Build your first dashboard

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:15:08 +0000

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.

Note
Grafana also offers a free account with Grafana Cloud 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.

To sign in to Grafana for the first time:

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.
On the sign-in page, enter admin for both the username and password.
Click Sign in.

If successful, you’ll see a prompt to change the password.
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 instead.

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

Click Dashboards in the main menu.
On the Dashboards page, click New and select New dashboard from the drop-down menu.
Click the Add new element icon.
Click or drag a panel onto the dashboard.
On the panel, click Configure visualization.

The Edit panel view opens with the default data source for your instance preselected.
In the Queries tab, click the Data source drop-down list, enter -- Grafana --, and select that data source.

This configures your query and generates the Random Walk dashboard.
In the panel edit pane, select the Time series visualization.
Click Refresh to query the data source.
When you’ve finished editing your panel, click Save.

Alternatively, click Back if you want to see your changes applied to the dashboard first. Then click Save when you’re ready.
Add a descriptive title for the dashboard, or have Grafana create one using generative AI features, and then click Save.
Click Back 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 or another visualization feature. Refer to Data sources for a list of supported data sources and instructions on how to add a data source. The following topics will be of interest to you:

Admins

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

Frequently asked questions

What do I need before I create a Grafana dashboard?

Before creating a dashboard, you’ll need access to a Grafana instance and, in most cases, a data source that contains the data you want to visualize. If you’re following this getting started guide, you can use the built-in Grafana data source to learn the dashboard creation workflow before connecting your own data.

Do I need to configure a data source before creating a dashboard?

Not necessarily. If you’re following this getting started guide, you can use the built-in Grafana data source to create your first dashboard without connecting an external data source. For production dashboards, you’ll typically connect a supported data source such as Prometheus, Loki, MySQL, or another supported integration.

Can I edit my dashboard after I save it?

Yes. Dashboards are designed to be updated over time. After saving a dashboard, you can reopen it in edit mode to add or remove panels, change queries, switch visualization types, update panel settings, or rename the dashboard whenever needed.

Get started with Grafana Open Source on Grafana Labs

Build your first dashboard

Build your first dashboard

Install Grafana

Sign in to Grafana

Create a dashboard

Next steps

Admins

Frequently asked questions