{"id":2248,"date":"2026-04-24T09:38:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T09:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/?p=2248"},"modified":"2026-04-24T09:53:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T09:53:25","slug":"what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Graphite monitoring tool?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Graphite<\/strong> is an open-source time-series monitoring system<\/strong> used to collect, store, query, and visualize metrics from servers, applications, databases, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In simple words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Graphite stores numerical metrics over time so you can see trends, performance, and problems.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Example metrics Graphite can store:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CPU usage\nMemory usage\nDisk usage\nNetwork traffic\nApplication request count\nAPI response time\nError count\nDatabase query time\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
A sample Graphite metric looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
linux.server1.cpu.usage 72.5 1710000000\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Meaning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
linux.server1.cpu.usage<\/code><\/td>Metric name\/path<\/td><\/tr>
72.5<\/code><\/td>Metric value<\/td><\/tr>
1710000000<\/code><\/td>Timestamp<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
How Graphite works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
flowchart TD\n    A[Server \/ Application] --> B[Metric Collector]\n    B --> C[Carbon]\n    C --> D[Whisper Storage]\n    D --> E[Graphite Web \/ API]\n    E --> F[Grafana Dashboard]<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
flowchart TD\n    A[Server \/ Application] --> B[Metric Collector]\n    B --> C[Carbon]\n    C --> D[Whisper Storage]\n    D --> E[Graphite Web \/ API]\n    E --> F[Grafana Dashboard]\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Main components<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Component<\/th>Role<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Carbon<\/strong><\/td>Receives metrics and writes them to storage<\/td><\/tr>
Whisper<\/strong><\/td>Stores time-series metrics on disk<\/td><\/tr>
Graphite Web<\/strong><\/td>Provides UI and API to query metrics<\/td><\/tr>
Grafana<\/strong><\/td>Often used to create dashboards and alerts from Graphite data<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Where Graphite is used<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Graphite is commonly used for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Infrastructure monitoring\nLinux server monitoring\nApplication performance metrics\nCapacity planning\nHistorical trend analysis\nGrafana dashboard backend\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Graphite vs Grafana<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tool<\/th>Purpose<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Graphite<\/strong><\/td>Stores and serves metrics<\/td><\/tr>
Grafana<\/strong><\/td>Visualizes metrics and creates dashboards\/alerts<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
So the simplest explanation is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Graphite is the metrics backend. Grafana is the visualization frontend.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Below are the main components used in Graphite monitoring stack<\/strong>, with a clear data flow diagram<\/strong> and Mermaid architecture diagram<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Graphite Components Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Graphite is mainly made of these core components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Component<\/th>Purpose<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Application \/ Server \/ Script<\/strong><\/td>Generates metrics like CPU usage, memory, disk, request count, latency, etc.<\/td><\/tr>
StatsD \/ CollectD \/ Telegraf \/ Carbon Agent<\/strong><\/td>Collects metrics from servers or applications and forwards them to Graphite.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon<\/strong><\/td>Receives metrics, processes them, and writes them into Whisper storage.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon Receiver<\/strong><\/td>Listens for incoming metrics over TCP\/UDP, usually on port 2003<\/code>, 2004<\/code>, or 2023<\/code>.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon Cache<\/strong><\/td>Temporarily stores incoming metrics in memory before writing them to disk.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon Relay<\/strong><\/td>Optional component used to forward, split, or replicate metrics to multiple Carbon nodes.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon Aggregator<\/strong><\/td>Optional component used to aggregate metrics before storing them.<\/td><\/tr>
Whisper<\/strong><\/td>Graphite\u2019s time-series database file format. Stores metrics on disk.<\/td><\/tr>
Graphite Web<\/strong><\/td>Web application used to query, render, and visualize metrics.<\/td><\/tr>
Graphite API \/ Render API<\/strong><\/td>Allows tools like Grafana to query Graphite metrics.<\/td><\/tr>
Grafana<\/strong><\/td>Visualization and dashboarding tool that connects to Graphite as a data source.<\/td><\/tr>
