---
title: "I want to start collecting data from a host or app | Grafana Labs"
description: "You install a collector as part of an integration and get dashboards for one technology"
---

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

Section 2 · Choose a starting point

You install a collector as part of an integration and get dashboards for one technology

Estimated time: 2 min

## I want to start collecting data from a host or app

Suppose you run a Linux host, a MySQL server, or an NGINX web server, and nothing is collecting monitoring data from it yet. You could set up a collector yourself, work out which signals matter for your technology, and build dashboards and alerts around them. Or you can let Grafana Cloud do that work for you with an **integration**, a packaged setup for monitoring one technology.

Here’s what an integration does:

- Installs a collector, called **Grafana Alloy**, that reads data from the host or app and sends it to Grafana Cloud
- Gives you prebuilt **dashboards** you can use for monitoring right away
- Often includes alerts that notify you when something needs attention

## Considerations

- **You install and run software**: Alloy runs on the machine you’re monitoring, so you need command line access and admin access on that machine.
- **What you send counts toward usage**: The **metrics** your host sends to Grafana Cloud count toward your plan’s usage.

## Before you start

- A Grafana Cloud account: [sign up free](/signup/cloud/connect-account) if you don’t have one
- The **Admin** role in your Grafana Cloud stack
- A machine you can install software on, with command line access and admin access
- Outbound HTTPS (port 443) to `*.grafana.net`

## Try it yourself

The guide below runs in your own Grafana Cloud stack. You pick an integration, install the collector on your machine with the command it gives you, and end on a prebuilt dashboard showing the host’s data.

#### Monitor a host or service with an integration

Complete this interactive guide directly in your Grafana Cloud stack with an interactive learning experience.

[Open in Grafana Cloud]()