# Monitor docker application

**URL:** <https://forums.percona.com/t/monitor-docker-application/22468>\
**Category:** PMM 2.x\
**Created:** [June 1, 2023, 8:39am UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/monitor-docker-application/22468 "2023-06-01T08:39:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cihan\_Tunali](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/cihan_tunali/32/4574_2.png) [@Cihan\_Tunali](https://forums.percona.com/u/Cihan_Tunali)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 8:39am UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/monitor-docker-application/22468/1 "2023-06-01T08:39:58Z")

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Hello,  
I have a nginx application which runs on a docker. I need to monitor its ulimit usage and nginx metrics. But I am not so sure, how am i going to monitor inside docker with pmm-agent. Do you have any guidance for that? Do i need to use docker-compose and add both images to make them run? If yes, will pmm-agent monitor ulimits and nginx process as well?

Any help will be appreciated

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**Author:** ![Roma\_Novikov](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/roma_novikov/32/1161_2.png) [@Roma\_Novikov](https://forums.percona.com/u/Roma_Novikov)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/monitor-docker-application/22468/2 "2023-06-01T14:14:38Z")

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Hello @Cihan_Tunali!

It’s best not to install anything inside a docker container. Fortunately, there’s a solution that won’t require touching the Nginx docker.  
If you’re interested in Nginx-specific metrics, you can start [GitHub - nginxinc/nginx-prometheus-exporter: NGINX Prometheus Exporter for NGINX and NGINX Plus](https://github.com/nginxinc/nginx-prometheus-exporter) to expose the metrics (optional).

You can expose docker metrics and limits by downloading and starting [GitHub - google/cadvisor: Analyzes resource usage and performance characteristics of running containers.](https://github.com/google/cadvisor), or you can add it to your docker-compose.

Afterward, you’ll have one or two ports (if you started nginx-exporter too) that expose Prometheus metrics, which you’ll need to add to PMM as External Services. For more information, please refer to our documentation at [External Services - Percona Monitoring and Management](https://docs.percona.com/percona-monitoring-and-management/setting-up/client/external.html).

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll have metrics from cadvisor and nginx (if added) in your PMM. You can create your own dashboard or upload a community one, such as [Cadvisor exporter | Grafana Labs](https://grafana.com/grafana/dashboards/14282-cadvisor-exporter/).

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes.