---
title: "What are data sources? | Grafana Labs"
description: "Understanding data sources in Grafana."
---

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

## The bridge between data and dashboards, alerts, and exploration

A data source is:

- A **connection** to an external data system
- A **translator** that converts queries into the right format
- An **authenticator** that manages secure access to your systems

[Data sources connect your external systems to Grafana's unified view](data-source-bridge.svg "Data sources connect your external systems to Grafana's unified view")

## Why this matters

| Without data sources    | With data sources                 |
|-------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| No data to visualize    | Connect to 150+ supported systems |
| Siloed monitoring tools | Unified dashboards                |
| Multiple logins         | Single pane of glass              |