VictoriaMetrics: Time Series That Scale Without Fuss
Time-series databases tend to fall into two camps: easy but fragile, or fast but nightmarishly complex. VictoriaMetrics walks right between — it’s surprisingly simple to deploy, handles huge volumes of metrics, and just… works. No cluster gymnastics, no Kafka layers, no obscure tuning rituals.
Whether you’re pulling in Prometheus data, Telegraf, Graphite, or your own custom metrics — VictoriaMetrics stores it in a compact format, indexes it smartly, and serves it fast.
It’s been battle-tested by teams handling billions of data points daily — but it’s just as usable for a single-node setup running on a VM.
Why Engineers Stick With It
Feature | Real-World Benefit
——–|———————————————————————-
Fast Writes | Handles millions of datapoints/sec — ideal for metrics firehoses
Efficient Storage | Compression built in; low disk usage even at scale
Single Binary | No extra components; drop it in and run
Prometheus-Compatible | Acts as a long-term remote storage backend or full Prometheus drop-in
Multi-Tenant Support | Useful for MSPs or multi-client observability setups
Cluster and Single-Node | Start small, grow big — same config style
SQL via MetricsQL | Query language similar to PromQL, with more flexibility
Scraping and Push Modes | Works both ways: pull metrics or receive them
Who Uses VictoriaMetrics (And Why)
– Teams that outgrew Prometheus retention limits
– Ops staff looking for long-term metrics without complex TSDB clusters
– MSPs running observability stacks for many clients
– Engineers frustrated by the overhead of InfluxDB, Thanos, or Cortex
– Devs running performance tests who need to store huge volumes temporarily
It’s especially popular when storage budget is tight, and uptime is critical. You don’t need an ops PhD to keep it healthy.
Getting Started (Linux Example)
1. Download and unpack:
wget https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/releases/latest/download/victoria-metrics-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf victoria-metrics-linux-amd64.tar.gz
2. Start with defaults:
./victoria-metrics-prod -retentionPeriod=12 -storageDataPath=/data
3. Push metrics:
– From Prometheus: remote_write
– From Telegraf: via Influx line protocol
– From your app: send to /api/v1/import
4. Query via:
– /api/v1/query (Prometheus-style)
– Grafana (add as Prometheus data source)
Requirements
– OS: Linux (native); also runs in containers
– Binary: Single statically linked executable
– Memory: Scales with retention + volume; starts light
– Storage: Local disk or network-attached; good IOPS preferred
– Clients: Prometheus, Telegraf, Graphite, custom HTTP push
Final Word
VictoriaMetrics doesn’t scream for attention. It just does the job — whether that’s storing metrics from 10 containers or a 50-node Kubernetes cluster. It keeps things simple, fast, and efficient — no drama, no duct tape.
📦 Project Site: https://victoriametrics.com
📘 GitHub: https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics
