VictoriaMetrics Metrics not updating

What is VictoriaMetrics Metrics not updating

Understanding VictoriaMetrics

VictoriaMetrics is a fast, cost-effective, and scalable time-series database and monitoring solution. It is designed to handle large volumes of data with high performance, making it ideal for monitoring systems, applications, and infrastructure. VictoriaMetrics supports Prometheus querying API, making it compatible with existing Prometheus setups.

Identifying the Symptom: Metrics Not Updating

One common issue users may encounter is that metrics appear to stop updating. This can manifest as stale data in dashboards or alerts not triggering as expected. The symptom is typically observed when the latest data points are not visible or are significantly delayed.

Exploring the Root Cause

Ingestion Issues

Data ingestion problems can occur due to misconfigured ingestion endpoints or issues with the data source itself. This can prevent new data from being written to the database.

Network Problems

Network instability or misconfigurations can disrupt the flow of data from the source to VictoriaMetrics, leading to incomplete or missing data.

Misconfigured Data Sources

Incorrect configurations in data sources or exporters can result in data not being sent to VictoriaMetrics, causing metrics to appear stale.

Steps to Resolve the Issue

Step 1: Verify Data Ingestion Pipelines

Ensure that your data ingestion pipelines are correctly configured. Check the logs of your data sources and VictoriaMetrics for any errors. Use the following command to view logs:

docker logs --tail 100

Look for any error messages related to data ingestion.

Step 2: Check Network Stability

Ensure that there are no network issues affecting data transmission. You can use tools like PingPlotter or Wireshark to diagnose network problems. Verify that the network paths between data sources and VictoriaMetrics are stable and have low latency.

Step 3: Validate Data Source Configurations

Review the configuration of your data sources and exporters. Ensure that they are correctly set up to send data to VictoriaMetrics. Check for any typos or incorrect endpoint URLs. For Prometheus, ensure that the scrape_configs are correctly defined in the prometheus.yml file.

Step 4: Test with Sample Data

To confirm that VictoriaMetrics is functioning correctly, try ingesting sample data manually. Use the following command to send a test metric:

curl -X POST 'http://:8428/api/v1/import/prometheus' --data-binary 'test_metric{label="value"} 12345'

Check if the test metric appears in your queries.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to diagnose and resolve the issue of metrics not updating in VictoriaMetrics. Regular monitoring and maintenance of your data pipelines and network can help prevent such issues from occurring in the future. For more detailed information, refer to the VictoriaMetrics Documentation.