Panels on Grafana Labs

Add a panel

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Add a panel

Panels allow you to show your data in visual form. This topic walks you through the most basic steps to build a panel.

1. Add a panel to a dashboard

Navigate to the dashboard you want to add a panel to.
Click the Add panel icon.
Click Add an empty panel.

Grafana creates an empty time series panel with your default data source selected.

2. Write a query

Each panel needs at least one query to display a visualization. You write queries in the Query tab of the panel editor. For more information about the Query tab, refer to Queries.

Choose a data source. In the first line of the Query tab, click the drop-down list to see all available data sources. This list includes all data sources you added. Refer to Add a data source if you need instructions.
Write or construct a query in the query language of your data source. Options will vary. Refer to your specific data source documentation for specific guidelines.

3. Choose a visualization type

In the Visualization list, click a visualization type. Grafana displays a preview of your query results with that visualization applied.

For more information about individual visualizations, refer to Visualizations options.

4. (Optional) Edit panel settings

While not required, most visualizations need some adjustment before they properly display the information that you need. Options are defined in the linked topics below.

5. Apply changes and save

Save the dashboard. Either press Ctrl/Cmd+S or click Save in the upper right corner of the screen.

Your options vary depending on the changes you made and whether or not it is a new dashboard. We recommend you add a note to describe your changes before you click Save. Notes are very helpful if you need to revert the dashboard to a previous version.

What next?

Our Grafana Fundamentals tutorial is a great place to start, or you can learn more about Grafana by reading one of the documentation topics linked below:

Learn more about panel editor options.
Add more queries.
Transform your data.
Set up an alert.
Create templates and variables.

Panel editor

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Panel editor

This page describes the parts of the Grafana panel editor and links to where you can find more information.

If your user account is assigned the appropriate organization role or permissions, then you can edit or update a panel at any point after it is created. For more information about creating panels, refer to Add a panel.

Open the panel editor

There are several ways to access the panel editor, also called the Edit Panel screen, edit mode, or panel edit mode:

Click the Add panel icon at the top of the screen and then click Add new panel. The new panel opens in the panel editor. For detailed instructions on how to add a panel, refer to Add a panel
Click the title of an existing panel and then click Edit. The panel opens in edit mode.
Click anywhere on an existing panel and then press e on your keyboard. The panel opens in edit mode.

Parts of the panel editor

This section describes the parts of the panel editor screen and a bit about fields, options, or tasks associated with each part. Some sections in this page link to pages where sections or tasks are documented more fully.

The header section lists the name of the dashboard that the panel is in and some dashboard commands. You can also click the Go back arrow to return to the dashboard.

On the right side of the header are the following options:

Dashboard settings (gear) icon - Click to access the dashboard settings.
Discard - Discards all changes you have made to the panel since you last saved the dashboard.
Save - Saves the dashboard, including all changes you have made in the panel editor.
Apply - Applies changes you made and then closes the panel editor, returning you to the dashboard. You will have to save the dashboard to persist the applied changes.

Visualization preview

The visualization preview section contains viewing options, time range controls, the visualization preview, and (if applicable) the panel title, axes, and legend.

Table view - Convert any visualization to a table so that you can see the data. Useful for troubleshooting.
Fill - The visualization preview will fill the available space in the preview part. If you change the width of the side pane or height of the bottom pane the visualization will adapt to fill whatever space is available.
Fit - The visualization preview will fill the available space in but preserve the aspect ratio of the panel.
Exact - The visualization preview will have the exact size as the size on the dashboard. If not enough space is available, the visualization will scale down preserving the aspect ratio.
Time range controls - For more information, refer to Time range controls.

Data section (bottom pane)

The section contains tabs where you enter queries, transform your data, and create alert rules (if applicable).

Query tab - Select your data source and enter queries here. For more information, refer to Queries.
Transform tab - Apply data transformations. For more information, refer to Transformations.
Alert tab - Write alert rules. For more information, refer to Create alerts.

Panel display options (side pane)

The section contains tabs where you configure almost every aspect of your data Visualization. Not all options are available for each visualization.

The data model used in Grafana, namely the data frame, is a columnar-oriented table structure that unifies both time series and table query results. Each column within this structure is called a field. A field can represent a single time series or table column.

Field options allow you to change how the data is displayed in your visualizations. Options and overrides that you apply do not change the data, however they change how Grafana displays the data.

Field options

When you change an option, it is applied to all fields, meaning all series or columns. For example, if you change the unit to percentage, then all fields with numeric values are displayed in percentages.

Field overrides

Field overrides can be added or viewed in the Overrides tab in the panel editor side menu. You can apply options to specific fields (series or columns) rather than all fields. Learn how to apply an override in Field overrides.

Options are documented in the following topics:

Add a panel describes how to add a panel to a dashboard.
Panel options
Visualization options vary widely. They are described in the individual visualization topic.
Standard options
Thresholds
Value mappings
Panel links and Data links help you connect your visualization to other resources.
Overrides

Queries

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Queries

Queries are how Grafana panels communicate with data sources to get data for the visualization. A query is a question written in the query language used by the data source. Grafana asks, “Hey data source, would you send me this data, organized this way?” If the query is properly formed, then the data source responds. How often the query is sent to the data source and how many data points are collected can be adjusted in the panel data source options.

Grafana supports up to 26 queries per panel.

Query editors

Query editors are forms that help you write queries. Depending on your data source, the query editor might provide auto-completion, metric names, or variable suggestion.

Because of the difference between query languages, data sources may have query editors that look different. Here are two examples of query editors:

InfluxDB query editor

Prometheus (PromQL) query editor

Query syntax

Data sources have different query languages and syntaxes to ask for the data. Here are two query examples:

PostgreSQL

SELECT hostname FROM host  WHERE region IN($region)

PromQL

query_result(max_over_time(<metric>[${__range_s}s]) != <state>)

For more information about writing a query for your data source, refer to the specific Grafana data source documentation.

