Install the InfluxDB Time-Series Database on Ubuntu Server 22.04

If you need a powerful, open-source time-series database, InfluxDB should be at the top of your list. Whether you’re tracking IoT data, application metrics, or system stats, InfluxDB is designed for high performance at scale. In this guide, I’ll walk you through installing InfluxDB on Ubuntu Server 22.04.

Why InfluxDB?

InfluxDB is built for time-series data—records that are timestamped and ordered. It’s perfect for monitoring systems, storing sensor data, logging events, and powering analytics dashboards.

Prerequisites

• A server running Ubuntu 22.04
• Root or sudo access

Tip: Prefer working with a graphical interface? Check out this guide on how to install a desktop environment/GUI in Ubuntu Server.

Step 1: Update Your System

First, update your package lists and existing packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Add the InfluxDB Repository

InfluxDB isn’t included in the default Ubuntu repositories, so you need to add their official source.

wget -qO- https://repos.influxdata.com/influxdb.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/influxdb-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/influxdb-archive-keyring.gpg] https://repos.influxdata.com/ubuntu jammy stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/influxdb.list

Update your package lists again to recognize the new repository:

sudo apt update

Step 3: Install InfluxDB

Now install InfluxDB:

sudo apt install influxdb -y

Step 4: Start and Enable the InfluxDB Service

To make sure InfluxDB runs after every reboot, enable it:

sudo systemctl enable influxdb
sudo systemctl start influxdb

Check the status to make sure it’s running:

sudo systemctl status influxdb

If it says “active (running)”, you’re good.

Step 5: Configure (Optional)

InfluxDB’s default config works for most setups, but you can tweak /etc/influxdb/influxdb.conf if you need to adjust ports, authentication, or storage options.

Step 6: Access InfluxDB

By default, InfluxDB listens on port 8086. You can connect to it from your local machine or remotely (open the port in your firewall if needed):

influx

This opens the InfluxDB shell where you can start creating databases, users, and writing data.

Final Thoughts

That’s it. You now have InfluxDB running on Ubuntu Server 22.04, ready to store and query time-series data. In future posts, I’ll cover how to secure your InfluxDB setup, write your first queries, and connect it to visualization tools like Grafana.

Have questions or need help troubleshooting? Drop a comment below!

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!