---
title: "Monitor a cluster"
description: "Watch an E2E Kubernetes cluster's nodes on the Monitoring tab, set alerts on them, and review the actions taken on the cluster each month."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "kubernetes"
platform: "MyAccount"
url: "/myaccount/kubernetes/how-to/monitor-a-cluster/"
topic: ["operate"]
relationships: {"requires":["/myaccount/kubernetes/how-to/create-a-cluster/"]}
---

# Monitor a cluster

A cluster's page has three tabs for keeping an eye on it: **Monitoring** shows graphs for each
master and worker node, **Alerts** tells you when a node crosses a threshold, and
**Activity Timeline** lists what was done on the cluster and whether it worked.

## Before you begin

This needs a cluster that reads **Running**. While it reads **Creating** or **Upgrading Master**,
only its **Cluster Details** tab works.

## Watch a node's graphs

1. In MyAccount, under **Compute**, click **Kubernetes**, click your cluster's name, and open the
   **Monitoring** tab.
2. Pick a node from the list.
3. Choose the period in **Showing data:**.

The tab shows the node's graphs of **RAM**, **Storage**, **CPU Load**, **CPU Utilization**,
**Disk Read Operation**, **Disk Write Operation**, and **Network Traffic** over that period.
Monitoring and alerts carry no charge of their own.

## Set an alert on a node

A new cluster's nodes come with alerts already set: **Trigger : load** for average load and
**Trigger : memory** for consumed memory, each above 85%. To see a node's alerts, open the
**Alerts** tab and pick the node. Each alert is listed with its **Alert Type** and
**Alert Condition**. To turn one off, pause or delete it there.

To add another alert:

1. On the **Alerts** tab, pick a node, and click **Create Alert**. The monitoring alert form opens.
2. Choose a trigger: **Processor Load**, **Consumed Memory**, or **Free Disk Space**.
3. Choose an operator: **Greater than**, **Less than**, **Equal to**, or **Not equal to**. For load
   and memory, **Greater than** alerts you as use climbs; for free disk space, **Less than** alerts
   you as the disk fills.
4. Enter the threshold, choose a severity, and choose the alert group to notify. To make an alert
   group, see
   [Set up alerts on a node](/myaccount/node/how-to/set-up-alerts-on-a-node/#create-the-alert).
5. Create the alert.

To view and edit your alerts afterwards, open the **Monitoring Dashboard**.

## Review the activity timeline

Open the **Activity Timeline** tab, and choose a month in **Select Month:**. The tab lists the
actions taken on the cluster that month, with the time, who did it, and whether it worked. Use it to
find out what changed on the cluster, and who changed it.

## (Optional) Monitor inside the cluster

The tabs above watch the nodes. To watch pods, containers, and your applications' own metrics, run a
monitoring stack in the cluster. The quickest way is the **Monitoring Stack** on the cluster's
**Marketplace** tab. It installs Prometheus, Grafana, and Alertmanager in the namespace
`kube-prometheus-stack`, and you open Grafana through `kubectl port-forward`; see
[Use the Monitoring Stack](/myaccount/kubernetes/how-to/install-marketplace-apps/#use-the-monitoring-stack).
To install one yourself, the
[kube-prometheus-stack](https://github.com/prometheus-community/helm-charts/tree/main/charts/kube-prometheus-stack)
Helm chart installs Prometheus and Grafana.

Your cluster's nodes now have graphs, alerts, and a record of every action. If a node reads
NotReady, see
[Troubleshooting Kubernetes](/myaccount/kubernetes/troubleshooting/kubernetes/#a-node-reads-notready).