Query tab UI

The Query tab consists of the following elements:

Data source selector
Query options
Query inspector button
Query editor list
Expressions

Data source selector

The data source selector is a drop-down list. Click it to select a data source you have added. When you create a panel, Grafana automatically selects your default data source. For more information about adding data sources, refer to Add a data source.

In addition to the data sources that you have configured in your Grafana, there are three special data sources available:

Grafana - A built-in data source that generates random walk data. Useful for testing visualizations and running experiments.
Mixed - Select this to query multiple data sources in the same panel. When this data source is selected, Grafana allows you to select a data source for every new query that you add.
- The first query will use the data source that was selected before you selected Mixed.
- You cannot change an existing query to use the Mixed Data Source.
Dashboard - Select this to use a result set from another panel in the same dashboard.

Query options

Click Query options next to the data source selector to see settings for your selected data source. Changes you make here affect only queries made in this panel.

Grafana sets defaults that are shown in dark gray text. Changes are displayed in white text. To return a field to the default setting, delete the white text from the field.

Panel data source query options:

Max data points - If the data source supports it, sets the maximum numbers of data points for each series returned. If the query returns more data points than the max data points setting, then the data source consolidates them (reduces the number of points returned by aggregating them together by average or max or other function).

There are two main reasons for limiting the number of points, performance and smoothing the line. The default value is the width (or number of pixels) of the graph as there is no point in having more data points than the graph panel can display.

With streaming data, the max data points value is used for the rolling buffer. (Streaming is a continuous flow of data and buffering is a way of dividing the stream into chunks). Loki streams data in the live tailing mode.
Min interval - Sets a minimum limit for the automatically calculated interval, typically the minimum scrape interval. If a data point is saved every 15 seconds, then there’s no point in having an interval lower than that. Another use case is to set it to a higher minimum than the scrape interval to get more coarse-grained, well-functioning queries.
Interval - The interval is a time span that you can use when aggregating or grouping data points by time.

Grafana automatically calculates an appropriate interval and it can be used as a variable in templated queries. The variable is either in seconds: $__interval or in milliseconds: $__interval_ms. It is typically used in aggregation functions like sum or average. For example, a Prometheus query using the interval variable: rate(http_requests_total[$__interval]).

This automatic interval is calculated based on the width of the graph. If the user zooms out a lot then the interval becomes greater, resulting in a more coarse grained aggregation whereas if the user zooms in then the interval decreases resulting in a more fine grained aggregation.

For more information, refer to Global variables.
Relative time - You can override the relative time range for individual panels, causing them to be different than what is selected in the dashboard time picker in the top right corner of the dashboard. This allows you to show metrics from different time periods or days on the same dashboard.
Time shift - The time shift function is another way to override the time range for individual panels. It only works with relative time ranges and allows you to adjust the time range.

For example, you could shift the time range for the panel to be two hours earlier than the dashboard time picker. For more information, refer to Time range controls.
Cache timeout - (This field is only visible if available in your data source.) If your time series store has a query cache, then this option can override the default cache timeout. Specified as a numeric value in seconds.

Examples:

Relative time:

Example	Relative time field
Last 5 minutes	`now-5m`
The day so far	`now/d`
Last 5 days	`now-5d/d`
This week so far	`now/w`
Last 2 years	`now-2y/y`

Time shift:

Example	Time shift field
Last entire week	`1w/w`
Two entire weeks ago	`2w/w`
Last entire month	`1M/M`
This entire year	`1d/y`
Last entire year	`1y/y`

Query inspector button

You can click Query inspector to open the Query tab of the panel inspector where you can see the query request sent by the panel and the response.

Click Refresh to see the full text of the request sent by this panel to the server.

Note: You need to add at least one query before the Query inspector can return results.

For more information about the panel inspector, refer to Inspect a panel.

Query editor list

In the UI, queries are organized in collapsible query rows. Each query row contains a query editor and is identified with a letter (A, B, C, and so on).

You can:

Icon	Description
	Toggle query editor help. If supported by the data source, click this icon to display information on how to use the query editor or provide quick access to common queries.
	Copy a query. Duplicating queries is useful when working with multiple complex queries that are similar and you want to either experiment with different variants or do minor alterations.
	Hide a query. Grafana does not send hidden queries to the data source.
	Remove a query. Removing a query permanently deletes it, but sometimes you can recover deleted queries by reverting to previously saved versions of the panel.
	Reorder queries. Change the order of queries by clicking and holding the drag icon, then drag queries where desired. The order of results reflects the order of the queries, so you can often adjust your visual results based on query order.

Expressions

If your data source supports them, then Grafana displays the Expression button and shows any existing expressions in the query editor list.

For more information about expressions, refer to Expressions.

Share query results

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Grafana let you use the query result from one panel for any other panel in the dashboard. Sharing query results across panels reduces the number of queries made to your data source, which can improve the performance of your dashboard.

The Dashboard data source lets you select a panel in your dashboard that contains the queries ‌you want to share the results for. Instead of sending a separate query for each panel, Grafana sends one query and other panels use the query results to construct visualizations.

This strategy can drastically reduce the number of queries being made when you for example have several panels visualizing the same data.

To share data source queries with another panel:

Create a dashboard.
Add a panel to the dashboard.
Change the title to “Source panel”. You’ll use this panel as a source for the other panels. Define the query or queries that will be shared. If you don’t have a data source available at the moment, then you can use the Grafana data source, which returns a random time series that you can use for testing.
Add a second panel and select the Dashboard data source in the query editor.
In the Use results from panel list, select the first panel you created.

