---
title: "Manage folders, data sources, and dashboards using Grafana Operator | Grafana Cloud documentation"
description: "Manage folders, data sources, and dashboards using the Grafana Operator This guide shows you how to manage data sources, folders, and dashboards using the Grafana Operator. You’ll create these resources declaratively using Kubernetes custom resources."
---

# Manage folders, data sources, and dashboards using the Grafana Operator

This guide shows you how to manage data sources, folders, and dashboards using the Grafana Operator. You’ll create these resources declaratively using Kubernetes custom resources.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

- An existing Grafana Cloud stack
- Grafana Operator installed in your cluster, as shown in [Grafana Operator Installation](/docs/grafana-cloud/as-code/infrastructure-as-code/grafana-operator/#installing-the-grafana-operator)

## Set up the Grafana Operator

The Grafana Operator allows you to authenticate with your Grafana instance using the Grafana Custom Resource (CR).

### Create the Grafana API Token Secret

Store the Grafana API Token in a secret with the following content in a file named `grafana-token.yml`:

YAML ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: grafana-cloud-credentials
  namespace: '<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>'
stringData:
  GRAFANA_CLOUD_INSTANCE_TOKEN: '<GRAFANA_API_KEY>'
type: Opaque
```

Replace the placeholders with your values:

- *`<GRAFANA_API_KEY>`* : API key from your Grafana instance. To create an API key, refer to [Grafana API Key Documentation](/docs/grafana/latest/administration/api-keys/)
- *`<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>`* : Namespace where the `grafana-operator` is deployed in your Kubernetes cluster

### Configure the Grafana Custom Resource

Set up connection to your Grafana Cloud instance. Create a file named `grafana-cloud.yml`:

YAML ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```yaml
apiVersion: grafana.integreatly.org/v1beta1
kind: Grafana
metadata:
  name: '<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>'
  namespace: '<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>'
  labels:
    dashboards: '<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>'
spec:
  external:
    url: https://<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>.grafana.net/
    apiKey:
      name: grafana-cloud-credentials
      key: GRAFANA_CLOUD_INSTANCE_TOKEN
```

Replace the placeholders with your values:

- *`<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>`* : Name of your Grafana Cloud stack
- *`<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>`* : Namespace where the `grafana-operator` is deployed in your Kubernetes cluster

## Add a data source

> Note
> 
> This example uses the Prometheus data source. Note that the required arguments vary depending on the data source you select.

### Create a data source configuration

Create and save a new YAML file `datasource.yml` with your data source’s configuration:

YAML ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```yaml
apiVersion: grafana.integreatly.org/v1beta1
kind: GrafanaDatasource
metadata:
  name: '<DATA_SOURCE_NAME>'
  namespace: '<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>'
spec:
  instanceSelector:
    matchLabels:
      dashboards: '<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>'
  allowCrossNamespaceImport: true
  datasource:
    access: proxy
    database: prometheus
    jsonData:
      timeInterval: 5s
      tlsSkipVerify: true
    name: '<DATA_SOURCE_NAME>'
    type: prometheus
    url: '<DATA_SOURCE_URL>'
```

Replace the placeholders with your values:

- *`<DATA_SOURCE_NAME>`* : Name of the data source to be added in Grafana
- *`<DATA_SOURCE_URL>`* : URL of your data source
- *`<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>`* : Name of your Grafana Cloud stack
- *`<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>`* : Namespace where the `grafana-operator` is deployed in your Kubernetes cluster

### Add a dashboard to a folder

Use the following YAML definition to create a simple dashboard in the Grafana instance under a custom folder. If the folder defined under the `spec.folder` field doesn’t exist, the operator creates it before placing the dashboard inside the folder.

Prepare the dashboard configuration. In `dashboard.yml`, define the dashboard and assign it to a folder:

YAML ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```yaml
apiVersion: grafana.integreatly.org/v1beta1
kind: GrafanaDashboard
metadata:
  name: '<FOLDER_NAME>'
  namespace: '<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>'
spec:
  instanceSelector:
    matchLabels:
      dashboards: '<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>'
  folder: '<FOLDER_NAME>'
  json: >
    {
      "title": "as-code dashboard",
      "uid" : "ascode"
    }
```

Replace the placeholders with your values:

- *`<FOLDER_NAME>`* : Name of the folder in which you want the dashboard to be created
- *`<GRAFANA_CLOUD_STACK_NAME>`* : Name of your Grafana Cloud stack
- *`<GRAFANA_OPERATOR_NAMESPACE>`* : Namespace where the `grafana-operator` is deployed in your Kubernetes cluster

## Apply the Kubernetes manifests

In a terminal, run the following commands from the directory where all of the above Kubernetes YAML definitions are located.

Create Kubernetes Custom resources for all of the configurations:

sh ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```sh
kubectl apply -f grafana-token.yml grafana-cloud.yml datasource.yml dashboard.yml
```

## Validate your configuration

After you apply the configurations, verify that:

- A new data source is visible in Grafana. In the following image, a data source named `InfluxDB` was created.
- A new dashboard and folder have been created in Grafana. In the following image, a dashboard named `InfluxDB Cloud Demos` was created inside the `Demos` folder.

## Next steps

You’ve successfully created a data source, folder, and dashboard using the Grafana Operator. Your Grafana resources are now managed declaratively through Kubernetes custom resources.

To learn more about managing Grafana:

- [Grafana Operator documentation](https://grafana.github.io/grafana-operator/docs/)
- [Grafana dashboard provisioning](/docs/grafana/latest/administration/provisioning/#dashboards)
- [Grafana data source provisioning](/docs/grafana/latest/administration/provisioning/#data-sources)