How do I secure the PromEx metrics endpoint?

PromEx doesn't include built-in security; use the Unplug library, configure load balancers, or add conditional plugs to restrict access, as detailed in the Security Concerns section.

PromEx vs other Elixir monitoring libraries like prometheus.erl?

PromEx is higher-level with pre-built plugins and dashboards for quick setup, whereas prometheus.erl is a lower-level client offering more flexibility but requiring manual configuration.

Does PromEx work with Phoenix LiveDashboard?

Yes, both can coexist without issues since they attach independent Telemetry handlers, as mentioned in the Adding Your Metrics section.

How to create a custom plugin for PromEx?

Implement the `PromEx.Plugin` behaviour using tools from built-in plugins; refer to the Writing PromEx Plugins guide and existing plugin code for examples.

What is the performance overhead of using PromEx?

Stress tests show minimal impact; ApacheBench results indicate only a slight latency increase for the slowest 5-10% of requests, with no meaningful throughput reduction.

Which Elixir libraries are supported by PromEx?

Stable plugins cover Phoenix, Ecto, Oban, Absinthe, and others; beta support includes Broadway, with planned plugins for Finch and Redix, as listed in the Available Plugins table.

Open-Awesome

prom_ex

MITElixir1.12.0

An Elixir Prometheus metrics collection library built on Telemetry with pre-built Grafana dashboards for popular Elixir libraries.

GitHub

702 stars130 forks0 contributors

What is prom_ex?

PromEx is an Elixir library that collects Prometheus metrics from Telemetry events emitted by popular Elixir libraries like Phoenix, Ecto, and Oban. It solves the problem of fragmented observability by providing a unified, easy-to-setup framework for monitoring Elixir applications, complete with pre-configured Grafana dashboards.

Target Audience

Elixir developers and teams building production applications who need robust, out-of-the-box monitoring and observability without manual metric configuration.

Value Proposition

Developers choose PromEx for its seamless integration with the Telemetry ecosystem, comprehensive plugin coverage for major Elixir libraries, and ready-to-use Grafana dashboards that eliminate the need for custom dashboard creation.

Overview

An Elixir Prometheus metrics collection library built on top of Telemetry with accompanying Grafana dashboards

Use Cases

Best For

Monitoring Phoenix web applications with request and performance metrics
Tracking Ecto database query performance and latency
Observing Oban background job processing and queue health
Collecting metrics from Absinthe GraphQL APIs
Self-hosting observability stacks for Elixir applications
Adding Prometheus and Grafana to Elixir projects with minimal configuration

Not Ideal For

Projects already integrated with non-Prometheus monitoring systems like Datadog or New Relic
Teams requiring extensive customization of metric names, descriptions, or labels
Applications not using the BEAM Telemetry ecosystem for instrumentation

Pros & Cons

Pros

Plug-and-Play Setup

The mix task `prom_ex.gen.config` generates configuration and modules, and integration into the supervision tree is straightforward, as shown in the Setting Up PromEx section.

Wide Library Coverage

Includes stable plugins for major Elixir libraries like Phoenix, Ecto, Oban, and Absinthe, providing comprehensive metrics out of the box.

Ready-to-Use Dashboards

Each plugin comes with tailored Grafana dashboards, eliminating manual dashboard creation and ensuring immediate visualization.

Telemetry Foundation

Built on the BEAM Telemetry ecosystem, it ensures lightweight and consistent metric collection, as emphasized in the Design Philosophy.

Cons

Limited Customization Options

The Design Philosophy states PromEx is not infinitely configurable; users cannot easily edit metric names or tags, often requiring plugin forks for changes.

Security Configuration Required

PromEx does not enforce security by default, requiring users to implement authentication for the metrics endpoint, as noted in the Security Concerns section.

Telemetry Dependency

Only works with libraries emitting Telemetry events, so applications with custom or non-Telemetry instrumentation need additional plugin development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

wobserver

Web based metrics, monitoring, and observer

Stars926

Forks82

Last commit6 years ago

telemetry

Dynamic dispatching library for metrics and instrumentations.

Stars913

Forks75

Last commit1 month ago

elixometer

A light Elixir wrapper around exometer.

Stars826

Forks57

Last commit3 years ago

exometer

Basic measurement objects and probe behavior

Stars528

Forks102

Last commit7 years ago

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub