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The TICK stack turns a Linux VPS into a monitored system by dividing the work among four services: Telegraf collects measurements, InfluxDB stores them, Chronograf provides dashboards, and Kapacitor evaluates data for alerts. A minimal deployment needs only Telegraf and InfluxDB; add Chronograf for visual exploration and Kapacitor when you need processing, deadman checks, or notifications.
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How the TICK stack fits together
A TICK deployment is a pipeline rather than a single program. Telegraf runs on the VPS being monitored and gathers host measurements. It writes those points to InfluxDB, normally into a database named telegraf. Chronograf reads the stored data to provide dashboards and administration screens. Kapacitor consumes InfluxDB data when you need stream or batch processing and alert delivery.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →| Component | Primary job | Required for basic metrics? |
|---|---|---|
| Telegraf | Collects host and application measurements through input plugins. | Yes |
| InfluxDB | Stores the time-series points sent by Telegraf. | Yes |
| Chronograf | Displays dashboards, host views, and alert administration. | No |
| Kapacitor | Processes stored or incoming data and evaluates alert tasks. | No |
The basic path is Telegraf → InfluxDB. InfluxData’s Kapacitor guide describes the same starting point: collect local system metrics with Telegraf and store them in InfluxDB. Chronograf and Kapacitor sit alongside that path; neither is needed for Telegraf to write measurements.
Choose a topology before installing
All services on one VPS
A single-host installation is the simplest arrangement for a small environment or a lab. Telegraf sends to http://localhost:8086, and the dashboards and alert processor are on the same machine. You have fewer network rules and fewer service addresses to maintain, but monitoring competes for resources with the applications being monitored.
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Telegraf on the application VPS, storage elsewhere
Production layouts commonly install Telegraf on each application server and point its InfluxDB output at a separate host. This isolates storage and dashboard workloads and lets the database be managed independently. Replace localhost in the Telegraf output with the InfluxDB host address, then allow only the required monitoring traffic between those hosts.
The official setup material documents both local and separate-host patterns, but it does not establish a universal CPU, memory, disk, or retention requirement. Select a VPS size from your own measurement rate, retention policy, and workload rather than treating a published minimum as a guarantee.
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The archived setup pages use Ubuntu 16.04 examples. They remain useful for the component order and file locations, but they are not a current support promise for a particular Ubuntu release or package version. Before installing, confirm that the Telegraf, InfluxDB, Chronograf, and Kapacitor packages you intend to use support your Ubuntu version and that the package repositories provide compatible releases.
- Decide whether InfluxDB will listen only on the monitoring host or accept connections from Telegraf agents on other servers.
- Choose an administration network for Chronograf rather than exposing its web interface to the whole internet.
- Decide whether alert processing is needed now. You can add Kapacitor after collection and dashboards are working.
- Record the hostnames or IP addresses that each service will use; configuration errors often come from pointing a component at a loopback address that is local to a different machine.
Install and start InfluxDB first
Install InfluxDB using the package method supported by your Ubuntu release. Start the service with your system service manager and verify that it is listening on the expected local endpoint before configuring Telegraf. In the standard TICK arrangement, that endpoint is port 8086.
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Do not proceed to dashboard configuration until InfluxDB is reachable from the machine where Telegraf will run. If InfluxDB is on another host, test the network path from the Telegraf host and apply firewall rules that permit only the required source addresses.
Configure Telegraf to collect VPS metrics
Telegraf’s Linux configuration is stored at /etc/telegraf/telegraf.conf in the archived official setup guide. The important output block points to InfluxDB and names the destination database:
[[outputs.influxdb]]
urls = ["http://localhost:8086"]
database = "telegraf"Use the InfluxDB server address instead of localhost when storage is on another machine. The database name shown above is the default used in the official walkthrough. Once Telegraf is installed and started, it sends system metrics to InfluxDB and InfluxDB automatically creates the telegraf database.
Telegraf’s system inputs provide the starting host measurements: CPU, memory, disk, and network statistics. Keep the initial configuration small enough to validate the path, then add application-specific input plugins for the services that matter to your VPS.
