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The PostgreSQL Server Exporter can be configured through multiple methods to suit different deployment scenarios.

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Configuration Methods

The exporter supports three primary configuration approaches:

Environment Variables

Configure using environment variables for containerized deployments

Command-Line Flags

Use flags for traditional server deployments

Configuration File

Define auth modules and multi-target support via YAML

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Configuration File Location

The exporter loads its configuration from a YAML file specified by the --config.file flag. The default location is postgres_exporter.yml in the current working directory. 
postgres_exporter --config.file=/etc/postgres_exporter/config.yml

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Precedence Order

When the same setting is configured in multiple places, the following precedence applies (highest to lowest):
1

Command-line flags

Flags passed directly to the exporter have the highest priority
2

Environment variables

Environment variables prefixed with PG_EXPORTER_ override defaults
3

Configuration file

Settings in the YAML configuration file
4

Default values

Built-in defaults when no configuration is provided
Environment variables starting with PG_EXPORTER_ will be overwritten by the corresponding CLI flag if given.

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Basic Configuration Example

Here’s a minimal configuration to get started: 
export DATA_SOURCE_URI="localhost:5432/postgres?sslmode=disable"
export DATA_SOURCE_USER="postgres"
export DATA_SOURCE_PASS="password"
export PG_EXPORTER_WEB_TELEMETRY_PATH="/metrics"

./postgres_exporter

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Configuration File Structure

The YAML configuration file supports the following top-level sections:

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auth_modules

Defines authentication modules for multi-target monitoring. See Authentication Modules for details. 
auth_modules:
  prod_db:
    type: userpass
    userpass:
      username: monitoring_user
      password: secure_password
    options:
      sslmode: require
      connect_timeout: "10"

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Quick Start Guides

Data Source Configuration

Configure database connection strings and DSN formats

Environment Variables

Complete reference of all environment variables

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Security Considerations

Never commit configuration files containing passwords to version control. Use file-based secrets or environment variables from a secure store.

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Using File-Based Secrets

For enhanced security, store sensitive values in files: 
echo "my_secure_password" > /run/secrets/db_password
chmod 600 /run/secrets/db_password

export DATA_SOURCE_PASS_FILE="/run/secrets/db_password"
./postgres_exporter
The exporter supports _FILE variants for:
  • DATA_SOURCE_USER_FILE
  • DATA_SOURCE_PASS_FILE
  • DATA_SOURCE_URI_FILE
When running in a container, the process runs with uid/gid 65534. Ensure file permissions allow this user to read secret files.

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Next Steps

Configure Data Source

Set up your PostgreSQL connection

Explore Flags

Browse all available command-line options

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