How To Set Up And Secure Prometheus Metrics Endpoints

Exposing Prometheus metrics is essential for monitoring, but securing these endpoints is crucial to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive data. Here’s how you can set up and secure Prometheus metrics endpoints effectively.

Setting Up Metrics Endpoints

To expose metrics, integrate a Prometheus client library into your application. For example, in Python with Flask, you can install the prometheus-client library, define a /metrics endpoint, and increment counters for tracking events.

from flask import Flask
from prometheus_client import Counter, generate_latest

app = Flask(__name__)
REQUEST_COUNT = Counter('http_requests_total', 'Total HTTP requests', ['method', 'endpoint'])

@app.route('/metrics')
def metrics():
    return generate_latest(), 200, {'Content-Type': 'text/plain; charset=utf-8'}

@app.route('/')
def home():
    REQUEST_COUNT.labels(method='GET', endpoint='/').inc()
    return "Hello, World!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000)

In prometheus.yml, configure Prometheus to scrape the endpoint:

scrape_configs:
  - job_name: 'my-app'
    static_configs:
      - targets: ['<app-ip>:5000']

Securing Metrics Endpoints

Basic Authentication
Protect the /metrics endpoint with basic authentication using a reverse proxy like NGINX. First, create a password file with htpasswd and then configure NGINX:

server {
    listen 5000;
    location /metrics {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:5000/metrics;
        auth_basic "Restricted Access";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
    }
}

Update Prometheus to include credentials in the scrape configuration:

basic_auth:
  username: 'prometheus_user'
  password: '<password>'

IP Whitelisting
Restrict access to trusted IP ranges using a reverse proxy:

location /metrics {
    allow 192.168.1.0/24;
    deny all;
    proxy_pass http://localhost:5000/metrics;
}

HTTPS and TLS
Use HTTPS to encrypt communication by generating SSL certificates with tools like OpenSSL. Modify the Flask app to use HTTPS:

app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=5000, ssl_context=('cert.pem', 'key.pem'))

Update Prometheus to scrape metrics over HTTPS:

scheme: https
tls_config:
  ca_file: /path/to/ca.crt

Token-Based Authentication
For more advanced security, use token-based authentication. Configure a reverse proxy to validate tokens and pass them in Prometheus:

authorization:
  credentials: '<token>'

Kubernetes Security
In Kubernetes, secure metrics with RBAC and ServiceMonitors. Use NetworkPolicies to restrict access to the Prometheus pod.

Best Practices

• Always use HTTPS to secure data in transit.
  
• Implement authentication (basic or token-based) to restrict access.
  
• Avoid exposing metrics endpoints to the public internet; restrict to trusted networks.
  
• Regularly review and rotate credentials or tokens.
  
• Use Kubernetes-specific security features, such as RBAC and NetworkPolicies, when applicable.

Securing Prometheus metrics endpoints ensures reliable monitoring while protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access.

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