How to Install InfluxDB 2 on Ubuntu 24.04 with HTTPS

InfluxDB 2 on Ubuntu 24.04 with HTTPS – Secure Time Series Data Platform

InfluxDB 2.x is a unified time series database developed by InfluxData, featuring an integrated UI, a powerful query engine (Flux), task scheduling, alerting, and support for Telegraf, Prometheus remote write, and native dashboards. When deployed on Ubuntu 24.04, it benefits from the latest LTS kernel and long-term system security, while HTTPS support ensures encrypted communication for sensitive monitoring, financial, or telemetry data.

Overview of InfluxDB 2.x Architecture

InfluxDB 2.x introduced major changes from the 1.x series, including:

Component	Description
InfluxDB Engine	Time series database engine optimized for high ingest rates
Flux	Query and scripting language replacing InfluxQL
Bucket Storage	Multi-tenant-compatible time series storage model
Tasks	Scheduled background jobs for transformation and alerts
Token-based Auth	Fine-grained access control across organizations and users
Dashboards	Built-in UI for visualizing metrics without Grafana

All components are tightly integrated and accessible via a unified web UI, CLI, or RESTful API.

Why Ubuntu 24.04 Is a Strong Base for InfluxDB 2

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) offers a stable, long-supported platform with updated libraries and systemd features that benefit InfluxDB in performance and service control:

System Feature	Benefit for InfluxDB
Linux Kernel 6.8+	Improved I/O latency and memory efficiency
OpenSSL 3.x	Strong TLS support for secure endpoints
Systemd 255+	Reliable service restarts, hardening, and socket control
AppArmor	Optional additional security confinement
PostgreSQL-style journal	Log integration with `journald` for clean diagnostics
LTS Security Updates	Support through 2029 (ESM available beyond)

Ubuntu’s Snap and APT ecosystems also offer multiple ways to deploy InfluxDB (though for 2.x, official binaries or Docker images are typically preferred for compatibility).

Enabling HTTPS for InfluxDB 2 on Ubuntu 24.04

By default, InfluxDB 2 uses HTTP for local development. Enabling HTTPS (TLS) is essential for production, particularly when exposing the API or UI to external clients.

Key aspects of TLS configuration:

Parameter	Description
`tls-cert`	Path to your public certificate (PEM format)
`tls-key`	Path to your private key
`https-enabled = true`	Forces all REST and UI access over HTTPS
Optional: `tls-min-version`	Control minimum TLS version (e.g., 1.2 or 1.3)
Optional: `tls-ca`	Custom CA support for mutual TLS (mTLS) setups

TLS can be configured in either:

The influxdb.conf file (if using a config-based install)
Or via environment variables (e.g., INFLUXD_TLS_CERT, INFLUXD_TLS_KEY) when launching the binary or systemd unit

Let’s Encrypt or custom CA certificates can be used. In production, an NGINX reverse proxy is commonly used to handle HTTPS termination and enforce HSTS or rate limiting.

Example HTTPS Setup Architecture

[ Client (Browser / API) ]
            |
         HTTPS (TLS)
            |
        [ NGINX Proxy ]
            |
         HTTP (localhost)
            |
       [ InfluxDB 2 Server ]

This approach separates concerns—NGINX handles public traffic, HTTPS certificates, and WebSockets, while InfluxDB listens securely on the internal loopback interface.

Use Cases for InfluxDB 2 + HTTPS

IoT & Sensor Networks – Secure ingestion of time series data from distributed nodes
Application Metrics – Protect service monitoring data (Telegraf, Prometheus Remote Write)
DevOps Monitoring – Safeguard dashboards and system alerts from exposure
Financial Time Series Analysis – Ensure encrypted access to sensitive data
Edge & Hybrid Deployments – Use mutual TLS for data sync between sites and cloud

With HTTPS, InfluxDB becomes viable for GDPR-compliant setups, enterprise telemetry, and scenarios with strict data sovereignty requirements.

