ProxySQL

Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: proxysql

Overview

This collector monitors ProxySQL servers.

This collector is supported on all platforms.

This collector supports collecting metrics from multiple instances of this integration, including remote instances.

Default Behavior

Auto-Detection

This integration doesn't support auto-detection.

Limits

The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.

Performance Impact

The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.

Metrics

Metrics grouped by scope.

The scope defines the instance that the metric belongs to. An instance is uniquely identified by a set of labels.

Per ProxySQL instance

These metrics refer to the entire monitored application.

This scope has no labels.

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
proxysql.client_connections_count	connected, non_idle, hostgroup_locked	connections
proxysql.client_connections_rate	created, aborted	connections/s
proxysql.server_connections_count	connected	connections
proxysql.server_connections_rate	created, aborted, delayed	connections/s
proxysql.backends_traffic	recv, sent	B/s
proxysql.clients_traffic	recv, sent	B/s
proxysql.active_transactions_count	client	connections
proxysql.questions_rate	questions	questions/s
proxysql.slow_queries_rate	slow	queries/s
proxysql.queries_rate	autocommit, autocommit_filtered, commit_filtered, rollback, rollback_filtered, backend_change_user, backend_init_db, backend_set_names, frontend_init_db, frontend_set_names, frontend_use_db	queries/s
proxysql.backend_statements_count	total, unique	statements
proxysql.backend_statements_rate	prepare, execute, close	statements/s
proxysql.client_statements_count	total, unique	statements
proxysql.client_statements_rate	prepare, execute, close	statements/s
proxysql.cached_statements_count	cached	statements
proxysql.query_cache_entries_count	entries	entries
proxysql.query_cache_memory_used	used	B
proxysql.query_cache_io	in, out	B/s
proxysql.query_cache_requests_rate	read, write, read_success	requests/s
proxysql.mysql_monitor_workers_count	workers, auxiliary	threads
proxysql.mysql_monitor_workers_rate	started	workers/s
proxysql.mysql_monitor_connect_checks_rate	succeed, failed	checks/s
proxysql.mysql_monitor_ping_checks_rate	succeed, failed	checks/s
proxysql.mysql_monitor_read_only_checks_rate	succeed, failed	checks/s
proxysql.mysql_monitor_replication_lag_checks_rate	succeed, failed	checks/s
proxysql.jemalloc_memory_used	active, allocated, mapped, metadata, resident, retained	B
proxysql.memory_used	auth, sqlite3, query_digest, query_rules, firewall_users_table, firewall_users_config, firewall_rules_table, firewall_rules_config, mysql_threads, admin_threads, cluster_threads	B
proxysql.uptime	uptime	seconds

Per command

These metrics refer to the SQL command.

Labels:

Label	Description
command	SQL command.

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
proxysql.mysql_command_execution_rate	uptime	seconds
proxysql.mysql_command_execution_time	time	microseconds
proxysql.mysql_command_execution_duration	100us, 500us, 1ms, 5ms, 10ms, 50ms, 100ms, 500ms, 1s, 5s, 10s, +Inf	microseconds

Per user

These metrics refer to the user.

Labels:

Label	Description
user	username from the mysql_users table

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
proxysql.mysql_user_connections_utilization	used	percentage
proxysql.mysql_user_connections_count	used	connections

Per hostgroup

These metrics refer to the backends hostgroup.

Labels:

Label	Description
hostgroup	hostgroup identifier

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
proxysql.hostgroup_backends_status	online, shunned, offline_soft, offline_hard	backends

Per backend

These metrics refer to the backend server.

Labels:

Label	Description
hostgroup	backend server hostgroup
host	backend server host
port	backend server port

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
proxysql.backend_status	online, shunned, offline_soft, offline_hard	status
proxysql.backend_connections_usage	free, used	connections
proxysql.backend_connections_rate	succeed, failed	connections/s
proxysql.backend_queries_rate	queries	queries/s
proxysql.backend_traffic	recv, send	B/s
proxysql.backend_latency	latency	microseconds

Functions

This collector exposes real-time functions for interactive troubleshooting in the Top tab.

Top Queries

Retrieves aggregated query statistics from ProxySQL's stats_mysql_query_digest table.

This function queries the stats_mysql_query_digest table which stores runtime statistics for all queries proxied through ProxySQL, aggregated by query digest (normalized query pattern). It provides timing metrics, execution counts, and error statistics for each unique query pattern.

Use cases:

• Identify slow queries consuming excessive total execution time
• Find high-frequency queries that may benefit from caching
• Monitor query error rates across backends

Query text is truncated at 4096 characters for display purposes.

Aspect	Description
Name	Proxysql:top-queries
Require Cloud	yes
Performance	Queries ProxySQL admin interface for digest statistics: • Reads from in-memory stats_mysql_query_digest table • Default limit of 500 rows balances completeness with performance • Data is aggregated in-memory by ProxySQL from active connections
Security	Query text may contain unmasked literal values including potentially sensitive data: • Personal information in WHERE clauses or INSERT values • Business data embedded in queries • Access should be restricted to authorized personnel only
Availability	Available when: • The collector has successfully connected to ProxySQL admin interface • Returns HTTP 503 if the connection cannot be established • Returns HTTP 500 if the query fails • Returns HTTP 504 if the query times out

Prerequisites

No additional configuration is required.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Required	Default	Options
Filter By	select	Select the primary sort column. Options include total execution time, number of calls, rows affected, rows sent, errors, and warnings. Defaults to total time to focus on most resource-intensive queries.	yes	totalTime

Returns

Aggregated query digest statistics from ProxySQL, providing comprehensive performance analysis across all monitored MySQL backends. Each row represents a unique query pattern (normalized digest) with cumulative metrics across all its executions.

Column	Type	Unit	Visibility	Description
Digest	string		hidden	Unique hash identifier for normalized query pattern. Queries with identical structure but different literal values share the same digest.
Query	string			The SQL query text with literal values truncated at 4096 characters. Use this to identify the actual SQL being executed and spot parameterized queries or injection risks.
Schema	string			Database name where the query was executed. Essential for multi-database analysis to identify which database or backend is experiencing query load.
User	string		hidden	MySQL username used to execute the query. Useful for identifying application users or connection pool attribution.
Hostgroup	integer		hidden	Backend hostgroup identifier from ProxySQL configuration. Allows grouping queries by backend server for multi-backend analysis.
Calls	integer			Total number of times this query pattern has been executed. High values indicate frequently run queries that may impact server performance significantly.
Total Time	duration	milliseconds		Cumulative execution time across all query executions. This is a key metric for identifying the most resource-intensive queries in terms of total server time consumption.
Avg Time	duration	milliseconds		Average execution time per query run. Compare with Total Time to determine if individual executions or high frequency drives resource usage.
Min Time	duration	milliseconds	hidden	Minimum execution time observed. Helps identify variability in query performance and spot potential optimization opportunities for outliers.
Max Time	duration	milliseconds	hidden	Maximum execution time observed. Large gaps between Min Time and Max Time may indicate performance instability due to parameter sniffing, data skew, or lock contention.
Rows Affected	integer			Total number of rows modified by INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or REPLACE statements. Useful for tracking write workloads and data modification patterns.
Rows Sent	integer			Total number of rows returned to the client by SELECT statements. High values may indicate queries returning large result sets that consume significant network bandwidth and client resources.
Errors	integer			Total number of times this query pattern resulted in an error. Non-zero values require investigation into the underlying SQL syntax, permission issues, or constraint violations.
Warnings	integer			Total number of times this query pattern generated a warning. Warnings may indicate data type conversions, NULL handling issues, or other non-critical SQL problems that should be reviewed.
First Seen	string		hidden	Timestamp when this query pattern was first observed. Helps identify new queries that may have been introduced by application changes or code deployments.
Last Seen	string		hidden	Timestamp when this query pattern was last executed. Can help identify stale queries that are no longer in use or to track recent query activity.

