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Creating Your First Dashboard

Dashboards are the heart of Grafana. They allow you to visualize your data through customizable panels that display metrics, logs, and traces from your data sources. This guide walks you through creating your first dashboard from scratch.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin:
  • Grafana is installed and running
  • You have at least one data source configured (we’ll use TestData for this guide)
  • You understand the query language of your data source
  • You have the appropriate permissions (Editor or Admin role)

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Understanding Dashboards

A dashboard is a collection of panels arranged in a grid layout. Each panel:
  • Queries data from one or more data sources
  • Displays data using visualizations (graphs, tables, gauges, etc.)
  • Can be resized, moved, and customized
  • Updates automatically based on time ranges and refresh intervals

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Creating a New Dashboard

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Step 1: Open the Dashboard Creation Interface

  1. Click Dashboards in the left sidebar
  2. Click New → New Dashboard
  3. You’ll see an empty dashboard canvas with an Add panel option
Empty dashboard canvas

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Step 2: Add Your First Panel

Panels are the building blocks of dashboards.
  1. Click + Add in the edit pane or drag a panel onto the dashboard
  2. Click Configure on the new panel to open the panel editor
The panel editor has three main sections:
  • Query tab: Define what data to fetch
  • Visualization selector: Choose how to display the data
  • Panel options: Customize titles, descriptions, and settings

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Step 3: Configure Your Data Query

Let’s create a simple time series query using the TestData data source.

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Select Data Source

  1. In the Queries tab, click the Data source dropdown
  2. Select TestData DB (built-in test data source)

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Build the Query

  1. In the Scenario field, select Random Walk
  2. Click Refresh to preview the data
You should see a line graph with random walk data. 
Data source: TestData DB
Scenario: Random Walk
Alias: Temperature

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Step 4: Choose a Visualization

Grafana suggests visualizations based on your data, but you can choose any type.

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Available Visualizations

Time Series

Line, bar, and point graphs for time-based data

Stat

Display single values with optional sparklines

Gauge

Show values on circular or linear gauges

Bar Chart

Compare values across categories

Table

Display data in rows and columns

Pie Chart

Show proportional data
For this example:
  1. Grafana automatically suggests Time series
  2. Leave it as the default, or click All visualizations to explore other options
  3. The visualization preview updates automatically

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Step 5: Customize Panel Options

Make your panel more informative by adding titles and descriptions.
  1. Scroll down to Panel options section
  2. Set Title: Server Temperature
  3. Set Description: Random walk simulation of server temperature over time
  4. The title appears at the top of your panel
Use descriptive titles that clearly explain what the panel shows. This helps other users understand your dashboard.

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Step 6: Configure Visualization Settings

Customize how your data is displayed.

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Graph Styles

  1. In the Graph styles section:
    • Style: Lines
    • Line width: 2
    • Fill opacity: 10
    • Point size: 5

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Axis Configuration

  1. Scroll to Axis section:
    • Label: Temperature (°C)
    • Unit: celsius (°C)
    • Min: 0
    • Max: Auto

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Standard Options

  1. In Standard options:
    • Unit: Temperature → Celsius (°C)
    • Decimals: 1
    • Display name: $

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Step 7: Set Up Thresholds

Thresholds add visual indicators when values cross certain boundaries.
  1. Scroll to Thresholds section
  2. Click + Add threshold
  3. Configure thresholds:
    • Base: Green (0)
    • Warning: Orange (70)
    • Critical: Red (90)
The visualization will color the line based on these thresholds.
Thresholds are especially useful for gauges, stats, and tables where you want immediate visual feedback.

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Step 8: Save Your Panel

  1. Click Save in the top-right corner
  2. Enter dashboard details:
    • Title: My First Dashboard
    • Folder: Select or create a folder
  3. Click Save

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Adding More Panels

Let’s add additional panels to make a complete dashboard.

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Add a Stat Panel

  1. Click + Add panel in the dashboard
  2. Click Configure
  3. Configure the query:
    • Data source: TestData DB
    • Scenario: Random Walk
    • Alias: Current Value
  4. Select Stat visualization
  5. In Panel options:
    • Title: Current Temperature
  6. In Stat styles:
    • Graph mode: None
    • Color mode: Value
    • Text size: Auto
  7. Click Apply

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Add a Gauge Panel

  1. Click + Add panel
  2. Click Configure
  3. Configure query same as above
  4. Select Gauge visualization
  5. In Panel options:
    • Title: Temperature Gauge
  6. In Gauge:
    • Show threshold labels: Yes
    • Show threshold markers: Yes
  7. Set thresholds (Base: 0, Warning: 70, Critical: 90)
  8. Click Apply

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Add a Table Panel

  1. Click + Add panel
  2. Click Configure
  3. Configure query:
    • Data source: TestData DB
    • Scenario: CSV Metric Values
  4. Select Table visualization
  5. In Panel options:
    • Title: Metrics Table
  6. Click Apply

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Organizing Your Dashboard

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Panel Layouts

Grafana supports two panel layout types:

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Custom Layout

  • Drag and drop panels to reposition
  • Resize panels by dragging the lower-right corner
  • Provides complete control over panel placement
Layout Tips
- Full-width panels for headlines (24 grid units)
- Half-width panels for comparisons (12 grid units each)
- Quarter-width for key metrics (6 grid units each)

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Auto Grid Layout

  1. Click Dashboard options icon (gear) in the sidebar
  2. Under Layout, select Auto grid
  3. Configure:
    • Min column width: Standard, Narrow, Wide, or Custom
    • Max columns: 1-10
    • Row height: Standard, Short, Tall, or Custom
Panels automatically resize to fill the grid.