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Start Telegraf after the output is configured
- Open
/etc/telegraf/telegraf.confwith administrative privileges. - Set the
[[outputs.influxdb]]URL anddatabasevalues. - Save the file and start the agent with
sudo systemctl start telegraf. - Use the package’s service-status command to confirm that the process remains running and inspect its logs if it exits.
Start InfluxDB before Telegraf. If Telegraf starts first, it cannot write points until the output endpoint becomes available; restarting or allowing the agent to retry after InfluxDB is online resolves that ordering problem.
Verify that points are arriving before building dashboards
Verification should happen at the database, not only at the Telegraf process. Query the InfluxDB API on port 8086 and inspect the telegraf database. A CPU measurement containing a field such as usage_idle is a practical first check.
curl -G 'http://localhost:8086/query'
--data-urlencode 'q=SHOW MEASUREMENTS'
--data-urlencode 'db=telegraf'After confirming that measurements exist, query the CPU measurement and look for recent timestamps and values for usage_idle. Adapt the query syntax to the InfluxDB major version installed on your Ubuntu release and use the remote hostname in place of localhost when the database is separate.
- No database appears: check the Telegraf output URL, database name, and InfluxDB service status.
- The database exists but has no recent points: inspect Telegraf logs, confirm that the system input plugins are enabled, and test connectivity from the Telegraf host to port 8086.
- Points have unexpected tags or fields: review the enabled input and processor plugins before designing dashboard queries.
Add Chronograf for dashboards and exploration
Chronograf is InfluxData’s user interface for the TICK stack. Install it after Telegraf is successfully writing data; otherwise its host list and dashboards will have nothing useful to display.
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- Install the Chronograf package compatible with your Ubuntu and InfluxDB versions.
- Start the Chronograf service using the service manager supplied by that package.
- Open the web interface at
http://localhost:8888from the VPS itself, or use an administration tunnel or restricted network path for remote access. - Add an InfluxDB source using the InfluxDB hostname or IP and port
8086. - Confirm that the
telegrafdatabase and its measurements are visible, then open the host list or a pre-created dashboard.
Chronograf can display and explore InfluxDB data without Kapacitor. InfluxData explicitly describes Kapacitor as optional and not required for Chronograf. If you do install Kapacitor, add it to Chronograf with its URL and port 9092.
What to look at first
- CPU: inspect utilization and the proportion of idle time rather than reacting to a single short spike.
- Memory: watch sustained pressure and the relationship between used, free, and available memory fields exposed by your Telegraf system input.
- Disk: monitor capacity and I/O measurements separately; a disk can have free space while still experiencing saturated I/O.
- Network: compare received and transmitted traffic with the VPS workload and its provider limits.
Use application-specific Telegraf inputs when host measurements cannot explain a symptom. For example, an HTTP, database, or queue input can show whether the application is slow while CPU remains mostly idle. The exact plugin and fields depend on the service you run.
Decide whether Kapacitor is necessary
Kapacitor adds a processing and alerting layer; it is not a prerequisite for collection or dashboards. Its official guide describes two useful task styles:
- Stream tasks process data as it is written to InfluxDB.
- Batch tasks query and process data for a defined interval.
Use Kapacitor when an operator must be notified without continuously watching Chronograf, when you need deadman checks, or when alert logic requires processing beyond a dashboard query. If you only need historical graphs and occasional investigation, Telegraf, InfluxDB, and Chronograf are sufficient.
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Connect Kapacitor to Chronograf
- Install and start Kapacitor on the selected host.
- Ensure that its service is reachable from the Chronograf host on port
9092. - In Chronograf’s connection settings, add the Kapacitor URL and port.
- Create and test alert tasks only after confirming that the underlying measurements are arriving at the expected cadence.
Chronograf documents threshold, relative, and deadman alert types. Event handlers can deliver notifications through integrations such as Slack and PagerDuty. A deadman check is especially useful for detecting a silent agent or unreachable host, while a threshold alert evaluates a measurement against a limit. Choose limits from your workload and service objectives; the published TICK documentation does not provide a universal VPS threshold.