Alerts

The following alerts are available:

Alert name	On metric	Description
proxysql_hostgroup_no_online_backends	proxysql.hostgroup_backends_status	ProxySQL hostgroup ${label:hostgroup} has no ONLINE backends
proxysql_backend_shunned	proxysql.backend_status	ProxySQL backend SHUNNED (${label:host}:${label:port} hostgroup ${label:hostgroup})
proxysql_backend_offline_hard	proxysql.backend_status	ProxySQL backend OFFLINE_HARD (${label:host}:${label:port} hostgroup ${label:hostgroup})

Setup

You can configure the proxysql collector in two ways:

Method	Best for	How to
UI	Fast setup without editing files	Go to Nodes → Configure this node → Collectors → Jobs, search for proxysql, then click + to add a job.
File	If you prefer configuring via file, or need to automate deployments (e.g., with Ansible)	Edit go.d/proxysql.conf and add a job.

important

UI configuration requires paid Netdata Cloud plan.

Prerequisites

No action required.

Configuration

Options

The following options can be defined globally: update_every, autodetection_retry.

Config options

Group	Option	Description	Default	Required
Collection	update_every	Data collection frequency (seconds).	1	no
	autodetection_retry	Autodetection retry interval (seconds). Set 0 to disable.	0	no
Target	dsn	ProxySQL server DSN (Data Source Name). See DSN syntax.	stats:stats@tcp(127.0.0.1:6032)/	yes
	timeout	Query timeout (seconds).	1	no
Virtual Node	vnode	Associates this data collection job with a Virtual Node.		no

via UI

Configure the proxysql collector from the Netdata web interface:

1. Go to Nodes.
2. Select the node where you want the proxysql data-collection job to run and click the ⚙ (Configure this node). That node will run the data collection.
3. The Collectors → Jobs view opens by default.
4. In the Search box, type proxysql (or scroll the list) to locate the proxysql collector.
5. Click the + next to the proxysql collector to add a new job.
6. Fill in the job fields, then click Test to verify the configuration and Submit to save.
   • Test runs the job with the provided settings and shows whether data can be collected.
   • If it fails, an error message appears with details (for example, connection refused, timeout, or command execution errors), so you can adjust and retest.

via File

The configuration file name for this integration is go.d/proxysql.conf.

The file format is YAML. Generally, the structure is:

update_every: 1
autodetection_retry: 0
jobs:
  - name: some_name1
  - name: some_name2

You can edit the configuration file using the edit-config script from the Netdata config directory.

cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/proxysql.conf

Examples

TCP socket

An example configuration.

Config

jobs:
  - name: local
    dsn: stats:stats@tcp(127.0.0.1:6032)/

my.cnf

An example configuration.

Config

jobs:
  - name: local
    my.cnf: '/etc/my.cnf'

Multi-instance

Note: When you define multiple jobs, their names must be unique.

Local and remote instances.

Config

jobs:
  - name: local
    dsn: stats:stats@tcp(127.0.0.1:6032)/

  - name: remote
    dsn: stats:stats@tcp(203.0.113.0:6032)/

Troubleshooting

Debug Mode

Important: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.

To troubleshoot issues with the proxysql collector, run the go.d.plugin with the debug option enabled. The output should give you clues as to why the collector isn't working.

• Navigate to the plugins.d directory, usually at /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/. If that's not the case on your system, open netdata.conf and look for the plugins setting under [directories].

  cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/

• Switch to the netdata user.

  sudo -u netdata -s

• Run the go.d.plugin to debug the collector:

  ./go.d.plugin -d -m proxysql

  To debug a specific job:

  ./go.d.plugin -d -m proxysql -j jobName

Getting Logs

If you're encountering problems with the proxysql collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:

• Run the command specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
• Examine the output for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues. These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.

System with systemd

Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:

journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep proxysql

System without systemd

Locate the collector log file, typically at /var/log/netdata/collector.log, and use grep to filter for collector's name:

grep proxysql /var/log/netdata/collector.log

Note: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the latest entries for troubleshooting current issues.

Docker Container

If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named "netdata" (replace if different), use this command:

docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep proxysql