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Important: This documentation is about an older version. It's relevant only to the release noted, many of the features and functions have been updated or replaced. Please view the current version.

Enterprise Open source

Variables types

Grafana uses several types of variables.

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