Kube-state-metrics

Kube-state-metrics (KSM) is a service that listens to the Kubernetes API server and generates metrics about the state of Kubernetes objects. Unlike `cAdvisor` which focuses on resource usage, KSM exposes a variety of metrics such as the number of running pods, the status of deployments, desired…

Key facts

First appeared
2016
Category
devops_tool
Problem solved
Kube-state-metrics was created to solve the challenge of gaining comprehensive, standardized, and easily consumable operational insights into the *state* of Kubernetes API objects. Before KSM, operators struggled to monitor the health and desired configurations of Kubernetes primitives like Deployments, Pods, DaemonSets, and Services in a programmatic way compatible with modern monitoring systems, often relying on manual `kubectl` queries or bespoke scripts.
Platforms
Linux (containerized), Kubernetes (as a deployment)

Related technologies

Notable users

  • Google (via GKE)
  • Virtually any enterprise or organization operating Kubernetes clusters
  • Microsoft (via AKS)
  • Amazon (via EKS)
  • Red Hat (via OpenShift)