All queries defined in the source panel are now available to the new panel. Queries made in the source panel can be shared with multiple panels.

You can click on any of the queries to go to the panel where they are defined.

Transformations

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Transformations

Transformations process the result set of a query before it’s passed on for visualization. They allow you to rename fields, join separate time series together, do math across queries, and more. For users, with numerous dashboards or with a large volume of queries, the ability to reuse the query result from one panel in another panel can be a huge performance gain.

The transformations feature is accessible from the Transform tab of the Grafana panel editor.

Note: Transformations is a Grafana 7.0 beta feature. Topics in this section will be frequently updated as we work on this feature.

Transformations sometimes result in data that cannot be graphed. When that happens, Grafana displays a suggestion on the visualization that you can click to switch to table visualization. This often helps you better understand what the transformation is doing to your data.

Order of transformations

In case there are multiple transformations, Grafana applies them in the exact sequence in which they are listed. Each transformation creates a new result set that is passed onto the next transformation in the pipeline for processing.

The order in which transformations are applied can make a huge difference in how your results look. For example, if you use a Reduce transformation to condense all the results of one column into a single value, then you can only apply transformations to that single value.

Prerequisites

Before you can configure and apply transformations:

You must have entered a query and returned data from a data source. For more information on queries, refer to Queries.
You must have chosen a visualization that supports your query result and chosen transforms. Different transformations can result in a data structure that only some visualizations can render. For example, Graph visualization cannot show reduced data (that results from the Reduce transform). If your current visualization does not show you what you expect after applying a transform, switch to the Table visualization to check the result. For more information on the different types of visualizations, refer to:
- Bar gauge
- Gauge
- Graph
- Heatmap
- Logs
- Stat
- Table

Inspect a panel

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Inspect a panel

The panel inspector helps you understand and troubleshoot your panels. You can inspect the raw data for any Grafana panel, export that data to a comma-separated values (CSV) file, view query requests, and export panel and data JSON.

Panel inspector UI

The panel inspector displays Inspect: at the top of the pane. Click the arrow in the upper right corner to expand or reduce the pane.

The panel inspector consists of following tabs:

Data tab - Shows the raw data returned by the query with transformations applied. Field options such as overrides and value mappings are not applied by default.
Stats tab - Shows how long your query takes and how much it returns.
JSON tab - Allows you to view and copy the panel JSON, panel data JSON, and data frame structure JSON. This is useful if you are provisioning or administering Grafana.
Query tab - Shows you the requests to the server sent when Grafana queries the data source.
Error tab - Shows the error. Only visible when query returns error.

Note: Not all panel types include all four tabs. For example, dashboard list panels do not have raw data to inspect, so they do not display the Stats, Data, or Query tabs.

Panel inspector tasks

Tasks you can perform in the panel inspector are described below.

Open the panel inspector

You can inspect any panel that you can view.

In Grafana, navigate to the dashboard that contains the panel you want to inspect.
Click the title of the panel you want to inspect and then click Inspect. Or Hover your cursor over the panel title and then press i.

The panel inspector pane opens on the right side of the screen.

Inspect raw query results

View raw query results in a table. This is the data returned by the query with transformations applied and before the panel applies field options or field option overrides.

In the inspector click the Data tab or in the panel menu click Inspect > Data.

If your panel contains multiple queries or queries multiple nodes, then you have additional options.

Select result - Choose which result set data you want to view.
Transform data
- Join by time - View raw data from all your queries at once, one result set per column. Click a column heading to reorder the data.
View raw query results in a table with field options and options overrides applied:
1. Open the Data tab in panel inspector.
2. Click on Data display options above the table.
3. Click on Apply field configuration toggle button.

Download raw query results as CSV

Grafana generates a CSV file in your default browser download location. You can open it in the viewer of your choice.

Open the panel inspector.
Inspect the raw query results as described above. Adjust settings until you see the raw data that you want to export.
Click Download CSV.

To download a CSV file specifically formatted for Excel, expand the Data options panel and enable the Download for Excel toggle before clicking Download CSV.

Download log results

Grafana generates a text (.txt) file in your default browser download location. You can open the log in the viewer of your choice.

Open the panel inspector.
Inspect the log query results as described above.
Click Download logs.

Inspect query performance

The Stats tab displays statistics that tell you how long your query takes, how many queries you send, and the number of rows returned. This information can help you troubleshoot your queries, especially if any of the numbers are unexpectedly high or low.

Open the panel inspector.
Navigate to the Stats tab.

Statistics are displayed in read-only format.

View panel JSON model

Explore and export panel, panel data, and data frame JSON models.

Open the panel inspector and then click the JSON tab or in the panel menu click Inspect > Panel JSON.
In Select source, choose one of the following options:
- Panel JSON - Displays a JSON object representing the panel.
- Panel data - Displays a JSON object representing the data that was passed to the panel.
- DataFrame structure - Displays the raw result set with transformations, field configuration, and overrides configuration applied.
You can expand or collapse portions of the JSON to explore it, or you can click Copy to clipboard and paste the JSON in another application.

View raw request and response to data source

Open the panel inspector and then click the Query tab or in the panel menu click Inspect > Query.
Click Refresh.

Grafana sends a query to the server to collect information and then displays the result. You can now drill down on specific portions of the query, expand or collapse all of it, or copy the data to the clipboard to use in other applications.

Library panels

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Library panels

Library panels allow users to create reusable panels where any changes made to one instance of the library panel is reflected on every dashboard affecting all other instances where the panel is used. These panels can be saved in folders alongside Dashboards and streamline reuse of panels across multiple dashboards.

Create a library panel

Before you can use library panels, you have to create them.

Note: When you create library panels, the panel on the source dashboard is converted to a library panel as well. You will need to save the original dashboard once a panel is converted.

