TLDR

Graphite is deprecated. Existing metrics are being actively migrated to Prometheus.

The SRE Observability team asks that no new metrics be deployed to Graphite, as the service will be transitioned to a read-only state by EoQ3 FY2024/25 (~Spring 2025).

For additional details, please see the tracking task https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T228380 or the roadmap here: https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Graphite/Deprecation_Roadmap.

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Context

The SRE Observability team has been operating Prometheus in production for several years, offering several operational benefits over Graphite. After a long period of observation and usage, the team has determined that migrating MW off Graphite ensures we stay ahead with a supported, scalable metrics platform for more effective, multidimensional metrics analysis and storage.

Prometheus also provides more robust data labeling, storage, and querying capabilities. This initiative is fundamental to unifying our metrics, enhancing monitoring, improving MW observability, and reducing tool fragmentation. Background

Last (fiscal) year, the SRE Observability team set out to test whether a new metrics interface was viable https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T240685 [1] and determined that long-term platform sustainability demanded migrating MediaWiki metrics to Prometheus https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Prometheus [2]. To this end, the team decided to utilize StatsLib, a new, internally developed, Prometheus-capable metrics interface https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T350592 [3].

By the end of FY23/24 Q2, the team had successfully tested the component in production, and by the end of FY23/24 Q4, it had advanced the migration by about 42% in total metrics volume; we are set on reaching ~60% migration by the end of Q1 FY 2024/2025. See Graphite metrics volume migration dashboard https://grafana.wikimedia.org/d/nCxX65cSk/mediawiki-statslib-migration?orgId=1. [4]

Working to improve MW ecosystem sustainability, we are setting goals to complete the migration of active, production, and in-use (by dashboards/alerts) metrics to Prometheus this fiscal year.

For scoping purposes, we define as “in-use” any metric emitted to graphite mapped to a dashboard panel or alert active in Grafana. See Graphite Utilization Dashboard https://grafana.wikimedia.org/d/K6DEOo5Ik/grafana-graphite-datasource-utilization?orgId=1 [5] for details.

RFC on Prometheus as a better interface for MW metrics: T249164 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T249164 [6]. Notice and Action Required

The team plans to enable read-only mode on the Graphite cluster by the end of Q3 FY 2024/2025 and begin the formal deprecation of Graphite in production https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T228380 [7].

We are asking all teams and maintainers to review https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T350592 [3] and related subtasks, claim metrics, and components under their care, disable/remove any unused metrics and dashboards first, then follow the migration process outlined in the task for any in-use relevant metrics before the end of Q3 FY 2024/2025 (March 2025). After this date, Graphite will be read-only, and no new data will be ingested.

Graphite will continue to be available for another year to provide historical data in read-only “mode” while new history is recorded in Prometheus. For additional details, please see the tracking task T228380 https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T228380 [7] or roadmap here: https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Graphite/Deprecation_Roadmap [8].

Related Links:

[1] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T240685

[2] https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Prometheus

[3] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T350592

[4] https://grafana.wikimedia.org/d/nCxX65cSk/mediawiki-statslib-migration?orgId...

[5] https://grafana.wikimedia.org/d/K6DEOo5Ik/grafana-graphite-datasource-utiliz...

[6] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T249164

[7] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T228380

[8] https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Graphite/Deprecation_Roadmap

thank you, Leo Mata.

*Leo Mata* (he/him) Engineering Manager - Observability Wikimedia Foundation https://wikimediafoundation.org/