Choose a starting point on Grafana Labs

Choose a starting point

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

Choose a starting point

The first four starting points get you started working with your data, whether Grafana Cloud queries it where it lives or stores what you send.

The last two walk you through putting an endpoint under load or checking that a site stays up.

If you’d rather see Grafana Cloud working with data in it first, skip to Tour Grafana Cloud.

Starting points

I have data in another system and want to query it there

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

I have data in another system and want to query it there

A system like MySQL or PostgreSQL already holds your data. You want to query it, not move it.

You add a data source: A connection from Grafana Cloud to the place that holds data
Grafana Cloud queries the data in place; nothing gets copied in
Grafana Cloud has to reach that system over the network

Considerations

Nothing new to install: You configure a connection. The system that holds the data keeps running as it is.
No new storage cost: The data isn’t copied into Grafana Cloud, so it doesn’t add to the usage Grafana Cloud bills for.
You write the queries: Each data source has its own query editor and query language. For example, data that lives in MySQL is queried in SQL.
You build the dashboards: This option doesn’t install any dashboards for you. Once the connection works, you run queries in Explore, the page where you query a data source, and then build a dashboard from the query results.
Data on a private network: If Grafana Cloud can’t reach the system over the internet, configure private data source connect, a private connection between Grafana Cloud and your network.

Before you start

A Grafana Cloud account: sign up free if you don’t have one
The Admin role in your Grafana Cloud stack. Only administrators can add data sources.
A system Grafana Cloud can reach, for example MySQL or PostgreSQL

Try it yourself

The guide below runs in your own Grafana Cloud stack. You add the data source, fill in its connection details, test it, and run a first query in Explore.

Connect a data source and query it

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

Open in Grafana Cloud

I want to start collecting data from a host or app

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

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 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

I already run a collector and want to send data to Grafana Cloud

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

I already run a collector and want to send data to Grafana Cloud

Suppose you already run a collector, a tool that gathers data and sends it somewhere, for example Prometheus or Graphite. You want that data in Grafana Cloud, but you don’t want to change how you collect it. That’s when you point the tool you already run at Grafana Cloud.

Here’s what this option does:

Changes only the destination, so how you collect stays the same
Stores what your collector sends in Grafana Cloud, where you can query it
Installs nothing new on your machines

Considerations

What you send counts toward usage: Usage-based billing works differently for each signal type. For details, refer to Grafana Cloud pricing.
Dashboards come after collection: You build dashboards and alerts once your data has been collected.
The guide details one method: Sending metrics, numbers recorded over time, from Prometheus, using its remote write feature. For other collectors and methods, refer to Send data from external collectors.

Before you start

A Grafana Cloud account: sign up free if you don’t have one
The Admin role in your Grafana Cloud stack. Your tool authenticates with a token, a generated credential, and creating one takes an administrator.
A collector already running, for example Prometheus or Graphite

Try it yourself

The guide below runs in your own Grafana Cloud stack. You collect your stack’s connection details and a token, point Prometheus at Grafana Cloud with its remote write feature, and confirm data is arriving with a query in Explore.

Prometheus is the example, but the pattern is the same for any collector: Gather connection details, point the tool at Grafana Cloud, and confirm data arrives.

Send data from a collector you already run

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

Open in Grafana Cloud

I have an app and want to send its telemetry

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

I have an app and want to send its telemetry

Suppose you have an app and want to see how it behaves in production. You want to know how fast requests run, where errors happen, and what a slow request touched along the way. That’s when you instrument it with OpenTelemetry, an open standard for producing telemetry from your own code.

Here’s what this option does:

Adds an agent or SDK to your app that produces metrics, logs, and traces
Sends all three to the OTLP endpoint, a single Grafana Cloud destination that accepts them all
Stores the data in Grafana Cloud, where you can query it, visualize it, and alert on it