Alerts<\/strong><\/td>Usually handled in Grafana, not directly by classic Graphite.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
2. Simple Graphite Flow<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Application \/ Server\n        |\n        v\nMetric Collector\n(StatsD \/ CollectD \/ Telegraf \/ Custom Script)\n        |\n        v\nCarbon\n        |\n        v\nWhisper Storage\n        |\n        v\nGraphite Web \/ Graphite API\n        |\n        v\nGrafana Dashboard \/ Alerts\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
3. Detailed Graphite Architecture Flow<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
flowchart TD\n    A[Application \/ Linux Server \/ Service] --> B[Metric Collector]\n\n    B --> B1[StatsD]\n    B --> B2[CollectD]\n    B --> B3[Telegraf]\n    B --> B4[Custom Script]\n\n    B1 --> C[Carbon Receiver]\n    B2 --> C\n    B3 --> C\n    B4 --> C\n\n    C --> D[Carbon Cache]\n\n    D --> E[Whisper Storage]\n\n    E --> F[Graphite Web]\n\n    F --> G[Graphite Render API]\n\n    G --> H[Grafana]\n\n    H --> I[Dashboards]\n    H --> J[Alerts]<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
4. Graphite Components with Ports<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Component<\/th>Common Port<\/th>Description<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Carbon plaintext receiver<\/strong><\/td>2003<\/code><\/td>Receives metrics in plain text format.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon pickle receiver<\/strong><\/td>2004<\/code><\/td>Receives metrics in Python pickle format.<\/td><\/tr>
Carbon cache query port<\/strong><\/td>7002<\/code><\/td>Used internally for cache queries.<\/td><\/tr>
Graphite Web<\/strong><\/td>80<\/code>, 8080<\/code>, or custom<\/td>Web UI and API access.<\/td><\/tr>
Grafana<\/strong><\/td>3000<\/code><\/td>Grafana web interface.<\/td><\/tr>
StatsD<\/strong><\/td>8125\/UDP<\/code><\/td>Receives application metrics and forwards to Graphite.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
5. Metric Flow Example<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Example metric:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
linux.server1.cpu.usage 72.5 1710000000\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
linux.server1.cpu.usage<\/code><\/td>Metric path\/name<\/td><\/tr>
72.5<\/code><\/td>Metric value<\/td><\/tr>
1710000000<\/code><\/td>Unix timestamp<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Flow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linux Server\n  sends metric:\n  linux.server1.cpu.usage 72.5 1710000000\n\nCarbon receives it on port 2003\n\nCarbon Cache stores it temporarily\n\nWhisper writes it into .wsp file\n\nGraphite Web reads it\n\nGrafana displays it in dashboard\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
6. Full Graphite + Grafana Monitoring Flow<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
flowchart LR\n    subgraph Sources[\"Metric Sources\"]\n        A1[Linux Servers]\n        A2[Applications]\n        A3[Databases]\n        A4[Network Devices]\n        A5[Custom Scripts]\n    end\n\n    subgraph Collectors[\"Metric Collectors\"]\n        B1[StatsD]\n        B2[CollectD]\n        B3[Telegraf]\n        B4[Diamond]\n    end\n\n    subgraph Graphite[\"Graphite Stack\"]\n        C1[Carbon Receiver]\n        C2[Carbon Cache]\n        C3[Carbon Relay Optional]\n        C4[Carbon Aggregator Optional]\n        D1[Whisper Storage]\n        E1[Graphite Web]\n        E2[Graphite Render API]\n    end\n\n    subgraph Visualization[\"Visualization and Alerting\"]\n        F1[Grafana]\n        F2[Dashboards]\n        F3[Alerts]\n    end\n\n    A1 --> B2\n    A2 --> B1\n    A3 --> B3\n    A4 --> B3\n    A5 --> C1\n\n    B1 --> C1\n    B2 --> C1\n    B3 --> C1\n    B4 --> C1\n\n    C1 --> C2\n    C2 --> D1\n\n    C1 --> C3\n    C3 --> C2\n\n    C1 --> C4\n    C4 --> C2\n\n    D1 --> E1\n    E1 --> E2\n    E2 --> F1\n    F1 --> F2\n    F1 --> F3\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
7. How Each Component Works<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Application \/ Server<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This is the original source of metrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CPU usage\nMemory usage\nDisk usage\nNetwork traffic\nHTTP request count\nAPI latency\nError count\nDatabase query time\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The server itself does not usually write directly to Whisper. It sends metrics to Graphite through a collector or script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Metric Collector<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Collectors gather metrics and send them to Carbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common collectors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collector<\/th>Use Case<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
StatsD<\/strong><\/td>Application-level metrics such as counters, timers, gauges.<\/td><\/tr>
CollectD<\/strong><\/td>Linux system metrics such as CPU, memory, disk, network.<\/td><\/tr>
Telegraf<\/strong><\/td>Modern metrics agent with many plugins.<\/td><\/tr>
Diamond<\/strong><\/td>Older Python-based Graphite collector.<\/td><\/tr>
