CPU load when Prometheus is scraping metrics from F5 BIG-IP LTM

Yeah, just increasing the scrape interval usually isn’t enough if each scrape itself is heavy. On BIG-IP, the main load often comes from how many endpoints and stats are being queried per request. A good next step is to reduce the scope; only collect the metrics you actually need instead of the full set. If you’re using an exporter or iControl REST, try limiting objects (like specific pools/virtual servers) rather than pulling everything.

Also check if multiple Prometheus jobs are hitting the device at the same time; staggering them can smooth out CPU spikes. Another practical trick is enabling some form of caching on the exporter side (if supported), so BIG-IP isn’t recalculating stats every single scrape. In short, focus on making each scrape lighter, not just less frequent; that’s usually where the real improvement comes from.