What are the main components of the Observability Stack?

The Observability Stack mainly consists of three components: metrics, logs, and traces. These data sources enable not only the identification of issues but also the analysis of their root causes.

How does Prometheus work in Kubernetes?

Prometheus acts as a monitoring tool that collects metrics from applications and infrastructure at regular intervals. It uses declarative configurations through ServiceMonitors to automatically monitor services and manage alerts via the AlertManager.

What role does Grafana play in the Observability Stack?

Grafana serves as a visual platform that allows the integration of metrics, logs, and other data sources into a single dashboard. This facilitates monitoring the health of the Kubernetes cluster as well as analyzing application metrics and business objectives.

What is the difference between Loki and ELK for log management?

Loki differs from ELK by not indexing the entire log content, but rather just labels, which results in faster and more cost-effective log aggregation. This allows for effective log management in Kubernetes environments.

Why should I choose the PLG stack for my Kubernetes project?

The PLG stack (Prometheus, Loki, Grafana) is recommended by devRocks as the standard because it is open-source, proven, and scalable. It easily adapts to the requirements of both small clusters and large enterprise environments.

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Observability Stack: Prometheus, Grafana, and Loki in Kubernetes

Metrics, logs, and traces — the three pillars of observability. We present our proven stack for Kubernetes environments.

devRocks Engineering · 16. March 2026 · Aktualisiert: 31. March 2026 ·

Observability Prometheus Grafana Loki

Observability Stack: Prometheus, Grafana, and Loki in Kubernetes

The Three Pillars of Observability

Monitoring tells you that something is broken. Observability tells you why. For that, you need three data sources: metrics, logs, and traces.

Prometheus: Metrics

Prometheus is the de facto standard for Kubernetes metrics. It scrapes metrics from your applications and infrastructure at regular intervals.

ServiceMonitor: Declarative configuration of which services are monitored — no manual scrape configs.
AlertManager: Routing of alerts to Slack, PagerDuty, or email based on severity and team.
PromQL: Powerful query language for metrics — from simple gauges to complex rate calculations.

Grafana: Visualization

Grafana unifies all data sources in a single dashboard. From Kubernetes cluster health and application metrics to business KPIs — everything in one place.

Loki: Logs

Loki is log aggregation for Kubernetes. Unlike ELK, Loki does not index log content, only labels — making it faster and more cost-effective.

Promtail: An agent on every node that automatically sends container logs to Loki.
LogQL: A query language modeled after PromQL — a consistent experience for teams familiar with Prometheus.
Grafana Integration: View logs alongside metrics in the same dashboard — correlate spikes with log entries.

Our Recommendation

The PLG stack (Prometheus, Loki, Grafana) is the standard for every Kubernetes project at devRocks. It is open source, battle-tested, and scales from small clusters to enterprise environments.