What port does Prometheus use?
Prometheus uses port 9090 over TCP.
| Port | Protocol | Name | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9090 | TCP | Prometheus | The Prometheus metrics server and web UI. |
What catches people out
Prometheus has no authentication of its own. Put it behind a reverse proxy that does.
Checking it is listening
sudo lsof -i :9090 # macOS, Linux
netstat -ano | findstr :9090 # Windows
nc -zv host 9090 # from elsewhere
An "address already in use" error on a port nothing appears to be holding usually means the socket is in TIME_WAIT rather than that a process has it — the ports reference covers that and the ephemeral range.
Frequently asked questions
What port does Prometheus use?
Prometheus uses port 9090 over TCP. The Prometheus metrics server and web UI.
What should I watch out for with port 9090?
Prometheus has no authentication of its own. Put it behind a reverse proxy that does.
How do I check whether Prometheus is listening?
sudo lsof -i :9090 on macOS or Linux, netstat -ano | findstr :9090 on Windows. From another machine, nc -zv host 9090 says whether anything answers.