Helm installation

Positioned for production / Enterprise

Kubernetes deployment with Helm is the recommended path for production and Enterprise use. The chart is self-service and the full procedure is below; for dedicated support, SLAs, and managed rollout, contact us.

Deploy PostgresAI monitoring on Kubernetes using Helm.

0.15 chart defaults

The Helm chart defaults have been prepared for PostgresAI 0.15 — review updated chart values before upgrading. Two things to note when moving to 0.15:

• VictoriaMetrics basic auth is available but off by default (victoriaMetrics.auth.enabled: false). To protect the VictoriaMetrics endpoint, set victoriaMetrics.auth.enabled: true and supply the password — see VictoriaMetrics authentication below.
• Metrics retention is set with victoriaMetrics.retentionPeriod, which defaults to 336h (14 days) — the same default as the Docker Compose stack. Set it explicitly to match your plan.

Prerequisites

• Kubernetes 1.19+
• Helm 3.0+
• kubectl configured for your cluster
• PostgreSQL 13+ (14+ recommended) target database (accessible from cluster)

Quick start

Monitored databases are configured as a list under monitoredDatabases, and their passwords come from a Kubernetes secret (never inline). The minimal flow is:

# 1. Create the namespace
kubectl create namespace postgres-ai-mon

# 2. Create the secret holding the sink, Grafana, and per-database passwords
kubectl create secret generic postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon \
  --from-literal=postgres-password='SINK_POSTGRES_PASSWORD' \
  --from-literal=grafana-admin-user='monitor' \
  --from-literal=grafana-admin-password='GRAFANA_PASSWORD' \
  --from-literal=pgai-api-key='POSTGRES_AI_API_KEY' \
  --from-literal=db-password-my-db-password='DB_PASSWORD'

# 3. Install the chart from a repository checkout
git clone https://gitlab.com/postgres-ai/postgresai.git && cd postgresai
helm install postgres-ai-monitoring ./postgres_ai_helm \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon \
  --values custom-values.yaml

Installing from the chart directory in a repository checkout (the command above) works against any tag or branch and is the most reliable option.

If you prefer a packaged .tgz, the chart is published as a release asset under a helm-v<version> tag. Once the matching release exists (for example helm-v0.15.0), open its Releases page and download the postgres-ai-monitoring-chart.tgz asset from that release, then install it:

helm install postgres-ai-monitoring postgres-ai-monitoring-chart.tgz \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon \
  --values custom-values.yaml

note

The packaged chart is registered as a generic release-asset link, so use the Releases page asset for the tag to obtain its download URL. There is no stable /-/releases/<tag>/downloads/<file> permalink for it. The helm-v0.15.0 release may not be cut yet at the time of reading — in that case use the repository-checkout install above.

The secret key for each monitored database must be named db-password-<passwordSecretKey>, where <passwordSecretKey> matches the passwordSecretKey set on that database in monitoredDatabases (see below).

Configuration

values.yaml overview

The chart configures monitored databases as a list (monitoredDatabases), not a single target. Cluster/node identity comes from global.clusterName / global.nodeName (with optional per-database overrides), and all credentials live in a Kubernetes secret. The keys below match the chart's values.yaml exactly:

# Top-level secret reference (recommended). When set, the chart reads all
# credentials (postgres, grafana, vm-auth, per-database passwords) from this secret.
existingSecret:
  name: postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets

# Cluster/node identity applied to all monitored databases by default
global:
  clusterName: my-cluster
  nodeName: my-node
  customTags: {}

# Databases to monitor (a list). Passwords are referenced by secret key, never inline.
monitoredDatabases:
  - name: my-db
    host: db-host.example.com
    port: 5432
    database: postgres
    user: postgres_ai_mon
    passwordSecretKey: my-db-password   # secret key: db-password-my-db-password
    presetMetrics: full
    customMetrics: {}
    isEnabled: true
    group: production
    # Optional per-database overrides:
    # clusterName: prod-us-east
    # nodeName: node-02
    customTags:
      env: production

# VictoriaMetrics configuration
victoriaMetrics:
  image: victoriametrics/victoria-metrics:v1.140.0
  retentionPeriod: 336h  # default 336h (14 days); same as the Docker stack — set to match your plan
  scrapeInterval: 15s
  # VictoriaMetrics basic auth (optional in 0.15; off by default). The VictoriaMetrics
  # StatefulSet, Flask, and the reporter read the password from the chart secret key
  # `vm-auth-password`; the Grafana datasource instead reads the inline value
  # `secrets.vmAuth.password`, so enabling auth requires supplying both (see below).
  auth:
    enabled: false
    username: "vmauth"
  service:
    type: ClusterIP
    port: 8428
  resources: {}

