Lab
Cloud

Advanced Configuration for Prometheus Alerts

Prometheus Alertmanager provides some additional useful features around the management of alerts. These features allow you to customize and tweak your alerts so they are more useful in real-world situations. In this lab, you will have the opportunity to practice using some of these Alertmanager features, including alert grouping, inhibitions, and silences.

Get started Contact sales

Path Info

Level

Intermediate

Duration

45m

Last updated

Sep 03, 2025

Challenge

Combine the Web Server Down Alerts into a Single Group
1. Log in to the Prometheus server.
2. Edit the Alertmanager configuration file:
```
sudo vi /etc/alertmanager/alertmanager.yml
```
3. Add a new node to routing tree to combine the WebServer.*Down alerts:
```
route:

  ...

  routes:
  - receiver: 'web.hook'
    group_by: ['service']
    match_re:
      alertname: 'WebServer.*Down'
```
4. Load the new configuration:
```
sudo killall -HUP alertmanager
```
5. Check Alertmanager in a web browser at http://<PROMETHEUS_SERVER_PUBLIC_IP>:9093. You should see the Web Server alerts grouped together under the group service="webserver".
Challenge

Create an Inhibition to Stop the `WebBadGateway` Alert When a `WebServerDown` Alert Is Already Firing
1. Edit the Alertmanager configuration file:
```
sudo vi /etc/alertmanager/alertmanager.yml
```
2. Add a new inhibit rule:
```
inhibit_rules:

  ...

  - source_match_re:
      alertname: 'WebServer.*Down'
    target_match:
      alertname: 'WebBadGateway'
```
3. Load the new configuration:
```
sudo killall -HUP alertmanager
```
4. Check Alertmanager in a web browser at http://<PROMETHEUS_SERVER_PUBLIC_IP>:9093. The WebBadGateway should no longer appear. You can click the Inhibited box to make it appear again.
Challenge

Silence the `WebServer1Down` Alert
1. Access Alertmanager in a web browser at http://<PROMETHEUS_SERVER_PUBLIC_IP>:9093.
2. Expand the service="webserver" group.
3. Locate the alert with alertname="WebServer1Down", and click the Silence button for that alert.
4. Fill out the Creator and Comment fields, and then click Create.
5. If you return to the main Alertmanager page, the WebServer1Down should no longer appear.

Author

Pluralsight Skills

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

What's a lab?

Hands-on Labs are real environments created by industry experts to help you learn. These environments help you gain knowledge and experience, practice without compromising your system, test without risk, destroy without fear, and let you learn from your mistakes. Hands-on Labs: practice your skills before delivering in the real world.

Provided environment for hands-on practice

We will provide the credentials and environment necessary for you to practice right within your browser.

Guided walkthrough

Follow along with the author’s guided walkthrough and build something new in your provided environment!

Did you know?

On average, you retain 75% more of your learning if you get time for practice.

Ready to get started?

View individual plans View team plans

Advanced Configuration for Prometheus Alerts

Path Info

Table of Contents

Combine the Web Server Down Alerts into a Single Group

Create an Inhibition to Stop the `WebBadGateway` Alert When a `WebServerDown` Alert Is Already Firing

Silence the `WebServer1Down` Alert

What's a lab?

Provided environment for hands-on practice

Guided walkthrough

Did you know?