> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ilert.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ilert.com/incidents-and-status-pages/metrics/import-metrics-from-prometheus.md).
# Import metrics from Prometheus
Point a metric at a PromQL query and ilert fetches the data, so a number you already watch internally can appear on your status page.
ilert queries your Prometheus directly, so the instance has to be reachable from the internet. A **metric data source** holds its URL and credentials once; each [metric](/incidents-and-status-pages/metrics.md) built on it carries a PromQL query that ilert runs for you.
Two steps: create the data source, then create the metric.
## Create a Prometheus metric data source
1. Go to **Status pages** in the sidebar, open the **Metric data sources** tab, and click **Create metric data source**.
2. Name it — `Prometheus` is fine unless you have several.
3. Set **Type** to **Prometheus**.
4. Enter the **URL** of your Prometheus, for example `https://prometheus.example.org`.
5. Choose an authentication method and click **Create metric data source**.
The authentication method defaults to None, and the form says what it thinks of that.
| Method | What to enter |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **None** | Nothing. The default, and the warning below is there for a reason |
| **Basic auth** | The username and password Prometheus expects |
| **Custom header** | A header name and value — `Cookie` and its value, say, or `Authorization` and a bearer token |
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Put something in front of Prometheus.** It has no authentication of its own, so an instance reachable from ilert is reachable by everyone else too. Terminate TLS and require credentials at a reverse proxy, and give ilert those credentials here.
{% endhint %}
## Create a metric
### In Prometheus
Open **Graph**, type your query, and run it with **Execute** until it returns what you want. Copy the query.
{% hint style="info" %}
A query returning several series has nothing to plot as one line. Narrow it with labels, or reduce it with an aggregation operator, until **Execute** returns a single series.
{% endhint %}
### In ilert
1. Go to **Status pages** → **Metrics** and click **Create metric**.
2. Choose the Prometheus data source you created, and continue.
3. Give the metric a **display name** and a **display unit**, and paste the query.
4. Save to load a preview, and adjust the query until the graph looks right.
{% hint style="info" %}
**The query is fixed once the metric exists.** Get it right in the preview — afterwards, changing it means creating a new metric.
{% endhint %}
The metric now behaves like any other: [add it to a status page](/incidents-and-status-pages/metrics.md#add-a-metric-to-a-status-page), pick an [aggregation](/incidents-and-status-pages/metrics.md#aggregations), and set its [display options](/incidents-and-status-pages/metrics.md#create-a-metric).
## See also
* [Prometheus inbound integration](/integrations/inbound-integrations/prometheus.md) — sending Prometheus alerts to ilert, which is a separate thing from importing its metrics.
---
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