MySQL Database Monitoring - Performance & Query Optimization

Monitor MySQL databases with comprehensive MySQL database monitoring for collecting MySQL performance metrics, query performance data, and database health metrics. This guide shows you how to set up MySQL monitoring using OpenTelemetry Collector for MySQL database performance monitoring, query optimization, and database observability.

Overview

MySQL is one of the most widely used open-source relational databases, powering applications from startups to large-scale enterprises. MySQL database monitoring is critical for ensuring database availability, MySQL performance optimization, and query efficiency.

With the OpenTelemetry Collector and OpenObserve, you can collect MySQL metrics, monitor database health, visualize MySQL performance, and set up proactive database alerts for comprehensive MySQL monitoring.

Steps to Integrate

Prerequisites

• Running MySQL instance(s)
• OpenObserve account (Cloud or Self-Hosted)

Step 1: Install OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib

Download and install the latest release of otelcol-contrib:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fOL https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.115.1/otelcol-contrib_0.115.1_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
tar -xvf otelcol-contrib_0.115.1_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
sudo mv otelcol-contrib /usr/local/bin/
otelcol-contrib --version

Replace v0.115.1 with the latest version for your OS/architecture.

Step 2: Configure the Collector

Create a file named config.yaml with the following configuration:

receivers:
  mysql:
    endpoint: "localhost:3306"
    username: otel
    password: ${env:MYSQL_PASSWORD}

processors:
  batch:
    send_batch_size: 10000
    send_batch_max_size: 11000
    timeout: 10s

exporters:
  otlphttp/openobserve:
    endpoint: https://<your-openobserve-endpoint>/api/default
    headers:
      Authorization: Basic <your_auth_token>
      stream-name: default

service:
  pipelines:
    metrics:
      receivers: [mysql]
      processors: [batch]
      exporters: [otlphttp/openobserve]

Replace <your-openobserve-endpoint> and <your_auth_token> with your OpenObserve details.

Step 3: Run the Collector

Start the Collector with your configuration:

otelcol-contrib --config /path/to/config.yaml

Step 4: Visualize in OpenObserve

1. Open OpenObserve → Streams and select your metrics stream.
   

Troubleshooting

If you encounter connection issues during setup, consider the following:

• Check MySQL Configuration: Ensure that the MySQL instance is running and the configured user has the necessary privileges to read metrics.
• Firewall and Network Settings: Verify that your network allows traffic on the MySQL port (default: 3306).
• Authentication Issues: Confirm that the username and password configured in the OpenTelemetry Collector match your MySQL credentials.
• Endpoint Validation: If running MySQL on a remote server, make sure you are using the correct hostname/IP in the endpoint field of your collector configuration.
• Collector Logs: Inspect the OpenTelemetry Collector logs for detailed error messages (journalctl -u otel-collector -f on Linux). These logs often indicate whether the issue is authentication, connectivity, or configuration related.