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Organizing with Rows

Group related panels into collapsible rows.
  1. Select multiple panels by clicking and dragging
  2. Click Group panels → Group into row
  3. In the edit pane:
    • Title: Temperature Metrics
    • Hide row header: Toggle on/off
  4. Click Save
Rows can be collapsed to save space and improve navigation.

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Organizing with Tabs

Create tabbed sections for different views.
  1. Select panels
  2. Click Group panels → Group into tab
  3. Configure tab title and options
  4. Add more tabs using + New tab
Use Rows when:
  • You want to see multiple sections at once
  • Users need to scroll through related content
  • You have hierarchical data groupings
Use Tabs when:
  • Different user roles need different views
  • You have distinct categories of information
  • Screen space is limited

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Dashboard Settings

Configure dashboard-wide settings.

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Time Range

  1. In the dashboard toolbar, click the time picker
  2. Select a time range:
    • Relative: Last 5m, Last 1h, Last 24h, Last 7d, etc.
    • Absolute: Specific start and end dates
  3. Set Refresh interval: 5s, 10s, 30s, 1m, 5m, etc.

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Dashboard Variables

Variables allow dynamic dashboards that adapt to user selection.
  1. Click Edit on the dashboard
  2. Click + Add variable
  3. Configure variable:
    • Name: server
    • Type: Query
    • Data source: Your data source
    • Query: Query to fetch variable values
  4. Click Save
Use variables in queries: ${server} 
rate(cpu_usage{instance="${server}"}[5m])

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Dashboard Tags

  1. Click the Dashboard settings icon (gear)
  2. Under General, add tags:
    • production
    • monitoring
    • infrastructure
  3. Tags help organize and search dashboards

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Advanced Panel Features

Add links to related dashboards or external resources.
  1. In panel editor, scroll to Panel links
  2. Click + Add link
  3. Configure:
    • Title: View Server Details
    • URL: /d/server-details?var-server=$
    • Open in new tab: Yes
  4. Link appears in panel menu (three dots)

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Value Mappings

Map numeric values to text labels.
  1. In panel editor, go to Value mappings
  2. Click + Add value mapping
  3. Configure:
    • Type: Range
    • From: 0, To: 50
    • Display text: Low
    • Color: Green
  4. Add more mappings for different ranges

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Field Overrides

Customize individual series or fields.
  1. Go to Overrides tab
  2. Click + Add field override
  3. Select field to override
  4. Add properties:
    • Color scheme
    • Unit
    • Display name
    • Thresholds

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Saving and Sharing

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Save Dashboard

  1. Click Save dashboard (disk icon)
  2. Enter a description of changes
  3. Click Save

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Save as Copy

  1. Click Save dashboard dropdown
  2. Select Save as copy
  3. Enter new name and folder
  4. Click Save

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Export Dashboard

  1. Click Dashboard settings (gear icon)
  2. Go to JSON Model
  3. Click Copy to clipboard or Save to file
Dashboard JSON can be:
  • Shared with other Grafana instances
  • Version controlled in Git
  • Imported via API

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Best Practices

Clear Titles

Use descriptive titles that explain what each panel shows

Appropriate Visualizations

Choose visualizations that best represent your data type

Consistent Colors

Use consistent color schemes across related panels

Logical Grouping

Organize panels into rows or tabs by function

Time Ranges

Set appropriate default time ranges for your use case

Annotations

Add annotations to mark important events

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Dashboard Design Tips

  • Place the most important metrics at the top
  • Use larger panels for primary visualizations
  • Group related metrics together
  • Maintain consistent panel sizes within rows
  • Leave whitespace for visual clarity
  • Limit the number of panels per dashboard (20-30 max)
  • Use appropriate time ranges to reduce query load
  • Leverage caching for frequently accessed data
  • Avoid very short refresh intervals unless necessary
  • Use query result transformations efficiently
  • Add panel descriptions to provide context
  • Use variables for flexible filtering
  • Set sensible default time ranges
  • Include links to related dashboards
  • Add dashboard-level documentation

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Next Steps

Add Data Sources

Connect your real data to Grafana

User Management

Set up teams and permissions

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Troubleshooting

  • Verify your data source is connected and working
  • Check your query syntax
  • Ensure the time range includes data
  • Review data source permissions
  • Check browser console for errors
  • Confirm you have Editor or Admin permissions
  • Check dashboard title is not empty
  • Verify folder permissions
  • Look for validation errors in the UI
  • Reduce the number of panels
  • Optimize data source queries
  • Increase refresh interval
  • Use shorter time ranges
  • Enable query caching if available

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