Configure Azure Monitor alerts for Azure Cosmos DB

Azure Monitor alerts provide a powerful way to proactively monitor and respond to issues in your Azure Cosmos DB deployments. By configuring alerts, you can receive timely notifications about performance metrics, availability, and other important events. In this article, we will explore how to configure Azure Monitor alerts for Azure Cosmos DB.

Getting Started

To get started, you’ll need an Azure subscription and an Azure Cosmos DB account. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one using the Azure portal or Azure CLI. Once you have your Cosmos DB account ready, follow the steps below to configure Azure Monitor alerts.

1. Navigate to your Azure Cosmos DB account in the Azure portal.
2. In the left-hand menu, click on “Alerts” under the “Monitoring” section.
3. Click on the “New alert rule” button to create a new alert.
4. In the “Basics” tab, provide a meaningful name and description for the alert rule.
5. In the “Condition” tab, set the conditions that will trigger the alert. You can choose from various metrics such as throughput, response time, request rate, and more. For example, you can set a condition to trigger an alert if the throughput exceeds a certain threshold.
6. Specify the threshold value and duration for the condition. You can also configure the sensitivity of the condition, which determines the percentage change required to trigger the alert. This helps to avoid unnecessary alerts due to small fluctuations in metrics.
7. In the “Actions” tab, configure the actions that should be taken when the alert is triggered. You can choose to send an email, SMS, or push notification, or even execute a custom webhook. You can also integrate with Azure Logic Apps or Azure Functions to perform automated actions based on the alert.
8. Review the alert rule settings in the “Review + create” tab and click on “Create” to create the alert.

Once the alert rule is created, Azure Monitor will start monitoring the specified metrics for your Azure Cosmos DB account. When the conditions specified in the alert rule are met, you will receive notifications based on the configured actions.

Log-Based Alerts

In addition to configuring alerts for individual metrics, you can also configure alert rules based on logs. Azure Cosmos DB emits diagnostic logs which can be used to trigger alerts based on specific log entries. This can be useful for monitoring specific events or error conditions in your Cosmos DB account.

To configure log-based alerts, follow these steps:

1. In the “Alerts” section of your Cosmos DB account, click on the “New alert rule” button.
2. In the “Condition” tab, choose the “Log Search” option.
3. Specify the log query that should be used to trigger the alert. You can use Azure Monitor log query syntax to filter and search for specific log entries.
4. Configure the required threshold, duration, and sensitivity for the log-based condition.
5. Configure the actions that should be taken when the log condition is met.
6. Review and create the alert rule.

With log-based alerts, you can monitor specific events in your Cosmos DB account and take appropriate actions when those events occur.

Conclusion

Azure Monitor alerts provide a flexible and customizable way to monitor Azure Cosmos DB deployments. By configuring alerts based on performance metrics or log entries, you can proactively respond to issues and ensure the smooth operation of your Cosmos DB applications.