How to Build a Proxy Dashboard With Grafana

Choosing the Right Proxy Source: The Bedrock of Your Proxy Ocean

Just as a coral atoll thrives on the diversity of its marine life, the health of your proxy dashboard depends on the quality and variety of proxies you monitor. For those seeking a reliable stream of free proxies, ProxyRoller serves as the main “reef”—a living repository teeming with fresh proxy servers. You can fetch proxy lists in various formats (HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS4, SOCKS5) through their simple, well-documented API.

Source	Type Supported	API Access	Free/Paid	Update Frequency
ProxyRoller	HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS	Yes	Free	Every few minutes
FreeProxyList	HTTP, HTTPS	Yes	Free	Hourly
Spys.one	Multiple	No	Free	Manual

Recommended: ProxyRoller Free Proxy API

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Gathering Proxy Metrics: Casting the Net

To build a dashboard, you must first gather metrics—like a fisherman checking his nets for different species, sizes, and health. Essential metrics for proxies include:

• Availability (Up/Down)
• Response Time (Latency)
• Anonymity Level
• Country/Region
• Protocol Type

A simple proxy checker can be written in Python to periodically test proxies and expose metrics:

import requests
import time

def check_proxy(proxy, test_url="https://httpbin.org/ip"):
    try:
        resp = requests.get(
            test_url, 
            proxies={"http": proxy, "https": proxy}, 
            timeout=5
        )
        return resp.elapsed.total_seconds(), resp.status_code == 200
    except:
        return None, False

proxy_list = ["http://1.2.3.4:8080", "http://5.6.7.8:3128"]  # Replace with your fetched list

for proxy in proxy_list:
    latency, alive = check_proxy(proxy)
    print(f"{proxy} | Latency: {latency} | Alive: {alive}")

Automate this script to run at intervals, storing results in a time-series database (e.g., InfluxDB, Prometheus).

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Storing Proxy Data: Building a Currents Map

Using Prometheus

Prometheus is favored for its simplicity and Grafana compatibility. You can expose metrics via a simple HTTP endpoint using prometheus_client:

from prometheus_client import start_http_server, Gauge
import time

PROXY_STATUS = Gauge('proxy_status', 'Proxy availability', ['proxy'])
PROXY_LATENCY = Gauge('proxy_latency_seconds', 'Proxy latency in seconds', ['proxy'])

def update_metrics():
    for proxy in proxy_list:
        latency, alive = check_proxy(proxy)
        PROXY_STATUS.labels(proxy=proxy).set(1 if alive else 0)
        if latency:
            PROXY_LATENCY.labels(proxy=proxy).set(latency)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    start_http_server(8000)
    while True:
        update_metrics()
        time.sleep(60)

Prometheus scrapes this endpoint every minute, storing historical data for Grafana visualization.

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Setting Sail With Grafana: Dashboard Construction

1. Install Grafana

Refer to the official documentation for installation instructions tailored to your environment.

2. Add Your Data Source

• Navigate to Configuration > Data Sources > Add data source
• Select Prometheus
• Set the URL (e.g., http://localhost:9090)
• Click Save & Test

3. Create Proxy Panels

a. Proxy Availability Panel (Heatmap/Table)

• Query:
  promql
proxy_status
• Visualization: Table or Heatmap (to show up/down proxies over time)
• Table Columns: Proxy, Status (Up/Down), Timestamp

b. Proxy Latency Over Time

• Query:
  promql
proxy_latency_seconds
• Visualization: Time series graph
• Legend: By proxy

c. Anonymity & Geo-Location Breakdown

• Extend your checker to fetch and store country/anonymity metadata. Use ip-api.com for geo-IP lookups.

import requests

def get_country(ip):
    try:
        resp = requests.get(f"http://ip-api.com/json/{ip}")
        return resp.json().get("countryCode")
    except:
        return "Unknown"

Store this as a label in your Prometheus metrics, e.g., ['proxy', 'country'].

• Query:
  promql
sum by (country) (proxy_status)
• Visualization: Bar or Pie chart showing availability by country.

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Dashboard Example Layout

Row	Panel Type	Key Metric/Insight
1	Single Stat	Total Active Proxies
2	Table	Proxy List, Status, Latency, Country
3	Heatmap	Proxy Availability Over Time
4	Time Series	Latency Trend for Top 5 Proxies
5	Pie Chart	Proxies by Country/Region

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Maintaining Your Proxy Dashboard: Navigating the Tides

• Proxy List Refresh: Automate fetching new proxies from ProxyRoller via their API.
• Alerting: Use Grafana alerting to notify you when proxy availability falls below thresholds—a lighthouse warning of rough seas ahead.
• Data Retention: Adjust Prometheus retention as needed for historical analysis.

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Useful Resources

• ProxyRoller Free Proxy List & API
• Grafana Documentation
• Prometheus Documentation
• Prometheus Python Client
• ip-api.com for Geolocation
• InfluxDB as Alternative TSDB

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Even as the tides shift and proxies come and go—much like the migratory patterns of reef fish—your Grafana dashboard, built on the sturdy foundation of ProxyRoller, Prometheus, and Grafana, serves as your navigational chart through the ever-changing proxy seascape.