# pgwatch collectors. Two deployments are shipped: one writing to the Postgres
# sink and one writing to the Prometheus (VictoriaMetrics) sink. Each runs a
# single replica.
pgwatchPostgres:
  enabled: true
  image: postgresai/pgwatch:0.15.0
  logLevel: error
  resources: {}

pgwatchPrometheus:
  enabled: true
  image: postgresai/pgwatch:0.15.0
  logLevel: error
  resources: {}

# Grafana is the upstream grafana/grafana subchart. Admin credentials come from
# the secret via grafana.admin; persistence/service/ingress are subchart values.
grafana:
  enabled: true
  image:
    repository: grafana/grafana
    tag: "12.3.2"
  admin:
    existingSecret: postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets
    userKey: grafana-admin-user
    passwordKey: grafana-admin-password
  persistence:
    enabled: true
    size: 5Gi
  service:
    type: ClusterIP
    port: 80

# Persistent volume sizing
storage:
  postgresSize: 50Gi
  victoriaMetricsSize: 150Gi
  grafanaSize: 5Gi
  storageClassName: ""   # empty = cluster default

Subchart-managed Grafana

grafana is the upstream grafana/grafana subchart, so its resource requests/limits, ingress, and replica count are configured with that subchart's own values (for example grafana.resources). The PostgresAI chart only pins grafana.image, grafana.admin, grafana.persistence, grafana.service, and the dashboard/datasource sidecars. There is no top-level grafana.adminPassword value — set the admin password in the secret (grafana-admin-password).

Using Kubernetes secrets

For production, store all credentials in a single Kubernetes secret and reference it with the top-level existingSecret. The chart reads these keys:

Secret key	Used for
postgres-password	Internal Postgres metrics sink
grafana-admin-user	Grafana admin username
grafana-admin-password	Grafana admin password
pgai-api-key	PostgresAI platform API key (reporter)
vm-auth-password	VictoriaMetrics basic auth (when victoriaMetrics.auth.enabled: true)
db-password-<passwordSecretKey>	Password for each monitored database

kubectl create secret generic postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon \
  --from-literal=postgres-password='...' \
  --from-literal=grafana-admin-user='monitor' \
  --from-literal=grafana-admin-password='...' \
  --from-literal=pgai-api-key='...' \
  --from-literal=db-password-my-db-password='...'

Reference it in values:

existingSecret:
  name: postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets

Development only

For development/testing, the chart can render the secret from values by setting secrets.createFromValues: true and supplying secrets.postgres.password, secrets.grafana.adminPassword, etc. Never commit real secrets to version control.

VictoriaMetrics authentication

New in 0.15, VictoriaMetrics can be protected with HTTP basic auth. It is off by default (victoriaMetrics.auth.enabled: false); enable it to secure the metrics endpoint. When enabled, the VictoriaMetrics StatefulSet, the Flask backend, and the reporter read the password from the chart secret key vm-auth-password (via secretKeyRef).

The Grafana datasource reads the password from an inline value, not the secret

The Grafana datasource ConfigMap is the exception: it renders basicAuthPassword from the inline chart value secrets.vmAuth.password, not from the vm-auth-password secret key. So when victoriaMetrics.auth.enabled: true, you must also supply secrets.vmAuth.password (for example via secrets.createFromValues: true, or by setting it directly) — otherwise the datasource is rendered with the unset placeholder default (CHANGE_ME_vm_auth_password), Grafana cannot authenticate to VictoriaMetrics, and all dashboards show no data. Putting the password only in the pre-created existingSecret is enough for VictoriaMetrics, Flask, and the reporter, but not for the Grafana datasource.

Turn it on in values:

victoriaMetrics:
  auth:
    enabled: true
    username: "vmauth"   # default

Provide the vm-auth-password value through the chart's secret. For production, store it in a pre-created Kubernetes secret and reference it via the top-level existingSecret (the same secret also holds the Postgres and Grafana credentials):

kubectl create secret generic postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon \
  --from-literal=postgres-password='...' \
  --from-literal=grafana-admin-user='monitor' \
  --from-literal=grafana-admin-password='...' \
  --from-literal=vm-auth-password='your-vm-auth-secret'

existingSecret:
  name: postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets

For development/testing only, the chart can render the secret from values (secrets.createFromValues: true):

secrets:
  createFromValues: true   # never commit real secrets to version control
  vmAuth:
    password: "your-vm-auth-secret"

This mirrors the VM_AUTH_USERNAME / VM_AUTH_PASSWORD keys used by the Docker Compose stack — see Authentication and security.

