---
title: "Data source connections overview | Grafana Labs"
description: "Query existing monitoring data without storing it in Grafana Cloud"
---

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

## Query data in place

Unlike integrations or remote write, data source connections don’t require you to send any data to Grafana Cloud. Instead, Grafana queries your existing systems directly — the data stays where it is.

| Data source       | What you can query                                 |
|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| **Prometheus**    | Query your existing Prometheus servers directly    |
| **CloudWatch**    | Query AWS metrics without storing in Grafana Cloud |
| **Azure Monitor** | Direct queries to Azure metrics and logs           |
| **Elasticsearch** | Visualize existing log data                        |
| **InfluxDB**      | Query time-series data in place                    |
| **SQL databases** | Query PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery directly         |

## Questions answered

| With Data Source Connections, you can answer…                     |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| How do metrics from my existing Prometheus compare to CloudWatch? |
| What’s happening across all my monitoring tools in one view?      |
| Can I correlate my Elasticsearch logs with Prometheus metrics?    |
| What does my data look like without storing it in Grafana Cloud?  |

## Problems solved

| Problem                                    | How data source connections help                    |
|--------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Don’t want to store data in Grafana Cloud  | Query data where it lives                           |
| Already invested in other monitoring tools | Keep using them, visualize in Grafana               |
| Data residency requirements                | Data never leaves your infrastructure               |
| Need unified view of disparate systems     | Single pane of glass for all data sources           |
| Data sources on private network            | Private Data Source Connect (PDC) for secure access |

## Architecture

[Data Source Connections Architecture - Data stays in your infrastructure while Grafana Cloud queries on demand](grafana-cloud-data-source-connections-1.svg "Data Source Connections Architecture - Data stays in your infrastructure while Grafana Cloud queries on demand")

> **Your data never moves.** Perfect for when you can’t store data in Grafana Cloud or you want to evaluate Grafana with existing data.