Ports and security controls
| Port | Service and use | Recommended exposure |
|---|---|---|
| 8888 | Chronograf web interface. | Allow only administration networks or an authenticated tunnel. |
| 8086 | InfluxDB connection endpoint used by Chronograf and Telegraf output. | Keep private; allow only approved Telegraf and administration sources. |
| 9092 | Kapacitor endpoint configured in Chronograf. | Keep private; allow only Chronograf and required administration sources. |
The setup pages document these service ports but do not prescribe one universal firewall policy. On a public VPS, enforce the narrowest workable rules in both the hosting provider’s firewall and the Linux host firewall. In particular, do not publish InfluxDB or Kapacitor directly to the internet unless remote access is genuinely required. Enable authentication where supported, and use separate Chronograf and InfluxDB credentials when distinct permissions are needed.
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| Approach | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu packages and systemd | Host-level configuration files, familiar service status and startup behavior, and direct integration with the VPS operating system. | Package versions and repository support must be checked for the Ubuntu release; upgrades affect host services. |
| Docker Compose | Container lifecycle and networking are declared together, making it convenient to reproduce a multi-service test deployment. | Persistent storage, container networking, credentials, and restart behavior require explicit management. |
The official Docker tutorial covers InfluxDB, Telegraf, and Kapacitor but does not include Chronograf. If you choose Compose and want all four TICK components, add Chronograf as a separate service and configure its connections to the InfluxDB and Kapacitor service names and ports. Do not assume that a three-container example is a complete four-component deployment.
Single VPS or separated services?
| Layout | Best fit | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|
| All components on one VPS | Small installations, experiments, and environments where simplicity matters most. | Monitoring consumes resources on the same machine it observes, and a host failure can remove both workload and monitoring. |
| Telegraf agents with separate InfluxDB, Chronograf, and Kapacitor hosts | Multiple application servers or environments that need isolation. | Requires network controls, service addressing, and independent maintenance for each host. |
The documentation establishes both patterns but does not publish sizing thresholds at which one becomes mandatory. Base the choice on the number of agents, point volume, retention requirements, and the operational impact of losing a monitoring host.
Troubleshoot the common failure points
Telegraf is running but no data appears
- Confirm that InfluxDB is started and reachable at the URL in
[[outputs.influxdb]]. - Check that the destination database is exactly
telegrafif you are following the default walkthrough. - Inspect Telegraf logs for authentication, DNS, connection-refused, or write errors.
- Verify that the system input plugins are enabled and that the agent is collecting on the intended host.
Chronograf opens but shows no hosts
- Test the InfluxDB source in Chronograf and verify port
8086. - Check that the source contains the database receiving Telegraf points.
- Query the database directly before changing dashboard settings; an empty dashboard usually reflects missing or misdirected data rather than a display problem.
Kapacitor alerts never fire
- Confirm that Kapacitor is reachable on port
9092from Chronograf. - Verify that the task reads the same measurement and tags that Telegraf is writing.
- Check whether the task is a stream or batch task and whether its evaluation interval matches the arrival rate of points.
- Test the event handler separately; a correctly evaluated alert can still fail during notification delivery.
Remote connections fail while local tests work
- Replace loopback addresses with the actual private or public address appropriate to the topology.
- Review both provider and host firewall rules for ports 8086, 8888, and 9092.
- Restrict access to known administration or agent networks instead of opening the service to all sources.
A practical rollout order
- Confirm Ubuntu and package compatibility, then choose local or separated service placement.
- Install and start InfluxDB.
- Install Telegraf, set its InfluxDB output in
/etc/telegraf/telegraf.conf, and start it withsudo systemctl start telegraf. - Query the
telegrafdatabase and inspect a CPU measurement such asusage_idle. - Install Chronograf, open port
8888only to administrators, and add the InfluxDB source on port8086. - Review host dashboards and add application-specific inputs.
- Install Kapacitor only when processing or notifications are required; connect it to Chronograf on port
9092. - Create threshold, relative, or deadman tasks and test their notification handlers before relying on them operationally.
This order isolates failures: collection and storage are proven before a dashboard is introduced, and alerting is added only after the measurements and network paths it depends on are known to work.
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