Ingress configuration

External access to Grafana is configured with the chart's top-level ingress block (enabled by default). The host is set under ingress.hosts.grafana:

ingress:
  enabled: true
  className: nginx
  annotations:
    cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: letsencrypt
  hosts:
    grafana: grafana.example.com
  tls:
    - secretName: grafana-tls
      hosts:
        - grafana.example.com

note

This is the chart's own ingress value, not the Grafana subchart's. The subchart's grafana.ingress is disabled by default and is not used by this stack.

Installation commands

Install with custom values

# postgres-ai-monitoring-chart.tgz is the release artifact from GitLab Releases (see Quick start),
# or use ./postgres_ai_helm from a repository checkout
helm install postgres-ai-monitoring postgres-ai-monitoring-chart.tgz \
  -f custom-values.yaml \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon \
  --create-namespace

Upgrade existing installation

helm upgrade postgres-ai-monitoring postgres-ai-monitoring-chart.tgz \
  -f custom-values.yaml \
  --namespace postgres-ai-mon

Uninstall

helm uninstall postgres-ai-monitoring --namespace postgres-ai-mon

warning

Uninstalling removes all components including data. Back up VictoriaMetrics PVC if needed.

Accessing Grafana

Port forward (development)

The Grafana subchart's service listens on port 80:

kubectl port-forward svc/postgres-ai-monitoring-grafana 3000:80 -n postgres-ai-mon

Then open http://localhost:3000.

Get admin credentials

The admin username and password come from the chart secret (keys grafana-admin-user / grafana-admin-password):

kubectl get secret postgres-ai-monitoring-secrets -n postgres-ai-mon \
  -o jsonpath="{.data.grafana-admin-password}" | base64 --decode

Multi-cluster monitoring

Monitor multiple PostgreSQL clusters from a single installation by adding entries to monitoredDatabases. Set clusterName / nodeName per database to tag each one; if omitted, they inherit global.clusterName / global.nodeName. The reporter creates a separate cronjob for each unique cluster/node combination.

global:
  clusterName: default
  nodeName: default

monitoredDatabases:
  - name: prod-us-east
    host: db-east.example.com
    port: 5432
    database: postgres
    user: postgres_ai_mon
    passwordSecretKey: prod-us-east-password
    presetMetrics: full
    isEnabled: true
    group: production
    clusterName: prod-us-east
    nodeName: node-01

  - name: prod-us-west
    host: db-west.example.com
    port: 5432
    database: postgres
    user: postgres_ai_mon
    passwordSecretKey: prod-us-west-password
    presetMetrics: full
    isEnabled: true
    group: production
    clusterName: prod-us-west
    nodeName: node-01

Add a matching db-password-<passwordSecretKey> key to the secret for each database.

Resource sizing

Small (< 5 databases)

grafana:
  resources:
    requests: { cpu: 100m, memory: 256Mi }
victoriaMetrics:
  resources:
    requests: { cpu: 100m, memory: 256Mi }
storage:
  victoriaMetricsSize: 10Gi

Medium (5-20 databases)

grafana:
  resources:
    requests: { cpu: 200m, memory: 512Mi }
victoriaMetrics:
  resources:
    requests: { cpu: 500m, memory: 1Gi }
storage:
  victoriaMetricsSize: 50Gi

Large (20+ databases)

grafana:
  resources:
    requests: { cpu: 500m, memory: 1Gi }
victoriaMetrics:
  resources:
    requests: { cpu: 1000m, memory: 4Gi }
storage:
  victoriaMetricsSize: 200Gi

Troubleshooting

Pods not starting

Check events:

kubectl describe pod -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=postgres-ai-monitoring -n postgres-ai-mon

Common issues:

• PVC not provisioned (check storage class)
• Secret not found (check existingSecret.name and the db-password-* keys)
• Resource limits too low

No data in Grafana

1. Check the pgwatch collector logs (two deployments: -pgwatch-postgres and -pgwatch-prometheus):

   kubectl logs -l app.kubernetes.io/component=pgwatch-prometheus -n postgres-ai-mon

2. Verify target connectivity. The pgwatch image is a minimal Alpine build with only the collector binary (no psql), so run the check from a throwaway postgres:17 pod instead of kubectl exec into the pgwatch pod:

   kubectl run pg-check --rm -it --image=postgres:17 --restart=Never -n postgres-ai-mon -- \
     psql "postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db" -c "SELECT 1"

   (If you prefer not to spin up a pod, the collector logs from step 1 already surface connection errors.)

3. Check VictoriaMetrics has data:

   kubectl port-forward svc/postgres-ai-monitoring-victoriametrics 8428:8428 -n postgres-ai-mon
   curl 'http://localhost:8428/api/v1/query?query=up'

Next steps

• Cloud Installation - RDS, CloudSQL specifics
• Alerting - Set up alerts
• Multi-cluster - Advanced multi-cluster setup