Custom Scripts<\/strong><\/td>Simple scripts that push metrics directly to Carbon.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Example using shell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"linux.server1.cpu.usage 75 $(date +%s)\" | nc 127.0.0.1 2003\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Carbon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carbon is the ingestion engine of Graphite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It receives metrics and writes them to Whisper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carbon has multiple sub-components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
carbon-cache\ncarbon-relay\ncarbon-aggregator\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Carbon Cache<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carbon Cache receives metrics and keeps them briefly in memory before writing them to disk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Main responsibilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Receive metric data\nBuffer data in memory\nApply storage schema\nWrite data to Whisper files\nServe recent cached data to Graphite Web\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Carbon Relay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carbon Relay is optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is used when Graphite is scaled across multiple servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Main uses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forward metrics to multiple Carbon caches\nShard metrics across multiple storage nodes\nReplicate metrics for high availability\nRoute metrics based on rules\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
server1 metrics -> carbon-cache-1\nserver2 metrics -> carbon-cache-2\napp metrics    -> carbon-cache-3\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Carbon Aggregator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carbon Aggregator is optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It aggregates many metrics before storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
app.server1.requests.count\napp.server2.requests.count\napp.server3.requests.count\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Can be aggregated into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
app.all.requests.count\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Useful for reducing query complexity and storage volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Whisper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Whisper is Graphite\u2019s storage engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It stores each metric as a .wsp<\/code> file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example metric:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
linux.server1.cpu.usage\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
May be stored as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\/opt\/graphite\/storage\/whisper\/linux\/server1\/cpu\/usage.wsp\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Whisper is similar to RRD storage. It stores fixed-size time-series data based on retention rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example retention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10s:6h,1m:7d,10m:5y\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Meaning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Retention<\/th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
10s:6h<\/code><\/td>Keep 10-second data for 6 hours<\/td><\/tr>
1m:7d<\/code><\/td>Keep 1-minute data for 7 days<\/td><\/tr>
10m:5y<\/code><\/td>Keep 10-minute data for 5 years<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Graphite Web<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Graphite Web is the web application and API layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It allows users and tools to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Search metrics\nQuery metrics\nRender graphs\nApply functions\nExpose Render API\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Example Graphite Render API:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\/render?target=linux.server1.cpu.usage&from=-1h&format=json\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Grafana<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Grafana is commonly used as the visualization layer for Graphite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grafana connects to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
http://<graphite-server>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
or<\/p>\n\n\n\n
http://<graphite-server>:8080\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Grafana uses Graphite\u2019s API to search metrics and build dashboards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Typical Grafana panels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CPU Usage\nMemory Usage\nDisk Usage\nNetwork In\/Out\nLoad Average\nProcess Count\nApplication Request Rate\nError Rate\nLatency\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
8. Graphite Data Flow with Example<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
sequenceDiagram\n    participant App as Application \/ Linux Server\n    participant Agent as StatsD \/ CollectD \/ Telegraf\n    participant Carbon as Carbon Receiver\n    participant Cache as Carbon Cache\n    participant Whisper as Whisper Storage\n    participant Web as Graphite Web API\n    participant Grafana as Grafana\n\n    App->>Agent: Generate metrics\n    Agent->>Carbon: Send metric over TCP\/UDP\n    Carbon->>Cache: Accept and buffer metric\n    Cache->>Whisper: Write metric to .wsp file\n    Grafana->>Web: Query metric target\n    Web->>Whisper: Read historical data\n    Web->>Cache: Read recent cached data\n    Web-->>Grafana: Return time-series data\n    Grafana->>Grafana: Render dashboard \/ alert\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