To create a library panel:

Create a Grafana panel as you normally would, following instructions in Add a panel. You an also use an existing panel.
Click the title of the panel and then click Edit. The panel opens in edit mode.
In the panel display options (side pane), click the down arrow option to bring changes to the visualization.

Screenshot of the edit panel
Click the Library panels option, and then click Create new library panel to open the create dialog.

Screenshot of the create library panel dialog
In Library panel name, enter the name.
In Save in folder, select the folder to save the library panel. By default, the General folder is selected.
Click Create library panel to save your changes.
Save the dashboard.

Optionally, you can click title of the panel and then click More > Create Library panel. Next, follow the instructions Step 5 in the procedure above.

Also, library panels can also be created using the “Share” option for any panel.

Once created, you can modify the library panel using any dashboard on which it appears. Once the library panel changes are saved, all instances of the library panel will reflect these modifications.

Add a library panel

To add a library panel to a dashboard:

Hover over the + option on the left menu, then select Create from the drop down options. The Add panel dialog opens.

Screenshot of the edit panel
Click the Add a panel from the panel library option. You will see a list of your library panels.
Filter the list or search to find the panel you want to add.
Click your desired panel and add it to the dashboard.

Manage library panels

To view and manage existing library panels:

Hover over the Dashboard option on the left menu, then click Library panels. You can see a list of previously defined library panels.

Screenshot of the edit panel
Search for a specific library panel if you know its name. You can also filter the panels by folder or type.

Unlink a library panel

In case you have a library panel on your dashboard that want to modify it without affecting all other instances of the library panel, you can unlink the library panel.

To unlink a library panel from a dashboard:

Hover over Dashboard on the left menu, and then click Library panels.
Select a library panel that is being used in different dashboards. You will see a list of all the dashboards where the library panel is used.

Screenshot of the edit panel
Select the panel you want to unlink and update.
Click the title of the panel and then click Edit. The panel opens in edit mode.
Click the Unlink option on the top right corner of the UI.

Delete a library panel

Before you delete a library panel, verify that it is no longer in use on any dashboard.

To delete a library panel:

Hover over Dashboard on the left menu, and select Library panels from the drop down options.
Select a library panel that is being used in different dashboards. You will see a list of all the dashboards.
Select the panel you want to delete.
Click the delete icon next to the library panel name.

Visualization options

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Visualization options

Grafana offers a variety of visualizations to suit different use cases. This section of the documentation lists the different visualizations available in Grafana and their unique options.

You can add more panel types with plugins.

Standard field options

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Standard field options

This section explains all available standard options. They are listed in alphabetical order.

You can apply standard options to most built-in Grafana panels. Some older panels and community panels that have not updated to the new panel and data model will be missing either all or some of these field options.

Most field options will not affect the visualization until you click outside of the field option box you are editing or press Enter.

Note: We are constantly working to add and expand options for all visualization, so all options might not be available for all visualizations.

Decimals

Number of decimals to render value with. Leave empty for Grafana to use the number of decimals provided by the data source.

To change this setting, type a number in the field and then click outside the field or press Enter.

Data links

Lets you control the URL to which a value or visualization link.

For more information and instructions, refer to Data links.

Display name

Lets you set the display title of all fields. You can use variables in the field title.

When multiple stats, fields, or series are shown, this field controls the title in each stat. You can use expressions like ${__field.name} to use only the series name or the field name in title.

Given a field with a name of Temp, and labels of {“Loc”=“PBI”, “Sensor”=“3”}

Expression syntax	Example	Renders to	Explanation
`${__field.displayName}`	Same as syntax	`Temp {Loc="PBI", Sensor="3"}`	Displays the field name, and labels in `{}` if they are present. If there is only one label key in the response, then for the label portion, Grafana displays the value of the label without the enclosing braces.
`${__field.name}`	Same as syntax	`Temp`	Displays the name of the field (without labels).
`${__field.labels}`	Same as syntax	`Loc="PBI", Sensor="3"`	Displays the labels without the name.
`${__field.labels.X}`	`${__field.labels.Loc}`	`PBI`	Displays the value of the specified label key.
`${__field.labels.__values}`	Same as Syntax	`PBI, 3`	Displays the values of the labels separated by a comma (without label keys).

If the value is an empty string after rendering the expression for a particular field, then the default display method is used.

Max

Lets you set the maximum value used in percentage threshold calculations. Leave blank for auto calculation based on all series and fields

Min

Lets you set the minimum value used in percentage threshold calculations. Leave blank for auto calculation based on all series and fields

No value

Enter what Grafana should display if the field value is empty or null. The default value is a hyphen (-).

Unit

Lets you choose what unit a field should use. Click in the Unit field, then drill down until you find the unit you want. The unit you select is applied to all fields except time.

Custom units

You can use the unit dropdown to also specify custom units, custom prefix or suffix and date time formats.

To select a custom unit enter the unit and select the last Custom: xxx option in the dropdown.

If y u want a space -> If you want a space
suffix:<suffix> for custom unit that should go after value.
time:<format> For custom date time formats type for example time:YYYY-MM-DD. See formats for the format syntax and options.
si:<base scale><unit characters> for custom SI units. For example: si: mF. This one is a bit more advanced as you can specify both a unit and the source data scale. So if your source data is represented as milli (thousands of) something prefix the unit with that SI scale character.
count:<unit> for a custom count unit.
currency:<unit> for custom a currency unit.

You can also paste a native emoji in the unit picker and pick it as a custom unit:

String units

Grafana can sometime be too aggressive in parsing strings and displaying them as numbers. To make Grafana show the original string create a field override and add a unit property with the string unit.

