---
title: "Prometheus data source | Grafana documentation"
description: "Guide for using Prometheus in Grafana"
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Prometheus data source

Prometheus is an open source monitoring system and time series database that scrapes and stores metrics used for monitoring and alerting.

Grafana includes built-in support for Prometheus, so you don’t need to install a plugin. Write queries using [PromQL](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/querying/basics/) in the query editor, or use [Metrics Drilldown](/docs/grafana/latest/explore/simplified-exploration/metrics/) to explore metrics without writing queries. The Prometheus data source also works with other projects that implement the [Prometheus querying API](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/querying/api/), including [Grafana Mimir](/docs/mimir/latest/) and [Thanos](https://thanos.io/tip/components/query.md/).

## Supported features

Expand table

| Feature         | Supported |
|-----------------|-----------|
| Metrics         | Yes       |
| Alerting        | Yes       |
| Annotations     | Yes       |
| Recording rules | Yes       |
| Exemplars       | Yes       |

## Get started

The following documents help you set up and use the Prometheus data source:

- [Configure the Prometheus data source](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/configure/)
- [Prometheus query editor](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/query-editor/)
- [Template variables](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/template-variables/)
- [Annotations](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/annotations/)
- [Alerting](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/alerting/)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/troubleshooting/)

## Additional features

After you configure the Prometheus data source, you can:

- Use [Metrics Drilldown](/docs/grafana/latest/explore/simplified-exploration/metrics/) to browse and explore your Prometheus metrics without writing PromQL
- Use [Explore](/docs/grafana/latest/explore/) to query data without building a dashboard
- Add [transformations](/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/query-transform-data/transform-data/) to manipulate query results
- Create [recorded queries](/docs/grafana/latest/administration/recorded-queries/) for pre-aggregated data
- Build a wide variety of [visualizations](/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/)

## Cloud-managed Prometheus services

> Note
> 
> In Grafana 13, the core Prometheus data source no longer supports SigV4 (AWS) or Azure AD authentication. These authentication methods have been migrated to dedicated plugins:
> 
> - **Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus** — Use the [Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus data source](/grafana/plugins/grafana-amazonprometheus-datasource/). For migration details, refer to [AWS authentication (deprecated)](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/configure/aws-authentication/).
> - **Azure Monitor Managed Service for Prometheus** — Use the [Azure Monitor Managed Service for Prometheus data source](/grafana/plugins/grafana-azureprometheus-datasource/). For migration details, refer to [Azure authentication (deprecated)](/docs/grafana/latest/datasources/prometheus/configure/azure-authentication/).
> 
> Existing data sources using these methods are automatically migrated on startup.

## Related resources

- [What is Prometheus?](/docs/grafana/latest/fundamentals/intro-to-prometheus/)
- [Prometheus data model](https://prometheus.io/docs/concepts/data_model/)
- [Getting started with Prometheus](https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/getting_started/)
- [Grafana community forum](https://community.grafana.com/)