How can I tell if Grafana Agent is running in Static or Flow mode?

Dylan123 · April 11, 2024, 5:27pm

I set up Grafana Agent v0.36.1 months ago and am not sure which mode it is running in, Flow or Static.

I asked Grot “How can I tell if I am using Grafana Agent in Flow mode or Static mode?” and it replied with:

Configuration file: Open your Grafana Agent configuration file and look for the mode parameter. If the value is set to flow, then you are using Flow mode. If the value is set to static, then you are using Static mode.

But our configuration file doesn’t specify a mode parameter.

Command line flags: If you started the Grafana Agent using command line flags, check if you specified the --config.format=static flag. If this flag is present, it means you are running the agent in Flow mode using a Static mode configuration.

The command used to start the Grafana Agent doesn’t have the --config.format argument.

Additionally, you can also check the logs produced by the Grafana Agent. The logs in Flow mode will differ from those in Static mode. If you have access to the logs, you can look for any indications or messages that mention the mode in which the agent is running.

When I go to Grafana Cloud and the provided Grafana Agent Logs dashboard it’s empty.

Please note that the Grafana Agent Flow UI is only available in Flow mode, so if you have access to the UI, it is a clear indication that you are using Flow mode.

I’m not sure where to go to check if I have access to this.

Dylan123 · April 11, 2024, 5:32pm

I did just ask Grot “What mode is Grafana Agent v0.36.1 in by default?” and it replied:

Starting from Grafana Agent v0.36.1, the default mode is Static mode. Therefore, if you are using Grafana Agent v0.36.1 or later versions, it will be in Static mode by default.

Is that correct? I’m trying to confirm it by reading through the v0.36.1 docs but haven’t found it yet.

Dylan123 · April 11, 2024, 5:35pm

I just found it under the v0.36.1 docs Introduction to Grafana Agent

Grafana Agent is available in three different variants:

Static mode: The default, original variant of Grafana Agent.

Static mode Kubernetes operator: Variant which manages agents running in Static mode.

Flow mode: The newer, more flexible re-imagining variant of Grafana Agent.

jangaraj · April 11, 2024, 5:50pm

BTW Grafana Agent is deprecated, so you will be better with Grafana Alloy if you are doing a new installation.