Color scheme

The color scheme option defines how Grafana colors series or fields. There are multiple modes here that work very differently and their utility depends largely on what visualization you currently have selected.

Some visualizations have different color options.

Color by value

In addition to deriving color from thresholds there are also continuous (gradient) color schemes. These are useful for visualizations that color individual values. For example, stat panels and the table panel.

Continuous color modes use the percentage of a value relative to min and max to interpolate a color.

Palettes

Select a palette from the Color scheme list.

Color mode	Description
Single color	Specify a single color, useful in an override rule
From thresholds	Informs Grafana to take the color from the matching threshold
Classic palette	Grafana will assign color by looking up a color in a palette by series index. Useful for Graphs and pie charts and other categorical data visualizations
Green-Yellow-Red (by value)	Continuous color scheme
Blue-Yellow-Red (by value)	Continuous color scheme
Blues (by value)	Continuous color scheme (panel background to blue)
Reds (by value)	Continuous color scheme (panel background color to blue)
Greens (by value)	Continuous color scheme (panel background color to blue)
Purple (by value)	Continuous color scheme (panel background color to blue)

Thresholds

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Thresholds

Thresholds set the color of either the value text or the background depending on conditions that you define.

You can define thresholds one of two ways:

Absolute thresholds are defined based on a number. For example, 80 on a scale of 1 to 150.
Percentage thresholds are defined relative to minimum or maximum. For example, 80 percent.

You can apply thresholds to most, but not all, visualizations.

Default thresholds

On visualizations that support it, Grafana sets default threshold values of:

80 = red
Base = green
Mode = Absolute

The Base value represents minus infinity. It is generally the “good” color.

Add a threshold

You can add as many thresholds to a panel as you want. Grafana automatically sorts thresholds from highest value to lowest.

Note: These instructions apply only to the Stat, Gauge, Bar gauge, and Table visualizations.

Navigate to the panel you want to add a threshold to.
Click the Field tab.
Click Add threshold.
Grafana adds a threshold with suggested numerical and color values.
Accept the recommendations or edit the new threshold.
- Edit color: Click the color dot you wish to change and then select a new color.
- Edit number: Click the number you wish to change and then enter a new number.
- Thresholds mode - Click the mode to change it for all thresholds on this panel.
Click Save to save the changes in the dashboard.

Add a threshold to a Graph (old) panel

In the Graph panel visualization, thresholds allow you to add arbitrary lines or sections to the graph to make it easier to see when the graph crosses a particular threshold.

Navigate to the graph panel you want to add a threshold to.
On the Panel tab, click Thresholds.
Click Add threshold.
Fill in as many fields as you want. Only the T1 fields are required.
- T1 - Both values are required to display a threshold.
  - lt or gt - Select lt for less than or gt for greater than to indicate what the threshold applies to.
  - Value - Enter a threshold value. Grafana draws a threshold line along the Y-axis at that value.
- Color - Choose a condition that corresponds to a color, or define your own color.
  - custom - You define the fill color and line color.
  - critical - Fill and line color are red.
  - warning - Fill and line color are yellow.
  - ok - Fill and line color are green.
- Fill - Controls whether the threshold fill is displayed.
- Line - Controls whether the threshold line is displayed.
- Y-Axis - Choose left or right.
Click Save to save the changes in the dashboard.

Delete a threshold

Navigate to the panel you want to add a threshold to.
Click the Field tab. (Or Panel tab for a graph panel.)
Click the trash can icon next to the threshold you want to remove.
Click Save to save the changes in the dashboard.

Value mappings

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Value mappings

Value mapping concept allow you to replace values or ranges in your visualizations with words or emojis.

Values mapped via value mappings will skip the unit formatting. This means that a text value mapped to a numerical value will not be formatted using the configured unit.

If value mappings are present in a panel, then Grafana displays a summary in the side pane of the panel editor.

Note: The new value mappings are not compatible with some visualizations, such as Graph (old), Text, and Heatmap.

Value mapping examples

Value mappings are displayed differently in different visualizations.

Time series example

Here’s an example showing a Time series visualization with value mappings. Value mapping colors are not applied to this visualization, but the display text is shown on the axis.

Stat example

Here’s an example showing a Stat visualization with value mappings. You might want to hide the sparkline so it doesn’t interfere with the values. Value mapping text colors are applied.

Bar gauge example

Here’s an example showing a Bar gauge visualization with value mappings. The value mapping colors are applied to the text but not the gauges.

Table example

Here’s an example showing a Table visualization with value mappings. If you want value mapping colors displayed on the table, then set the cell display mode to Color text or Color background.

Value mappings fields

This section describes options in the Value mappings user interface.

Note: Display text and Color are both optional. If you want to only assign colors to the text values, then you can leave the display text empty and the original value is displayed.

Condition

This column lists the type of condition a value mapping is triggered by and the values.

You can map values to three different conditions:

Value maps text values to a color or different display text. For example, if a value is 10, I want Grafana to display Perfection! rather than the number.
Range maps numerical ranges to a display text and color. For example, if a value is within a certain range, I want Grafana to display Low or High rather than the number.
Special maps special values like Null, NaN (not a number), and boolean values like true and false to a display text and color. For example, if Grafana encounters a null, I want Grafana to display N/A.

You can also use the dots on the left as a “handle” to drag and reorder value mappings in the list.

Display text

The display text is what Grafana displays instead of a number when the listed condition is met.

You can enter any Ascii character or emoji in this field.

Color

You can select a color to for Grafana to display the value mapping text in.

Set color - Click Set color to see a range of recommended colors. Click Custom to choose your own color.
Text color - The primary text color for the current theme, i.e. white in dark theme and black in light theme.
Transparent - Makes the color transparent so that the value mapping color shows whatever color is behind it, such as a panel background color.

