DEX - Docker EXporter for prometheus

DEX is a lightweight Prometheus exporter that monitors Docker containers and exports their metrics. It's designed to run as a Docker container and supports all architectures.

Key Features

• Lightweight and efficient
• Supports all architectures
• Real-time container metrics monitoring
• Easy integration with Prometheus and Grafana
• No configuration required for basic usage

Exposed Metrics

Metric Name	Type	Description
dex_block_io_read_bytes_total	Counter	Total number of bytes read from block devices
dex_block_io_write_bytes_total	Counter	Total number of bytes written to block devices
dex_container_exited	Gauge	1 if container has exited, 0 otherwise
dex_container_restarting	Gauge	1 if container is restarting, 0 otherwise
dex_container_restarts_total	Counter	Total number of container restarts
dex_container_running	Gauge	1 if container is running, 0 otherwise
dex_cpu_utilization_percent	Gauge	Current CPU utilization percentage
dex_cpu_utilization_seconds_total	Counter	Cumulative CPU time consumed
dex_memory_total_bytes	Gauge	Total memory limit in bytes
dex_memory_usage_bytes	Counter	Current memory usage in bytes
dex_memory_utilization_percent	Gauge	Current memory utilization percentage
dex_network_rx_bytes_total	Counter	Total bytes received over network
dex_network_tx_bytes_total	Counter	Total bytes transmitted over network
dex_pids_current	Counter	Current number of processes in the container

Prerequisites

• Docker installed and running
• Prometheus server (for metrics collection)
• Grafana (optional, for visualization)

Run with docker

Start docker container with following docker-compose.yml:

version: '2.1'
services:
   dex:
      image: spx01/dex
      container_name: dex
      volumes:
         - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      ports:
         - 8386:8080
      restart: always

Test with curl

$ curl localhost:8386/metrics

Grafana dashboard

Grafana 7

Example grafana7 dashboard definition as JSON .

Grafana 8

Another dashboard for Grafana 8 (thanks @scMarkus !!!) as JSON

Modification (thanks @GitSchorsch) with additional job filter as JSON