---
title: "Build your first dashboard | Grafana documentation"
description: "Learn how to get started with Grafana by adding a preconfigured dashboard."
---

# Build your first dashboard

This topic helps you get started with Grafana and build your first dashboard using the built-in `Grafana` data source. To learn more about Grafana, refer to [Introduction to Grafana](/docs/grafana/next/introduction/).

> Note
> 
> Grafana also offers a [free account with Grafana Cloud](/signup/cloud/connect-account?pg=gsdocs) to help getting started even easier and faster. You can install Grafana to self-host or get a free Grafana Cloud account.

#### Install Grafana

Grafana can be installed on many different operating systems. For a list of the minimum hardware and software requirements, as well as instructions on installing Grafana, refer to [Install Grafana](/docs/grafana/next/setup-grafana/installation/).

#### Sign in to Grafana

To sign in to Grafana for the first time:

1. Open your web browser and go to http://localhost:3000/.
   
   The default HTTP port that Grafana listens to is `3000` unless you have configured a different port.
2. On the sign-in page, enter `admin` for both the username and password.
3. Click **Sign in**.
   
   If successful, you’ll see a prompt to change the password.
4. Click **OK** on the prompt and change your password.

> Note
> 
> We strongly recommend that you change the default administrator password.

#### Create a dashboard

If you’ve already set up a data source that you know how to query, refer to [Create a dashboard](/docs/grafana/next/dashboards/build-dashboards/create-dashboard/) instead.

To create your first dashboard using the built-in `-- Grafana --` data source:

01. Click **Dashboards** in the main menu.
02. On the **Dashboards** page, click **New** and select **New dashboard** from the drop-down menu.
03. Click the **Add new element** icon.
04. Click or drag a panel onto the dashboard.
    
    [](/media/docs/grafana/dashboards/screenshot-empty-dashboard-v13.0.png)
05. On the panel, click **Configure visualization**.
    
    The **Edit panel** view opens with the default data source for your instance preselected.
06. In the **Queries** tab, click the **Data source** drop-down list, enter `-- Grafana --`, and select that data source.
    
    This configures your [query](/docs/grafana/next/panels-visualizations/query-transform-data/#add-a-query) and generates the Random Walk dashboard.
07. In the panel edit pane, select the **Time series** visualization.
08. Click **Refresh** to query the data source.
09. When you’ve finished editing your panel, click **Save**.
    
    Alternatively, click **Back to dashboard** if you want to see your changes applied to the dashboard first. Then click **Save** when you’re ready.
10. Add a descriptive title for the dashboard, or have Grafana create one using [generative AI features](/docs/grafana/next/dashboards/manage-dashboards/#set-up-generative-ai-features-for-dashboards), and then click **Save**.
11. Click **Back to dashboard** and then **Exit edit**.

Congratulations, you have created your first dashboard and it’s displaying results.

#### Next steps

Continue to experiment with what you have built, try the [explore workflow](/docs/grafana/next/explore/) or another visualization feature. Refer to [Data sources](/docs/grafana/next/datasources/) for a list of supported data sources and instructions on how to [add a data source](/docs/grafana/next/datasources/#add-a-data-source). The following topics will be of interest to you:

- [Panels and visualizations](/docs/grafana/next/panels-visualizations/)
- [Dashboards](/docs/grafana/next/dashboards/)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](/docs/grafana/next/dashboards/use-dashboards/#keyboard-shortcuts)
- [Plugins](/grafana/plugins?orderBy=weight&direction=asc)

##### Admins

The following topics are of interest to Grafana server admin users:

- [Grafana configuration](/docs/grafana/next/setup-grafana/configure-grafana/)
- [Authentication](/docs/grafana/next/setup-grafana/configure-access/configure-authentication/)
- [User permissions and roles](/docs/grafana/next/administration/roles-and-permissions/)
- [Provisioning](/docs/grafana/next/administration/provisioning/)
- [Grafana CLI](/docs/grafana/next/cli/)