How to create Grafana dashboards?

· Category: DevOps & CI/CD

Short answer

Create Grafana dashboards by adding panels that query data sources. Use variables for interactivity and organize panels into rows.

Steps

  1. Create a new dashboard.
  2. Add a panel and select a data source.
  3. Write a query.
  4. Choose a visualization type.
  5. Add variables for dynamic filtering.

Example

rate(http_requests_total[5m])

Tips

  • Use consistent colors and units.
  • Add annotations for deployments.
  • Share dashboards via links or snapshots.

Common issues

  • Complex queries slow down loading.
  • Missing data sources break panels.
  • Dashboard sprawl makes discovery hard.