9. End-to-End Example<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Suppose a Linux server reports CPU usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Metric is generated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
linux.web01.cpu.usage 65 1710000000\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 2: Metric is sent to Carbon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
echo \"linux.web01.cpu.usage 65 $(date +%s)\" | nc graphite-server 2003\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Carbon receives it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Carbon plaintext receiver listens on port 2003\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Carbon writes to Whisper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\/opt\/graphite\/storage\/whisper\/linux\/web01\/cpu\/usage.wsp\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: Graphite Web exposes it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
http://graphite-server\/render?target=linux.web01.cpu.usage&from=-1h\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 6: Grafana visualizes it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Grafana panel query:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
linux.web01.cpu.usage\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
10. Graphite Stack in One Diagram<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
flowchart TB\n    A[Metric Sources] --> B[Metric Collection Layer]\n    B --> C[Carbon Ingestion Layer]\n    C --> D[Whisper Storage Layer]\n    D --> E[Graphite Query Layer]\n    E --> F[Grafana Visualization Layer]\n\n    A1[Linux CPU, Memory, Disk, Network] --> A\n    A2[Application Counters, Timers, Gauges] --> A\n    A3[Database Metrics] --> A\n    A4[Custom Business Metrics] --> A\n\n    B1[StatsD] --> B\n    B2[CollectD] --> B\n    B3[Telegraf] --> B\n    B4[Custom Scripts] --> B\n\n    C1[carbon-cache] --> C\n    C2[carbon-relay] --> C\n    C3[carbon-aggregator] --> C\n\n    D1[Whisper .wsp Files] --> D\n\n    E1[Graphite Web UI] --> E\n    E2[Graphite Render API] --> E\n    E3[Graphite Functions] --> E\n\n    F1[Grafana Dashboards] --> F\n    F2[Grafana Explore] --> F\n    F3[Grafana Alerts] --> F\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
11. Important Point for Students<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Graphite itself is mainly responsible for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Receiving metrics\nStoring metrics\nQuerying metrics\nRendering metric data\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Grafana is mainly responsible for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beautiful dashboards\nExplore UI\nAlert rules\nNotification channels\nDashboard sharing\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
So in modern monitoring labs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graphite = Metrics backend\nGrafana = Visualization and alerting frontend\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
12. Final Summary<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Metric Source\n    \u2193\nCollector or Agent\n    \u2193\nCarbon Receiver\n    \u2193\nCarbon Cache\n    \u2193\nWhisper Storage\n    \u2193\nGraphite Web \/ Render API\n    \u2193\nGrafana\n    \u2193\nDashboard \/ Alert\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In simple terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graphite collects and stores time-series metrics. Grafana reads those metrics from Graphite and converts them into dashboards and alerts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
StatsD collects application and system metrics<\/strong> sent by apps, scripts, services, or servers over UDP\/TCP. It does not collect logs or traces by default<\/strong>. It mainly collects numeric time-series data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Types of data collected using StatsD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Metric type<\/th>What it means<\/th>Example use case<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Counter<\/strong><\/td>Counts how many times something happened<\/td>Number of API requests, login attempts, errors<\/td><\/tr>
Gauge<\/strong><\/td>Current value at a point in time<\/td>Memory usage, queue size, active users<\/td><\/tr>
Timer<\/strong><\/td>Measures how long something takes<\/td>API response time, DB query duration<\/td><\/tr>
Histogram \/ Distribution<\/strong><\/td>Measures value distribution<\/td>Request latency percentiles like p95, p99<\/td><\/tr>
Set<\/strong><\/td>Counts unique values<\/td>Unique users, unique IPs, unique sessions<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Counter data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Used to count events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
api.requests:1|c\nlogin.success:1|c\nlogin.failed:1|c\npayment.errors:1|c\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Meaning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
api.requests increased by 1\nlogin.success increased by 1\npayment.errors increased by 1\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Common use cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Total HTTP requests\nTotal errors\nTotal signups\nTotal orders\nTotal failed payments\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