Considerations

Setup depends on your language: Grafana Cloud has guided setup for Java and .NET apps, and for apps already instrumented with OpenTelemetry. For other languages, you instrument with OpenTelemetry’s own SDKs.
Kubernetes apps can skip manual setup: If your app runs on Kubernetes, Instrumentation Hub, a setup tool in Grafana Cloud in public preview, discovers your services and adds OpenTelemetry instrumentation for you, without code changes or image rebuilds. Refer to Set up with Instrumentation Hub.
Production setups add a collector: For production, Grafana Labs recommends running Grafana Alloy, a collector, between your app and Grafana Cloud. For development and testing, your app can send straight to the endpoint. The tools aren’t split by job: Alloy can also collect app telemetry, and OpenTelemetry can also collect infrastructure data. This starting point just uses OpenTelemetry to instrument an app.
What you send counts toward usage: Usage-based billing works differently for each signal type. For details, refer to Grafana Cloud pricing.
Application Observability costs extra: Once your data is flowing, you can optionally activate Application Observability, a ready-made view of your services and their health. It’s a paid feature, built on the Knowledge Graph, which discovers your services and surfaces insights about issues.

Before you start

A Grafana Cloud account: sign up free if you don’t have one
The Admin role in your Grafana Cloud stack. Your app authenticates with a token, and creating one takes an administrator.
An app you can add instrumentation to and redeploy, or the demo data below if you don’t have one yet

Try it yourself

The guide below runs in your own Grafana Cloud stack. You open the OpenTelemetry connection setup, create a token, copy the configuration into your app, and confirm data is arriving with a query in Explore. If you’re an administrator, an optional last section activates Application Observability so you can see your service in its catalog.

Send your app's telemetry to Grafana Cloud

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

Open in Grafana Cloud

Don’t have an instrumented app?

Install the demo data instead. It’s the telemetry of a fictional pizza service, stored in hosted data sources that are free to use, so you can see what an instrumented app looks like in Grafana Cloud before you instrument your own.

Explore demo data from an instrumented app

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

Open in Grafana Cloud

I want to load-test an endpoint

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

I want to load-test an endpoint

Suppose you want to see how an endpoint behaves under load before your users find out for you. That’s when you use Grafana Cloud k6, which includes the Test Builder, a form for creating a performance test.

Here’s what this option does:

Builds the test in a form, so there’s no script to write
Runs the test from Grafana Cloud, so you don’t install k6 or run anything on your laptop

Considerations

Real requests against a real endpoint: The test generates actual load, which is why you need permission for the target. https://quickpizza.grafana.com exists so you can try without owning one.
A test runs and ends: It measures how the endpoint behaves under that load, then stops. For a continuous is-the-site-up signal, use I want to know if a site is up.

Before you start

A Grafana Cloud account: sign up free if you don’t have one
The Editor or Admin role in your Grafana Cloud stack. Viewers can look at tests and results but can’t run tests.
An endpoint you have permission to test, or you can use https://quickpizza.grafana.com

Try it yourself

The guide below runs in your own Grafana Cloud stack. You create a test in the Test Builder, run it against an endpoint, and open the results.

Run a load test in the Test Builder

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

Open in Grafana Cloud

I want to know if a site is up

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:59:53 -0500

I want to know if a site is up

Suppose you want to know whether a site or API is reachable, and you’d rather hear about an outage from your monitoring than from your users. That’s when you use Synthetic Monitoring, which runs continuous checks from locations around the world, called probes.

Here’s what this option does:

Supports several kinds of check. The simplest is a ping check, which sends a network packet to the target and waits for a response
Runs checks from probes operated by Grafana Labs, so nothing gets installed or runs on your machine
Gives you a dashboard for each check, so you can watch results as they arrive

Considerations

A view from outside: Probes check your target from around the world, catching availability and performance issues your own network might not show.
It keeps running: Checking continues after you close the browser, and it doesn’t stop until you disable or delete the check.
Not a load test: These checks ask whether the target is up. To see how an endpoint behaves under load, refer to I want to load-test an endpoint.

Before you start

A Grafana Cloud account: sign up free if you don’t have one
The Editor or Admin role in your Grafana Cloud stack to create checks
The Admin role if Synthetic Monitoring isn’t set up in your stack yet. Setting it up the first time needs an administrator.

Try it yourself

The guide below runs in your own Grafana Cloud stack. You set up Synthetic Monitoring if your stack doesn’t have it yet, create a ping check, and open the check’s dashboard to watch results come in.

Create your first uptime check

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

Open in Grafana Cloud