Monitoring Redis Software with Prometheus and Datadog

Redis Software clusters expose a Prometheus-compatible metrics endpoint on each node, enabling robust observability for system performance, database health, and infrastructure metrics. This article explains how to monitor Redis Software using Prometheus for metric collection, Grafana for dashboarding, and Datadog for centralized alerting and analytics. It includes detailed Prerequisites, Step-by-Step Setup instructions for both Prometheus and Datadog, common Troubleshooting guidance, and relevant Additional Resources to support long-term monitoring.

Prerequisites

Redis Software Requirements

• Redis Software 8.0.2-17+ recommended: Use the /v2 metrics endpoint. 
  • For 7.8-7.22: /v2 is available on supported patch levels; otherwise use legacy /metrics or /v1.
• metrics_exporter service running on all cluster nodes
• Metrics exposed on port 8070 over HTTPS

Monitoring Tools

• Prometheus instance (containerized or native)
• Optional: Grafana for custom dashboards
• Datadog Agent installed on a host that can reach the Redis cluster

Network Requirements

• Outbound access from Prometheus and Datadog Agent to all cluster nodes on port 8070
• Inbound access to port 9090 (Prometheus UI) and port 3000 (Grafana UI) for local access

Step-by-Step Setup for Prometheus and Grafana

1. Verify metrics_exporter is running

• On each cluster node, run:

  rladmin status metrics_exporter

• Confirm the exporter is active and listening on port 8070

2. Create Prometheus configuration

global:
  scrape_interval: 15s
  evaluation_interval: 15s

scrape_configs:
  - job_name: redis-enterprise
    metrics_path: /v2
    scheme: https
    tls_config:
      insecure_skip_verify: true
    static_configs:
      - targets:
          - <node1_ip>:8070
          - <node2_ip>:8070
          - <node3_ip>:8070

Replace <nodeX_ip> with the IP addresses of your cluster nodes.

3. Deploy Prometheus and Grafana using Docker

version: '3'
services:
  prometheus-server:
    image: prom/prometheus
    ports:
      - 9090:9090
    volumes:
      - ./prometheus/prometheus.yml:/etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml

  grafana-ui:
    image: grafana/grafana
    ports:
      - 3000:3000
    environment:
      - GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD=secret
    links:
      - prometheus-server:prometheus

• Start the stack:

  docker compose up -d

4. Verify data collection

• Visit http://localhost:9090 → Status > Targets → Confirm the redis-enterprise target is UP
• Open http://localhost:3000 to access Grafana (default login: admin / secret)
• Import Redis dashboards from the [Redis observability GitHub repo] for cluster, node, and shard views

Step‑by‑Step Setup for Datadog

1. Install the Redis Enterprise Integration

• In Datadog, navigate to Integrations > Redis Enterprise by Redis, Inc.

• Click Install Integration

2. Configure the Datadog Agent

• Create or edit the following file: /etc/datadog-agent/conf.d/redis_enterprise.d/conf.yaml

instances:
  - openmetrics_endpoint: https://<node1_ip>:8070/v2
    namespace: rdse
    ssl_verify: false

  - openmetrics_endpoint: https://<node2_ip>:8070/v2
    namespace: rdse
    ssl_verify: false

• Replace <node1_ip> and <node2_ip> with the actual Redis node IPs.

• Use secure TLS configuration for production (set ssl_verify: true with valid certs).

• Restart the Datadog Agent to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart datadog-agent

3. Validate Integration and Explore Dashboards

• In Datadog, go to Infrastructure > Host Map or Metrics > Explorer

• Search for metrics in the rdse.* namespace

• Open and use the built‑in Redis Enterprise dashboards to monitor cluster health

Migrating from v1 to v2

• /v2 exports raw (not pre-aggregated) time-series metrics, enabling greater accuracy and scalability.

• Use Redis’ v1→v2 PromQL mapping or prebuilt dashboards to migrate existing charts and panels.

• For details, see the Redis 8.0.2-17 Release Notes.

Version Comparison: v1 vs v2 Metrics Exporter

Use this table to understand key differences between Redis Software versions prior to and after 8.0.2-17:

Troubleshooting

Prometheus can’t connect to targets

• Check that metrics_exporter is enabled and port 8070 is open on each node
• Verify you're using the correct /v2 endpoint for Redis Enterprise 7.8.2+

Grafana dashboards are empty

• Check that the Prometheus data source is correctly configured
• Confirm that scrape intervals are appropriate for the metric frequency

Datadog metrics not appearing

• Confirm conf.yaml contains correct node IPs and valid endpoint paths
• Review agent logs using: journalctl -u datadog-agent

High shard or proxy CPU

• Use rdse.shard_cpu_pct to identify load hotspots
• Consider resharding the database or scaling cluster resources

Additional Resources

Prometheus and Grafana integration with Redis Enterprise

Datadog integration with Redis Enterprise