Blackbox exporter (blackbox-exporter)
Probes HTTP, TCP and TLS endpoints and reports availability, latency and certificate expiry.
Generated from catalog/services/blackbox-exporter.yaml: do not edit by hand.
Summary
| Version | 0.27.0 |
| Use | install and configure |
| Layer | infrastructure (shown apart) |
| Category | Observability |
| Installation methods | binary |
| External connection | no |
| Sandbox only | no |
Licence
| SPDX identifier | Apache-2.0 |
| Licence policy | core licence (MIT or Apache-2.0) |
| Licence exception | - |
| Platform component | blackbox-exporter |
Packages and artifacts
A package the project of the service publishes (its image, its binary archive, its Python or OS package) carries the licence of the service; a third-party package carries the licence written on its row, read from the official upstream metadata.
| Kind | Package | Version | Licence | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| binary archive | blackbox_exporter-0.27.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz | 0.27.0 | Apache-2.0 | https://github.com/prometheus/blackbox_exporter/releases/download/v0.27.0/blackbox_exporter-0.27.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz, x86_64, checksum sha256 |
Supported systems and architectures
| Method | Operating systems | Architectures |
|---|---|---|
binary | RHEL family (dnf), Debian family (apt), Arch Linux (pacman) | x86_64 (architecture of the artifacts of the descriptor) |
Certified host systems: RHEL 8/9/10, Rocky Linux 8/9/10, AlmaLinux 8/9/10, Oracle Linux 8/9, CentOS Stream 9/10, Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, Debian 12, Arch Linux (rolling). The host preflight accepts these systems (other releases of a known family give a warning, end of life releases are refused) and the x86_64 and aarch64 architectures.
Prerequisites
Host
The descriptor declares no host preflight check.
Programs the commands and checks of the service start on the host, outside the managed roots: add them to allowed_commands of the agent (see Security of the Navin agent), else the agent refuses them with command_not_allowed: /usr/bin/curl.
Network and ports
| Component | Port name | Port | Opened in the host firewall |
|---|---|---|---|
blackbox-exporter | http | 9115/tcp | yes |
Services and connections needed
This service has no dependency.
Installation methods and modes
| Method | Default | What the method uses |
|---|---|---|
binary | yes | the binary archives of the descriptor, unpacked under the service directory |
Components
| Component | Kind | Installation methods | Ports |
|---|---|---|---|
Blackbox exporter (blackbox-exporter) | worker | binary | 9115/tcp |
Single (single) (default)
One prober.
What the mode deploys:
| Component | Placement |
|---|---|
blackbox-exporter | min 1, recommended 1 |
Install this service
The install wizard of the Navin Manager plans, validates and runs the installation; you need the services:install permission on the cluster.
-
Open the wizard. In Clusters, choose the row action Install services of the target cluster. The wizard opens on its first step, Service.
-
Choose the service. On the Service step, select Blackbox exporter. The card shows the licence
Apache-2.0. -
Choose the hosts and the mode. On the Hosts step, tick the hosts, then choose the Mode:
single(default). Each mode deploys the components listed in Installation methods and modes. -
Bindings. This service has no dependency: the Bindings step has nothing to bind.
-
Configure. On the Configure step, review the parameters (see Configuration parameters). Passwords left empty with a generated default are generated and sealed by the Manager.
-
Review and install. On the Install step the Manager validates the plan and shows the installation order; when it says "The plan is valid. Ready to install.", choose Install. A highly available mode is installed only when its HA checks pass.
-
Verify. The operation ends when the health checks of every instance pass (see Health checks); the service then shows as running in Services.
High availability
| Cluster | none (none) |
| High availability | redundancy (redundancy) |
| Failover | none (none) |
| Replication | none (none) |
| Quorum | none (none) |
| Discovery | static (static) |
| Entry point | any node (any-node) |
| Official documentation | https://github.com/prometheus/blackbox_exporter/blob/master/README.md |
Topology per mode
| Modes | Highest catalog level | Distribution | Quorum component | Fault domains | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
single | standalone (standalone) | single (single) | - | 1 | One prober; install it on several hosts for independent redundant probes. |
Notes
- Redundancy only: each prober is independent and Prometheus scrapes each one; there is no shared state and no failover.
Configuration parameters
General
| Parameter | Type | Default | Allowed values | Required | Secret | Restart | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HTTP port (port) | port | 9115 | - | no | no | no | Port of /probe and /metrics. |
TLS (tls_enabled) | bool | false | - | no | no | no | Serve /probe, /metrics and /-/reload over HTTPS (--web.config.file) with a certificate issued by the manager CA; Prometheus then scrapes it in https and verifies it with that CA. |
Probes (probes) | json | [] | - | no | no | no | List of {name, module, target}; module is http_2xx, tcp_connect or tls_connect. The manager health probe is always added. Prometheus runs the probes through its blackbox binding (job navin-probes). |
Endpoints
| Endpoint | Scheme | Component | Port | Path | TLS parameter | Binding parameters | Binding secrets | Provisioning command |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
http | http | blackbox-exporter | 9115 (port) | - | tls_enabled | probe_targets | - | - |
Commands
| Command | Component | Target | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Reload (reload) | blackbox-exporter | every host | Reloads the modules without restart. |
Health checks
Liveness (per instance)
| Component | Check | Details |
|---|---|---|
blackbox-exporter | HTTP {{ 'https' if config.tls_enabled else 'http' }}://{{ host.fqdn if config.tls_enabled else (host.ip or '127.0.0.1') }}:{{ config.port }}/-/healthy | Expected 200; 20 retries; interval 1 s; timeout 3 s |
Preflight checks
| Check | Type | Meaning | Severity | Components |
|---|---|---|---|---|
port_free | port_free {"param": "port"} | port 9115 free on the host | blocking | every component |
Uninstall
Paths removed when the data is purged: {{ paths.log }}.
Upstream documentation
- Homepage: https://prometheus.io
- Source: https://github.com/prometheus/blackbox_exporter
- High availability: https://github.com/prometheus/blackbox_exporter/blob/master/README.md