# Grafana plugin types and usage note This documentation discusses plugin configuration, provisioning, and usage for plugin developers. General information about plugin administration is available at [Plugin management](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/administration/plugin-management/). ## Overview[​](#overview "Direct link to Overview") Grafana plugin development allows for many options depending on the type of user experience you want to create. Whatever your need, there's a supported plugin type for your intended use: * **Panel plugin** - a new way of visualizing data. * **Data-source plugin** - a connection to a new database or other source of data. * **App plugin** - an integrated out-of-the-box experience. Refer to [Get started](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/.md) for instructions on how to quickly scaffold [each type](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/reference/cli-commands.md#select-a-plugin-type) of plugin. note Don't open support tickets for topics related to plugin development. For help with plugin development, reach out to the [Community forums](https://community.grafana.com/c/plugin-development/30). ## Panel (visualization) plugins[​](#panel-visualization-plugins "Direct link to Panel (visualization) plugins") Development of panel plugins, also known as visualizations, allows Grafana to use custom visualizations, similar to existing plugins such the [Polystat](https://grafana.com/grafana/plugins/grafana-polystat-panel/) panel. ### Usage of panel plugins[​](#usage-of-panel-plugins "Direct link to Usage of panel plugins") Any installed plugin of type `panel` can be used, selected, and configured as a visualization within a dashboard. Compared with data sources and apps, there’s currently no support for configuring visualizations on a [Grafana organization](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/administration/organization-management/#about-organizations) level. note With the recent introduction of [Grafana Scenes](https://grafana.com/developers/scenes), you can use any installed plugin of type `panel` as a visualization within a Scenes implementation. ## Data source plugins[​](#data-source-plugins "Direct link to Data source plugins") In plugin development, you can create new data source plugins to use Grafana with new databases, similar to existing plugins such as [MongoDB](https://grafana.com/grafana/plugins/grafana-mongodb-datasource/) or [Google BigQuery](https://grafana.com/grafana/plugins/grafana-bigquery-datasource/). Data source plugins may be added on the frontend and [the backend](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/key-concepts/backend-plugins.md). ### Usage of data-source plugins[​](#usage-of-data-source-plugins "Direct link to Usage of data-source plugins") Create and configure a Grafana data source when you want to work with data provided by a third-party service for use in Grafana Dashboards, Explore, Alerting, and so on. Given any installed plugin of type `datasource`, you can create and configure any number of data sources per [Grafana organization](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/administration/organization-management/#about-organizations). After you create zero to infinity data sources, they are persisted in Grafana's database. note To distinguish a Grafana data source from a data-source plugin, we sometimes refer to the latter as a *data-source instance*, that is, a configured Grafana data source with a `plugin id` type of `datasource`. ### Global configuration of data source plugins[​](#global-configuration-of-data-source-plugins "Direct link to Global configuration of data source plugins") Use the Grafana configuration file to configure your app [`plugin_id`](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/setup-grafana/configure-grafana/#pluginplugin_id). info Not all plugins support this type of configuration. Refer to the readme of specific plugins for details. ### Provisioning of data sources[​](#provisioning-of-data-sources "Direct link to Provisioning of data sources") Data sources can also be provisioned using Grafana’s [provisioning features](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/administration/provisioning/#data-sources) so that you can define Grafana as-code as part of a GitOps approach when Grafana starts up or [on demand](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/developers/http_api/admin/#reload-provisioning-configurations). Note that a plugin of type `datasource` must be installed before it can be provisioned. ### Bundling of dashboards[​](#bundling-of-dashboards "Direct link to Bundling of dashboards") Data-source plugins can [include dashboards](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/reference/plugin-json.md#includes) by referencing dashboard JSON files (including `property` and `type=dashboard`) within the `plugin.json` file. Grafana puts a dashboard in the `General` folder when it is imported. ## App plugins[​](#app-plugins "Direct link to App plugins") Development of app plugins, also known as apps or applications, allows you to create out-of-the-box solutions such as in the [Redis](https://grafana.com/grafana/plugins/redis-app/) app. You can optionally bundle data sources and panels, as well as provide custom pages, [Scenes](https://grafana.com/developers/scenes), and [UI extensions](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/how-to-guides/ui-extensions/ui-extensions-concepts.md). ### Usage of app plugins[​](#usage-of-app-plugins "Direct link to Usage of app plugins") Configure a Grafana app when you want to leverage or create a tailored monitoring view for a third-party service and optionally use custom pages or UI extensions. Given any installed plugin of type `app`, you can enable them once per [Grafana organization](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/administration/organization-management/#about-organizations) and they are persisted in Grafana’s database. note To distinguish a Grafana app from an app plugin, we sometimes refer to the latter as an *app instance*, that is, a configured Grafana app with a `plugin id` type of `app`. ### Global configuration of app plugins[​](#global-configuration-of-app-plugins "Direct link to Global configuration of app plugins") Use the [Grafana configuration file](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/setup-grafana/configure-grafana/#configuration-file-location) to configure your app [`plugin_id`](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/setup-grafana/configure-grafana/#pluginplugin_id). info Not all plugins support this type of configuration. Refer to the readme of specific plugins for details. ### Provisioning of app plugins[​](#provisioning-of-app-plugins "Direct link to Provisioning of app plugins") Apps can also be provisioned using Grafana’s [provisioning features](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/administration/provisioning/#plugins) so that you can define Grafana as-code as part of a GitOps approach when Grafana starts up or [on demand](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/developers/http_api/admin/#reload-provisioning-configurations). Note that the plugin must be installed before provisioning can succeed with a `plugin id` of `app` type. ### Bundling of apps[​](#bundling-of-apps "Direct link to Bundling of apps") The app plugin type allows you to [nest other plugins inside it](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/how-to-guides/app-plugins/work-with-nested-plugins.md); in other words, to bundle or [include](https://grafana.com/developers/plugin-tools/reference/plugin-json.md#includes) multiple plugins in the same package. ### Bundling of dashboards[​](#bundling-of-dashboards-1 "Direct link to Bundling of dashboards") App plugins can include dashboards by referencing dashboard JSON files within the `plugin.json` including `property` and `type=dashboard`. Grafana puts dashboards in the `General` folder when it is imported which will happen automatically when an app is enabled.