Copy icon

Click the copy icon in the value mapping row that you want to copy.

Trash icon

Click the trash can icon to delete a value mapping. Once deleted, you cannot recover it.

Map a value

Create a mapping for a single value.

Open the panel editor.
In the Value mappings section of the side pane, click Add value mappings.
Click Add a new mapping and then select Value.
Enter the exact value for Grafana to match.
(Optional) Enter display text.
(Optional) Set the color.
Click Update to save the value mapping.

Map a range

Create a mapping for a range of values.

Open the panel editor.
In the Value mappings section of the side pane, click Add value mappings.
Click Add a new mapping and then select Range.
Enter the beginning and ending values in the range for Grafana to match.
(Optional) Enter display text.
(Optional) Set the color.
Click Update to save the value mapping.

Map a special value

Create a mapping for a special value.

Open the panel editor.
In the Value mappings section of the side pane, click Add value mappings.
Click Add a new mapping and then select Special.
Select the special value for Grafana to match. Options include:
- Null
- NaN (Not a Number)
- Null + NaN
- True
- False
- Empty
(Optional) Enter display text.
(Optional) Set the color.
Click Update to save the value mapping.

Edit a value mapping

Open the panel editor.
In the Value mappings section of the side pane, click Edit value mappings.
Make any necessary changes in the fields and then click Update.

Calculations list

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List of calculations

This topic lists and defines calculations used in Grafana.

Among other places, these calculations are used in the Transform tab and the bar gauge, gauge, and stat visualizations.

Calculation	Description
All nulls	true when all values are null
All zeros	true when all values are 0
Change count	number of times the field’s value changes
Count	number of values in a field
Delta	cumulative change in value
Difference	difference between first and last value of a field
Difference percent	percentage change between first and last value of a field
Distinct count	number of unique values in a field
First (not null)	first, not null value in a field
Max	maximum value of a field
Mean	mean value of all values in a field
Min	minimum value of a field
Min (above zero)	minimum, positive value of a field
Range	difference between maximum and minimum values of a field
Step	minimal interval between values of a field
Total	sum of all values in a field

Field overrides

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Field overrides

Overrides allow you to change the settings for one or more fields. Field options for overrides are exactly the same as the field options available in a particular visualization. The only difference is that you choose which fields to apply them to.

For example, you could change the number of decimal places shown in all numeric fields or columns by changing the Decimals option for Fields with type that matches Numeric.

View existing field overrides

Navigate to the panel you want to edit, click the panel title, and then click Edit.
In the side pane, click Overrides.

Grafana displays a list of field overrides, if any have been created for this panel.

Add a field override

You can override as many fields and add as many field options to each override as you want to.

Navigate to the panel you want to edit, click the panel title, and then click Edit.
In the side pane, click Overrides.
Click Add field override.
Select which fields an override rule will be applied to:
- Fields with name - Select a field from the list of all available fields. Properties you add to a rule with this selector are only applied to this single field.
- Fields with name matching regex - Specify fields to override with a regular expression. Properties you add to a rule with this selector are applied to all fields where the field name match the regex.
- Fields with type - Select fields by type, such as string, numeric, and so on. Properties you add to a rule with this selector are applied to all fields that match the selected type.
- Fields returned by query - Select all fields returned by a specific query, such as A, B, or C. Properties you add to a rule with this selector are applied to all fields returned by the selected query.
Click Add override property.
Select the field option that you want to apply.
Enter options by adding values in the fields. To return options to default values, delete the white text in the fields.
Continue to add overrides to this field by clicking Add override property, or you can click Add override and select a different field to add overrides to.
When finished, click Save to save all panel edits to the dashboard.

Edit a field override

Navigate to the panel you want to edit, click the panel title, and then click Edit.
In the side pane, click Overrides.
Locate the override that you want to change. You can:
- Edit settings on existing overrides or field selection parameters.
- Delete existing override properties by clicking the X next to the property.
- Add additional override properties by clicking Add override property.

Delete a field override

Navigate to the panel you want to edit, click the panel title, and then click Edit.
In the side pane, click Overrides.
Click the trash can icon next to the override that you want to delete.

Example use case for field options and overrides

The following examples show how you might use field options and overrides.

Field option example

Let’s assume that our result set is a data frame that consists of two fields: time and temperature.

time	temperature
2020-01-02 03:04:00	45.0
2020-01-02 03:05:00	47.0
2020-01-02 03:06:00	48.0

Each field (column) of this structure can have field options applied that alter the way its values are displayed. This means that you can, for example, set the Unit to Temperature > Celsius, resulting in the following table:

time	temperature
2020-01-02 03:04:00	45.0 °C
2020-01-02 03:05:00	47.0 °C
2020-01-02 03:06:00	48.0 °C

While we’re at it, the decimal place doesn’t add anything to this display. You can change the Decimals from auto to zero (0), resulting in the following table:

time	temperature
2020-01-02 03:04:00	45 °C
2020-01-02 03:05:00	47 °C
2020-01-02 03:06:00	48 °C

Field override example

Let’s assume that our result set is a data frame that consists of four fields: time, high temp, low temp, and humidity.

time	high temp	low temp	humidity
2020-01-02 03:04:00	45.0	30.0	67
2020-01-02 03:05:00	47.0	34.0	68
2020-01-02 03:06:00	48.0	31.0	68

Let’s apply the field options from the field option example to apply the Celsius unit and get rid of the decimal place. This results in the following table:

time	high temp	low temp	humidity
2020-01-02 03:04:00	45 °C	30 °C	67 °C
2020-01-02 03:05:00	47 °C	34 °C	68 °C
2020-01-02 03:06:00	48 °C	31 °C	68 °C

The temperature fields look good, but the humidity is nonsensical. We can fix this by applying a field option override to the humidity field and change the unit to Misc > percent (0-100). This results in a table that makes a lot more sense:

time	high temp	low temp	humidity
2020-01-02 03:04:00	45 °C	30 °C	67%
2020-01-02 03:05:00	47 °C	34 °C	68%
2020-01-02 03:06:00	48 °C	31 °C	68%

Expressions

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Server-side expressions

Note: This documentation is for a beta feature.

