10 Grafana Dashboard Best Practices

Grafana is a powerful open source platform for creating and managing dashboards and visualizing data. It is used by many organizations to monitor their systems and applications. Grafana dashboards are highly customizable and can be used to display data from multiple sources.

In this article, we will discuss 10 best practices for creating and managing Grafana dashboards. We will cover topics such as data visualization, dashboard design, and data security. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your Grafana dashboards are effective and secure.

1. Use a consistent theme

When you use a consistent theme, it makes your dashboards easier to read and interpret. It also helps create a sense of familiarity for users who are viewing the dashboard multiple times. This is especially important if you have multiple people accessing the same dashboard.

Using a consistent theme also allows you to quickly identify any changes or anomalies in the data that may be occurring. By having a unified look and feel across all of your Grafana dashboards, it’s much easier to spot trends or outliers that could indicate an issue with your system.

2. Keep your dashboards simple

When you have too many elements on a dashboard, it can be overwhelming for users. It’s hard to focus on the important metrics and data points when there are too many distractions. Additionally, having too much information on a single page can slow down performance as Grafana has to render all of the elements.

To keep your dashboards simple, only include the most relevant metrics and data points that will help you make decisions quickly. If you need more detailed information, create separate dashboards or drill-down into specific metrics.

3. Organize panels into rows or columns

Organizing panels into rows or columns helps to create a visual hierarchy on the dashboard. This makes it easier for users to quickly scan and understand the data presented in each panel, as well as identify relationships between different metrics. Additionally, organizing panels into rows or columns can help reduce clutter and make the dashboard more aesthetically pleasing.

When creating a Grafana dashboard, consider how you want to organize your panels. Do you want them all in one row? Or do you want to separate them into multiple rows or columns? Think about what will be most helpful for viewers of the dashboard when making this decision.

4. Label everything

Labels help to make your dashboards more readable and understandable. They also provide context for the data being displayed, which can be especially helpful when you’re trying to quickly identify trends or outliers in a dataset.

Labels should include both descriptive titles and units of measure (e.g., “CPU Utilization (%)”). This will ensure that everyone viewing the dashboard understands what they are looking at and how it relates to other metrics on the page. Additionally, labels should be consistent across all panels so that viewers don’t have to guess what each metric is measuring.

5. Make sure the time range is clear

When a user is looking at a Grafana dashboard, they need to know what time period the data is from. This helps them understand how current the information is and if it’s relevant to their needs. If the time range isn’t clear, users may be confused or misled by the data.

To make sure the time range is clear, you should include a date picker on your dashboard so that users can easily select the desired time frame. You should also add labels to each graph or chart indicating the time range of the data being displayed. Finally, consider adding a legend with the start and end dates for the data set.

6. Avoid unnecessary repetition

When you have too much repetition on a dashboard, it can be difficult to quickly identify the most important information. This is because all of the data points are competing for attention and making it hard to focus on what matters. Additionally, having too many similar elements on a page can make it look cluttered and unprofessional.

To avoid this issue, try to limit the number of times you use the same type of visualization or metric in one dashboard. Instead, focus on creating visualizations that clearly communicate the story behind your data. You should also consider using different types of visualizations to represent the same data set so that viewers can easily compare and contrast the information.

7. Don’t use too many colors

Too many colors can make it difficult to distinguish between different elements on the dashboard, making it hard for users to quickly identify what they are looking at.

Instead, use a limited color palette and stick to two or three main colors. This will help keep your dashboards clean and organized, while still allowing you to highlight important information. Additionally, try to use contrasting colors so that data points stand out from one another.

8. Consider using templates

Templates allow you to quickly create multiple dashboards with the same layout and design. This makes it easier to maintain consistency across your dashboards, as well as save time when creating new ones.

Templates also make it easy to share common elements between different dashboards. For example, if you have a set of metrics that are used in multiple dashboards, you can create a template for those metrics and then use it in each dashboard. This will help ensure that all of your dashboards are using the same data sources and visualizations.

9. Save and share dashboards

Saving and sharing dashboards allows you to quickly access the same dashboard from multiple locations. This is especially useful if you have a team of people who need to view the same data, or if you want to be able to access your dashboard from different devices.

Sharing dashboards also makes it easier for teams to collaborate on projects. By having everyone work off the same dashboard, they can easily see what changes have been made and make sure that their contributions are up-to-date.

Finally, saving and sharing dashboards helps ensure that all users have access to the most recent version of the dashboard. This eliminates any confusion about which version of the dashboard is being used and ensures that everyone is looking at the same information.

10. Test on different screen sizes

Grafana dashboards are designed to be viewed on a variety of devices, from desktop computers to mobile phones. As such, it’s important to make sure that your dashboard looks good and is easy to use no matter what device it’s being viewed on.

To do this, you should test your dashboard on different screen sizes and resolutions. This will help ensure that all elements of the dashboard look great and are easily accessible regardless of the device being used. Additionally, testing on different screen sizes can also help identify any potential issues with layout or design before they become major problems.