RethinkDB

Plugin: go.d.plugin Module: rethinkdb

Overview

It collects cluster-wide metrics such as server status, client connections, active clients, query rate, and document read/write rates. For each server, it offers similar metrics.

The data is gathered by querying the stats table in RethinkDB, which stores real-time statistics related to the cluster and its individual servers. It also provides a running-queries function using the rethinkdb.jobs system table (admin-only).

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

If no configuration is given, collector will attempt to connect to RethinkDB instance on 127.0.0.1:28015 address.

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 RethinkDB instance

These metrics refer to the entire monitored application.

This scope has no labels.

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
rethinkdb.cluster_servers_stats_request	success, timeout	servers
rethinkdb.cluster_client_connections	connections	connections
rethinkdb.cluster_active_clients	active	clients
rethinkdb.cluster_queries	queries	queries/s
rethinkdb.cluster_documents	read, written	documents/s

Per server

These metrics refer to the server (cluster member).

Labels:

Label	Description
server_uuid	Server UUID.
server_name	Server name.

Metrics:

Metric	Dimensions	Unit
rethinkdb.server_stats_request_status	success, timeout	status
rethinkdb.server_client_connections	connections	connections
rethinkdb.server_active_clients	active	clients
rethinkdb.server_queries	queries	queries/s
rethinkdb.server_documents	read, written	documents/s

Functions

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

Running Queries

Retrieves currently executing queries from the RethinkDB rethinkdb.jobs system table.

This function queries the rethinkdb.jobs system table which contains information about background tasks and queries currently running on the cluster. It provides query text, execution duration, client information, and involved servers.

Use cases:

• Identify long-running queries that may be blocking resources
• Monitor active query load across the cluster
• Investigate client connections generating heavy workloads

Query text is truncated at 4096 characters for display purposes.

Aspect	Description
Name	Rethinkdb:running-queries
Require Cloud	yes
Performance	Queries the rethinkdb.jobs system table: • Minimal overhead as it reads from an in-memory system table • Default limit of 500 rows balances completeness with performance • Returns only currently active queries (no historical data)
Security	Query text may contain unmasked literal values including potentially sensitive data: • Document field values in filter conditions • User-provided data in insert/update operations • Access should be restricted to authorized personnel only
Availability	Available when: • The collector has successfully connected to RethinkDB • The user has admin access to rethinkdb.jobs table • Returns HTTP 503 if collector is still initializing • Returns HTTP 500 if the query fails • Returns HTTP 504 if the query times out

Prerequisites

Grant admin access to rethinkdb.jobs

The user must have admin privileges to query the rethinkdb.jobs system table.

1. Connect with an admin user account that has access to system tables

2. Verify access to rethinkdb.jobs:

   r.db('rethinkdb').table('jobs').run(conn)

info

• The rethinkdb.jobs table is only accessible to admin users
• Non-admin users will receive a permission error when attempting to query this table
• The collector's regular metrics do not require admin access

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Required	Default	Options
Filter By	select	Select the primary sort column. Defaults to duration to focus on longest-running queries.	yes	durationMs

Returns

Currently running queries from the rethinkdb.jobs system table. Each row represents a single active query with its execution context.

Column	Type	Unit	Visibility	Description
Job ID	string		hidden	Unique identifier for the job entry. Can be used to track or kill specific queries.
Query	string			The ReQL query text being executed. Truncated to 4096 characters. May contain literal values from application code.
Duration	duration	milliseconds		Time elapsed since the query started executing. High values indicate long-running queries that may need investigation.
Type	string			Job type (e.g., query, index_construction, disk_compaction). Useful for distinguishing user queries from background tasks.
User	string			RethinkDB user account that initiated the query. Useful for identifying workload by user or application.
Client Address	string		hidden	IP address of the client connection that submitted the query.
Client Port	integer		hidden	Port number of the client connection.
Servers	string		hidden	Comma-separated list of servers involved in executing this query.

Alerts

There are no alerts configured by default for this integration.

Setup

You can configure the rethinkdb 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 rethinkdb, 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/rethinkdb.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	address	RethinkDB server address (IP:PORT).	127.0.0.1:28015	yes
	timeout	Connection, read, and write timeout duration (seconds). Includes name resolution.	1	no
Limits	top_queries_limit	Maximum number of rows returned by the running-queries function.	500	no
Auth	username	Username for authentication.		no
	password	Password for authentication.		no
Virtual Node	vnode	Associates this data collection job with a Virtual Node.		no

via UI

Configure the rethinkdb collector from the Netdata web interface:

1. Go to Nodes.
2. Select the node where you want the rethinkdb 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 rethinkdb (or scroll the list) to locate the rethinkdb collector.
5. Click the + next to the rethinkdb 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/rethinkdb.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/rethinkdb.conf

Examples

Basic

A basic example configuration.

Config

jobs:
  - name: local
    address: 127.0.0.1:28015

With authentication

An example configuration with authentication.

Config

jobs:
  - name: local
    address: 127.0.0.1:28015
    username: name
    password: pass

Multi-instance

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

Collecting metrics from local and remote instances.

Config

jobs:
  - name: local
    address: 127.0.0.1:28015

  - name: remote
    address: 203.0.113.0:28015

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 rethinkdb 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 rethinkdb

  To debug a specific job:

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

Getting Logs

If you're encountering problems with the rethinkdb 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 rethinkdb

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 rethinkdb /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 rethinkdb