Server-side expressions allow you to manipulate data returned from queries with math and other operations. Expressions create new data and do not manipulate the data returned by data sources, aside from some minor data restructuring to make the data acceptable input for expressions.

Using expressions

Expressions are primarily used by the new Grafana 8 alerts. The processing is done server-side, so expressions can operate without a browser session. However, expressions can also be used with backend data sources and visualization.

Note: Expressions do not work with legacy dashboard alerts.

Note: Expressions do not work with dashboard variables.

Expressions are meant to augment data sources by enabling queries from different data sources to be combined or by providing operations unavailable in a data source.

Note: When possible, you should do data processing inside the data source. Copying data from storage to the Grafana server for processing is inefficient, so expressions are targeted at lightweight data processing.

Expressions work with data source queries that return time series or number data. They also operate on multiple-dimensional data. For example, a query that returns multiple series, where each series is identified by labels or tags.

An individual expression takes one or more queries or other expressions as input and adds data to the result. Each individual expression or query is represented by a variable that is a named identifier known as its RefID (e.g., the default letter A or B).

To reference the output of an individual expression or a data source query in another expression, this identifier is used as a variable.

Types of expression

Expressions work with two types of data.

A collection of time series.
A collection of numbers, where each item in the collection is a single number.

Each collection is returned from a single data source query or expression and represented by the RefID. Each collection is a set, where each item in the set is uniquely identified by it dimensions which are stored as labels or key-value pairs.

Data source queries

Server-side expressions only support data source queries for backend data sources. The data is generally assumed to be labeled time series data. In the future we intended to add an assertion of the query return type (number or time series) data so expressions can handle errors better.

Data source queries, when used with expressions, are executed by the expression engine. When it does this, it restructures data to be either one time series or one number per data frame. So for example if using a data source that returns multiple series on one frame in the table view, you might notice it looks different when executed with expressions.

Currently, the only non-time series format (number) is supported when using data frames are you have a table response that returns a data frame with no time, string columns, and one number column:

Loc	Host	Avg_CPU
MIA	A	1
NYC	B	2

will produce a number that works with expressions. The string columns become labels and the number column the corresponding value. For example {"Loc": "MIA", "Host": "A"} with a value of 1.

Operations

You can use the following operations in expressions: math, reduce, and resample.

Math

Math is for free-form math formulas on time series or number data. Math operations take numbers and time series as input and changes them to different numbers and time series.

Data from other queries or expressions are referenced with the RefID prefixed with a dollar sign, for example $A. If the variable has spaces in the name, then you can use a brace syntax like ${my variable}.

Numeric constants may be in decimal (2.24), octal (with a leading zero like 072), or hex (with a leading 0x like 0x2A). Exponentials and signs are also supported (e.g., -0.8e-2).

Operators

The arithmetic (+, binary and unary -, *, /, %, exponent **), relational (<, >, ==, !=, >=, <=), and logical (&&, ||, and unary !) operators are supported.

How the operation behaves with data depends on if it is a number or time series data.

With binary operations, such as $A + $B or $A || $B, the operator is applied in the following ways depending on the type of data:

If both $A and $B are a number, then the operation is performed between the two numbers.
If one variable is a number, and the other variable is a time series, then the operation between the value of each point in the time series and the number is performed.
If both $A and $B are time series data, then the operation between each value in the two series is performed for each time stamp that exists in both $A and $B. The Resample operation can be used to line up time stamps. (Note: in the future, we plan to add options to the Math operation for different behaviors).

So in summary:

Number OP number = number
Number OP series = series
Series OP series = series

Because expressions work with multiple series or numbers represented by a single variable, binary operations also perform a union (join) between the two variables. This is done based on the identifying labels associated with each individual series or number.

So if you have numbers with labels like {host=web01} in $A and another number in $B with the same labels then the operation is performed between those two items within each variable, and the result will share the same labels. The rules for the behavior of this union are as follows:

An item with no labels will join to anything.
If both $A and $B each contain only one item (one series, or one number), they will join.
If labels are exact math they will join.
If labels are a subset of the other, for example and item in $A is labeled {host=A,dc=MIA} and and item in $B is labeled {host=A} they will join.
Currently, if within a variable such as $A there are different tag keys for each item, the join behavior is undefined.

The relational and logical operators return 0 for false 1 for true.

Math Functions

While most functions exist in the own expression operations, the math operation does have some functions that similar to math operators or symbols. When functions can take either numbers or series, than the same type as the argument will be returned. When it is a series, the operation of performed for the value of each point in the series.

abs

abs returns the absolute value of its argument which can be a number or a series. For example abs(-1) or abs($A).

log

Log returns the natural logarithm of of its argument which can be a number or a series. If the value is less than 0, NaN is returned. For example log(-1) or log($A).

inf, nan, and null

The inf, nan, and null functions all return a single value of the name. They primarily exist for testing. Example: null(). (Note: inf always returns positive infinity, should probably change this to take an argument so it can return negative infinity).

Reduce

Reduce takes one or more time series returned from a query or an expression and turns each series into a single number. The labels of the time series are kept as labels on each outputted reduced number.

Fields:

Function - The reduction function to use
Input - The variable (refID (such as A)) to resample

Reduction Functions

Note: In the future we plan to add options to control empty, NaN, and null behavior for reduction functions.

