Complete MySQL Monitoring with Zabbix (100% Practical Guide)

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Related Posts :

An Examination of Monitoring Metrics: Part 1 MySQL

(Bare-metal / Kubernetes Pod environments fully supported, Agent2 plugin based)

MySQL monitoring in Zabbix no longer relies on old-style UserParameter scripts.
With Zabbix Agent2 + the MySQL plugin, you can collect all related metrics (InnoDB, Slow Query, Replication, Buffers, etc.).

However, real production environments fall into two completely different types:

1. MySQL running on bare-metal (physical/VM) servers
2. MySQL running inside a Kubernetes Pod and exposed through a Service External IP

Since the networking models differ completely, the Agent2 configuration also differs.
This guide covers all differences and provides a fully operational configuration method based on Zabbix 7.4.

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1. Supported Versions

Zabbix

• Zabbix Server/Proxy 7.4 or later
  (The official documentation states that 5.0 or later is also supported.)

MySQL Engines

• MySQL 5.7 / 8.0 / 9.4
• Percona 8.4
• MariaDB 10.6 / 11.8

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2. Create the MySQL Monitoring Account (Common for All Environments)

Regardless of the environment, prepare the following privileges:

CREATE USER 'zbx_monitor'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY '<password>';

GRANT REPLICATION CLIENT, PROCESS, SHOW DATABASES, SHOW VIEW
ON *.* TO 'zbx_monitor'@'%';

Additional privilege required for MariaDB 10.5.9+:

GRANT SLAVE MONITOR ON *.* TO 'zbx_monitor'@'%';

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3. Exact Path of the Agent2 Plugin Configuration File

The MySQL plugin must already be installed and enabled in Agent2.
If installed correctly, its configuration file will appear under:

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4. Template Macro Method vs Agent2 Session Method

Both methods work, but they behave differently.

✔ Template Macro Method

{$MYSQL.DSN}       = tcp://192.168.117.5:3306
{$MYSQL.USER}      = zbx_monitor
{$MYSQL.PASSWORD}  = <password>

Pros: No need to modify the plugin config file; can configure everything from the UI.
Cons: Password becomes visible in the Zabbix UI.

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✔ Agent2 Session Method (Recommended)

After installing Zabbix Agent2 on the target host, modify:

/etc/zabbix/zabbix_agent2.d/plugins.d/mysql.conf

Default:

Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.*.Uri=
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.*.User=
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.*.Password=

Modified:

Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.example_mysql.Uri=tcp://192.168.117.5:3306
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.example_mysql.User=zbx_monitor
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.example_mysql.Password=<password>

Template macro (in Zabbix Web UI):

{$MYSQL.DSN} = example_mysql

Advantages:

• Password exists only on the Agent2 host
• Supports any number of MySQL instances
• Best security & scalability
• Officially recommended by Zabbix

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Tip: Plugin configuration styles

✔ (A) Default-based monitoring for a single MySQL instance

Use when only one MySQL instance exists.

Plugins.Mysql.Default.Uri=tcp://192.168.117.5:3306
Plugins.Mysql.Default.User=zbx_monitor
Plugins.Mysql.Default.Password=<password>

Zabbix template macros can remain empty.

Pros:

• Very simple configuration
• No need for session names
• Ideal for single-instance setups

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✔ (B) Session-based structure for multi-instance monitoring

Use when multiple MySQL instances must be monitored.

Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.example_mysql.Uri=tcp://192.168.117.5:3306
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.example_mysql.User=zbx_monitor
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.example_mysql.Password=<password>

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5. Monitoring MySQL Inside Kubernetes Pods

Agent2 runs on the host,
while MySQL runs inside a Pod.

Because a Pod’s ClusterIP is not accessible from outside, you must expose MySQL through a Service (NodePort or LoadBalancer).

The most practical method is:

Monitoring via LoadBalancer External IP

Flow:

Agent2 (Host) → Service External IP → MySQL Pod

Example External IP:

192.168.117.90:3306

mysql.conf:

Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.K8s.Uri=tcp://192.168.117.90:3306
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.K8s.User=zbx_monitor
Plugins.Mysql.Sessions.K8s.Password=<password>

Zabbix macro:

{$MYSQL.DSN} = K8s

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6. Metrics: Main Collected Items

• InnoDB buffer/engine statistics
• Threads / Connections
• Slow Queries
• Temp Table creation ratio
• Buffer Pool Hit Ratio
• Query throughput

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7. Troubleshooting Checklist

1) Bare-metal environments

• MySQL config (my.cnf):
  If bind-address = 127.0.0.1, external access fails → change to 0.0.0.0.
• Unix socket permissions:
  Ensure the zabbix user can read/write /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock.
• Firewall:
  Make sure OS firewalls or cloud security groups allow port 3306.
• SELinux:
  If SELinux is in Enforcing mode, Zabbix Agent may be blocked from accessing sockets/ports.
  → Disabling SELinux is recommended.

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2) Kubernetes environments

• Kube-proxy mode:
  Rarely, IPVS mode may cause intermittent session timeout issues.
• NetworkPolicy restrictions:
  Ensure the namespace’s NetworkPolicy allows ingress from the Zabbix server to the Service External IP.
• Service External IP changes:
  When recreating the LoadBalancer or restarting nodes, External IP may change.
  Zabbix host settings must match the updated IP.
• Pod readiness:
  Even when a MySQL Pod is Running, if the readiness probe fails, the Pod disappears from the Service Endpoints, causing connection failure.

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8. Conclusion

MySQL monitoring in Zabbix 7.4 can be summarized in one sentence:

As long as Agent2 has a correct DSN for MySQL, everything else works automatically.

• Plugin path: /etc/zabbix/zabbix_agent2.d/plugins.d/
• UserParameter is no longer needed (from Zabbix 6.0+)
• For Kubernetes: use External IP or NodePort
• Session-based config provides the best security and scalability
• Only one template is needed: “MySQL by Zabbix agent 2”

Whether MySQL runs on bare-metal or inside Pods does not matter.
When the DSN is correctly configured, Zabbix becomes a powerful, environment-agnostic MySQL monitoring platform.

🛠 마지막 수정일: 2025.12.12