, after our free setup
Your Prometheus server
Free one-time setup before you get access. Here is what happens, and what you receive.
Pick a plan and a location
Resources that fit your workload, in the datacentre closest to your users.
Tell us your Prometheus setup
Versions, database and domain: at order or right after.
We install and secure it
Server hardened, the stack installed and tested, HTTPS on your domain.
You get root
SSH to a working server, ready for your code and data.
Installed for you
- Prometheus and node exporter as systemd services
- NGINX reverse proxy with HTTPS and basic authentication on your domain
- Grafana beside it, on request
- Scrape targets, alert rules and Alertmanager are set up by you
Secured before handover
- Non-root sudo user created for daily work
- SSH key login, password login for root disabled
- Firewall (UFW) open only for the ports you use
- Fail2ban blocking repeated login attempts
- Automatic security updates enabled
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL on your domain
- Timezone, swap and hostname configured
Not included (we say so up front)
- Ongoing server administration
- Application maintenance and updates
- Debugging your code
- Migrating existing sites or data
Security and Performance for Prometheus
Security
- Put authentication in front of port 9090; the UI has none of its own.
- Keep exporters on private or localhost addresses.
- Limit who can reach the admin and reload endpoints.
- Update Prometheus and exporters regularly.
Performance
- Reduce series counts before you raise the scrape interval.
- Set a retention size limit so the disk cannot fill.
- Use snapshots for backups of the TSDB.
- Give the server enough RAM: memory grows with series.
Built from the official documentation
VPS Plans for Prometheus
Prometheus memory and disk grow with the number of series. Start at VPS-1 for a small estate and size up as you scrape more.
VPS-1
Small websites, APIs, bots and development servers.
- 2 vCores
- 4 GB RAM
- 40 GB NVMe
- 500 Mbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-2
Production apps, WordPress and online stores.
- 4 vCores
- 8 GB RAM
- 75 GB NVMe
- 1 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-3
Busy stores, SaaS products and several projects.
- 6 vCores
- 12 GB RAM
- 100 GB NVMe
- 2 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-4
High-traffic apps, large databases and agencies.
- 8 vCores
- 24 GB RAM
- 200 GB NVMe
- 3 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
* Unlimited traffic in Europe and North America. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney a monthly allowance applies (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2/VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB), then speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Prices exclude 18% GST, which is added to invoices for customers in India.
Platform specs and locations
The same KVM platform on every plan; only CPU, RAM, storage and port speed change.
- Virtualisation
- KVM with reserved vCores and RAM
- Storage
- NVMe SSD on every plan
- Network
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6, 500 Mbps to 3 Gbps per plan
- Operating systems
- Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04 LTS · Debian 13, 12 and 11 · AlmaLinux · Rocky Linux · Fedora · FreeBSD
- Access
- Full root over SSH, key-based login
- Backups
- Automatic daily backup of the previous 24 hours; snapshots and longer retention on request
- Protection
- Always-on anti-DDoS mitigation
- Availability
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Asia-Pacific
- Mumbai
- Singapore
- Sydney
Europe
- London
- Limburg
- Roubaix
- Gravelines
- Strasbourg
- Milan
- Warsaw
North America
- Beauharnois
Availability per location changes with demand; we confirm your location before setup. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney each plan includes a monthly traffic allowance (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2 and VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB); beyond it, speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Questions before you deploy
Not covered here? Ask an engineer before you order.
Ready when you are
Run Your Own Prometheus
Choose a plan and we hand over Prometheus on a hardened server with HTTPS on your domain.