Variables types

Grafana uses several types of variables.

Variable type	Description
Query	Query-generated list of values such as metric names, server names, sensor IDs, data centers, and so on. Add a query variable.
Custom	Define the variable options manually using a comma-separated list. Add a custom variable.
Text box	Display a free text input field with an optional default value. Add a text box variable.
Constant	Define a hidden constant. Add a constant variable.
Data source	Quickly change the data source for an entire dashboard. Add a data source variable.
Interval	Interval variables represent time spans. Add an interval variable.
Ad hoc filters	Key/value filters that are automatically added to all metric queries for a data source (InfluxDB, Prometheus, and Elasticsearch only). Add ad hoc filters.
Global variables	Built-in variables that can be used in expressions in the query editor. Refer to Global variables.
Chained variables	Variable queries can contain other variables. Refer to Chained variables.