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Prometheus Node Exporter
What it is
Prometheus Node Exporter exposes hardware and operating system metrics from *NIX kernels for Prometheus. Written in Go, it uses pluggable collectors; defaults cover CPU, disk I/O, filesystem, memory, and network metrics, with availability varying by operating system. Command-line flags let operators enable or disable collectors, and some collectors support include or exclude filters. The exporter listens on HTTP port 9100 by default. Installation documentation covers Linux distribution packages, an Ansible community role, and containers. Container-based host monitoring needs access to host namespaces and appropriate mounts, and some systems require an additional capability for the timex collector. Some collectors are off by default because they can produce high-cardinality data, take longer, or demand more host resources. The project is open source under the Apache 2 License, with no paid plans listed. The download page lists Darwin amd64, Darwin arm64, and Linux amd64 binaries; the project recommends Windows Exporter for Windows users.
For and against
For
- Default collectors cover CPU, disk, filesystem, memory, and network
- Collectors can be enabled or disabled with command-line flags
- Documentation covers packages, Ansible, and container deployment
- Open source under the Apache 2 License
Against
- Metric availability varies by operating system
- Container monitoring requires host namespace access and mounts
- Windows users are directed to Windows Exporter
The verdict
Node Exporter focuses on host metrics and offers configurable collectors for Prometheus. Review its operating-system coverage and container requirements when planning deployment.
Who it suits
Node Exporter suits operators monitoring Linux or other *NIX host metrics with Prometheus. Windows users are directed to Windows Exporter instead.
Plans and prices
Free
Apache 2.0 licensed software · no paid plans listed
Read 9 Oct 2026 · prometheus.io
On the record
- Collectors
- It is written in Go and uses pluggable metric collectors.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Collectors can be enabled or disabled with command-line flags, and some support include or exclude filters.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Container deployment
- Containerized host monitoring requires host namespace access and appropriate mounts; the documentation also notes that some systems need an extra capability for the timex collector.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Endpoint
- Node Exporter listens on HTTP port 9100 by default.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The project documents Linux distribution packages, an Ansible community role, and container deployment.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The Prometheus documentation lists Node Exporter as a guide for monitoring Linux host metrics.prometheus.io · read 9 Oct 2026
- License
- Prometheus components are available under the Apache 2 License.prometheus.io · read 9 Oct 2026
- Metrics
- Default collectors include CPU, disk I/O, filesystem, memory, and network metrics, with support varying by operating system.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Optional collectors
- Some collectors are disabled by default due to factors such as high cardinality, long runtime, or host resource demands.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Node Exporter exposes hardware and operating system metrics from *NIX kernels for Prometheus.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Release platforms
- The download page lists Node Exporter binaries for Darwin amd64, Darwin arm64, and Linux amd64.prometheus.io · read 9 Oct 2026
- Security reporting
- The repository directs vulnerability reports to the Prometheus security policy.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
- Windows support
- The project recommends Windows Exporter for Windows users.github.com · read 9 Oct 2026