Count

Count returns the number of points in each series.

Mean

Mean returns the total of all values in each series divided by the number of points in that series. If any values in the series are null or nan, or if the series is empty, NaN is returned.

Min and Max

Min and Max return the smallest or largest value in the series respectively. If any values in the series are null or nan, or if the series is empty, NaN is returned.

Sum

Sum returns the total of all values in the series. If series is of zero length, the sum will be 0. If there are any NaN or Null values in the series, NaN is returned.

Resample

Resample changes the time stamps in each time series to have a consistent time interval. The main use case is so you can resample time series that do not share the same timestamps so math can be performed between them. This can be done by resample each of the two series, and then in a Math operation referencing the resampled variables.

Fields:

Input - The variable of time series data (refID (such as A)) to resample
Resample to - The duration of time to resample to, for example 10s. Units may be s seconds, m for minutes, h for hours, d for days, w for weeks, and y of years.
Downsample - The reduction function to use when there are more than one data point per window sample. See the reduction operation for behavior details.
Upsample - The method to use to fill a window sample that has no data points.
- pad fills with the last know value
- backfill with next known value
- fillna to fill empty sample windows with NaNs

Repeat panels or rows

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Repeat panels or rows

Grafana lets you create dynamic dashboards using template variables. All variables in your queries expand to the current value of the variable before the query is sent to the database. Variables let you reuse a single dashboard for all your services.

Template variables can be very useful to dynamically change your queries across a whole dashboard. If you want Grafana to dynamically create new panels or rows based on what values you have selected, you can use the Repeat feature.

Grafana Play examples

You can see examples in the following dashboards:

Repeating panels

If you have a variable with Multi-value or Include all value options enabled you can choose one panel and have Grafana repeat that panel for every selected value. You find the Repeat feature under the General tab in panel edit mode.

The direction controls how the panels will be arranged.

By choosing horizontal the panels will be arranged side-by-side. Grafana will automatically adjust the width of each repeated panel so that the whole row is filled. Currently, you cannot mix other panels on a row with a repeated panel.

Set Max per row to tell grafana how many panels per row you want at most. It defaults to 4 if you don’t set anything.

By choosing vertical the panels will be arranged from top to bottom in a column. The width of the repeated panels will be the same as of the first panel (the original template) being repeated.

Only make changes to the first panel (the original template). To have the changes take effect on all panels you need to trigger a dynamic dashboard re-build. You can do this by either changing the variable value (that is the basis for the repeat) or reload the dashboard.

Note: Repeating panels require variables to have one or more items selected; you cannot repeat a panel zero times to hide it.

Repeating rows

As seen above with the panels you can also repeat rows if you have variables set with Multi-value or Include all value selection option.

To enable this feature you need to first add a new Row using the Add Panel menu. Then by hovering the row title and clicking on the cog button, you will access the Row Options configuration panel. You can then select the variable you want to repeat the row for.

It may be a good idea to use a variable in the row title as well.

Panel options

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Panel options

Panel options are common to all panels. They are basic options to add information and clarity to your panels. Fields are described below.

While not required, we recommend that you add a helpful title and description to all panels.

Title

Text entered in this field is displayed at the top of your panel in the panel editor and in the dashboard. You can use variables you have defined in either field, but not global variables.

Description

Text entered in this field is displayed in a tooltip in the upper left corner of the panel. Write a description of the panel and the data you are displaying. Pretend you are explaining it to a new user six months from now, when it is no longer fresh in your mind. Future editors (possibly yourself) will thank you.

You can use variables you have defined in either field, but not global variables.

Transparent background

Toggle the transparent background option on your panel display.

Panel links

For more information, refer to Panel links.

Repeat options

For more information, refer to Repeat panels or rows.

Legend options

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Legend options

Use the legend to adjust how a visualization displays series. This legend functionality only applies to a few panels now, but it will eventually be common to all visualizations.

This topic currently applies to the following visualizations:

Toggle series

To toggle a series: Click on the series label in the legend to isolate the series in the visualization. All other series are hidden in the visualization. The data of the hidden series is still accessible.

Use Cmd/Ctrl+click on the series label to hide the isolated series and remove the toggle.

Note: This option is persistent when you save the dashboard.

This creates a system override that hides the other series. You can view this override in the Overrides tab. If you delete the override, then it removes the toggle.

Change series color

Click on the series icon (colored line beside the series label) in the legend to change selected series color.

Panels on Grafana Labs

Add a panel

Add a panel

1. Add a panel to a dashboard

2. Write a query

3. Choose a visualization type

4. (Optional) Edit panel settings

5. Apply changes and save

What next?

Panel editor

Panel editor

Open the panel editor

Parts of the panel editor

Header

Visualization preview

Data section (bottom pane)

Panel display options (side pane)

Field options

Field overrides

Queries

Queries

Query editors

Query syntax

Query tab UI

Data source selector

Query options

Examples:

Query inspector button

Query editor list

Expressions

Share query results

Share query results between panels

Transformations

Transformations

Order of transformations

Prerequisites

Inspect a panel

Inspect a panel

Panel inspector UI

Panel inspector tasks

Open the panel inspector

Inspect raw query results

Download raw query results as CSV

Download log results

Inspect query performance

View panel JSON model

View raw request and response to data source

Library panels

Library panels

Create a library panel

Add a library panel

Manage library panels

Unlink a library panel

Delete a library panel

Visualization options

Visualization options

Standard field options

Standard field options

Decimals

Data links

Display name

Max

Min

No value

Unit

Custom units

String units

Color scheme

Color by value

Palettes

Thresholds

Thresholds

Default thresholds

Add a threshold

Add a threshold to a Graph (old) panel

Delete a threshold

Value mappings

Value mappings

Value mapping examples

Time series example