promtool:tldr:b3194

The command promtool test rules ${test_file-yml} is used to validate Prometheus rule files using the promtool tool.

Here's a breakdown of the command:

• promtool: Refers to the executable name of the promtool binary.
• test rules: Specifies the specific promtool command to test Prometheus rule files.
• ${test_file-yml}: This is a parameter enclosed within ${}. The value of test_file will be substituted in place of ${test_file-yml}. If test_file is not defined, the default value yml will be used.

The purpose of this command is to execute the test rules command of promtool on the specified rule file (test_file) to validate its correctness and adherence to the Prometheus rule syntax. This helps to identify any potential issues or errors in the rule file before deploying it in a Prometheus monitoring environment.