Security Features on Ubuntu 24.04 with InfluxDB 2

Feature	Implementation
HTTPS (TLS)	Full server-side encryption for REST API and Web UI
API Tokens	Scoped tokens for users, buckets, tasks
Role-based Access	Control write/read access by resource (via UI or CLI)
Audit Logging	Request logs can be captured via NGINX or journald
UFW & AppArmor	Lock down server ports and define strict syscall boundaries
Fail2Ban / DoS Tools	Optionally protect endpoints from brute force or abuse

Additionally, InfluxDB supports basic auth over HTTPS, but token-based headers are preferred for automation and API integrations.

Integration with Other Tools (All Over HTTPS)

Tool/Service	Integration Mode	Use Case
Grafana	Datasource via HTTPS + Token	Advanced dashboarding and alerting
Telegraf	Direct line protocol HTTPS POST	Secure metrics ingestion
Kapacitor (1.x only)	Alerting pipeline (deprecated)	Older alert rule support
Prometheus	Remote write to InfluxDB 2	Prometheus-to-Influx migration
Influx CLI / API	Fully HTTPS-compliant tools	Administrative scripting, backups, queries

Deploying InfluxDB 2 on Ubuntu 24.04 with HTTPS gives you:

A secure, LTS-backed platform for time series data
Encrypted endpoints for both UI and API usage
Compatibility with modern TLS certificates and reverse proxies
Protection against unauthorized data exposure in sensitive workloads
Integration with observability stacks like Grafana and Telegraf

This setup is ideal for production-grade observability, data collection, or scientific metrics analysis—especially in regulated or multi-tenant environments.

Step 1: Create and Connect to a VPS

First, create a VPS instance on Shape.Host:

Go to https://shape.host and log in.

Click “Create” → choose “Instance”.

Select the server location closest to your audience.

Select the Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) OS.

Choose a plan with at least 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, and 10 GB SSD.

Click “Create Instance”.

After a few moments, note the instance IP address from the “Resources” section.

Step 2: Connect to Your VPS

Linux/macOS:

Open a terminal and run:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Windows:

Download PuTTY, open it, enter your server’s IP in Host Name, and click Open to connect.

Step 3: Update Your System

Update package lists and upgrade packages:

apt update

apt upgrade -y

Step 4: Install Required Dependencies

Install tools needed to add repositories:

apt install curl gnupg2 ca-certificates lsb-release -y

Step 5: Add InfluxData GPG Key

Download and store the repository’s GPG key securely:

curl -fsSL https://repos.influxdata.com/influxdata-archive_compat.key | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/influxdata-archive-keyring.gpg

Step 6: Add InfluxDB Repository

Add the official InfluxDB repo:

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/influxdata-archive-keyring.gpg] https://repos.influxdata.com/ubuntu jammy stable" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/influxdb.list

Update your package list again:

apt update

Step 7: Install InfluxDB 2

Install InfluxDB and the CLI tools:

apt install influxdb2 influxdb2-cli -y

Step 8: Enable and Start InfluxDB

Enable and start the service:

systemctl enable influxdb

systemctl start influxdb

Check if it’s running:

systemctl status influxdb

Step 9: Run Initial InfluxDB Setup

Run the initial setup (follow the prompts):

influx setup

Step 10: Install Nginx and Certbot

Install Nginx and Certbot to enable HTTPS:

apt install nginx python3-certbot-nginx -y

Start and enable Nginx:

systemctl enable --now nginx

Step 11: Configure Nginx for InfluxDB

Create an Nginx configuration file for reverse proxy:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/influxdb

Paste the following content, replacing your-domain.com:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8086;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable the configuration:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/influxdb /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Test and reload Nginx:

nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

Step 12: Enable HTTPS with Certbot

Obtain and install an SSL certificate (replace with your actual domain):

certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com --redirect

Done!

You can now access your InfluxDB dashboard securely at:

https://your-domain.com

For a secure, high-performance VPS, use Shape.Host Linux SSD VPS. Their fast provisioning and Ubuntu 24.04 support make it perfect for InfluxDB, Docker, and other DevOps tools.

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