2. Gauge data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Used to send the current value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
queue.size:45|g\nmemory.used:712|g\nactive.users:128|g\ndisk.used.percent:67|g\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Common use cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CPU usage\nMemory usage\nDisk usage\nQueue depth\nActive connections\nNumber of running jobs\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
3. Timer data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Used to measure duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
api.response_time:245|ms\ndb.query_time:38|ms\ncache.lookup_time:4|ms\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Meaning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
API response took 245 ms\nDatabase query took 38 ms\nCache lookup took 4 ms\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Common use cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
API latency\nDatabase query latency\nExternal API call duration\nFile upload time\nJob execution time\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
4. Histogram \/ distribution data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Used to understand spread of values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
request.size:2048|h\nresponse.size:5120|h\norder.amount:499|h\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Common use cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Request payload size\nResponse size\nOrder amount\nLatency distribution\nFile size distribution\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Depending on backend support, this can help calculate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
avg\nmin\nmax\np50\np90\np95\np99\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
5. Set data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Used to count unique values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
unique.users:raj@example.com|s\nunique.ips:192.168.1.10|s\nunique.sessions:abc123|s\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Common use cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unique users\nUnique sessions\nUnique visitors\nUnique IP addresses\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Real-world examples of StatsD metrics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For a web application:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
web.requests:1|c\nweb.errors:1|c\nweb.response_time:180|ms\nweb.active_users:35|g\nweb.unique_visitors:visitor123|s\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
For Linux\/server monitoring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
system.cpu.usage:72|g\nsystem.memory.used:8045|g\nsystem.disk.used_percent:61|g\nsystem.loadavg.1min:2.4|g\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
For business monitoring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
orders.created:1|c\norders.failed:1|c\ncart.checkout_time:3200|ms\npayment.amount:1299|h\nactive.subscriptions:840|g\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In simple words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
StatsD collects data like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many times something happened?\nWhat is the current value?\nHow long did something take?\nWhat is the distribution of values?\nHow many unique things happened?\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
So, StatsD is mainly used for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Application performance monitoring\nInfrastructure metrics\nBusiness metrics\nCustom service metrics\nDashboarding in Graphite\/Grafana\nAlerting on abnormal behavior\n<\/code><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Graphite is an open-source time-series monitoring system used to collect, store, query, and visualize metrics from servers, applications, databases, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Graphite monitoring tool? - SRE School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Graphite monitoring tool? - SRE School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Graphite is an open-source time-series monitoring system used to collect, store, query, and visualize metrics from servers, applications, databases, and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SRE School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T09:38:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T09:53:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rajesh Kumar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rajesh Kumar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/\",\"name\":\"What is Graphite monitoring tool? - SRE School\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-24T09:38:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-24T09:53:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0ffe446f77bb2589992dbe3a7f417201\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/what-is-graphite-monitoring-tool\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is Graphite monitoring tool?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sreschool.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SRESchool\",\"description\":\"Master SRE. 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