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Section 1 · Integration fundamentals

How an integration differs from a data source connection

Estimated time: 1 min

Integrations compared to data sources

The main difference between an integration and a data source is where your data lives:

Integration: Data is collected and stored in Grafana Cloud. You get prebuilt dashboards and alerts built for that technology, ready to use.
Data source connection: Your data stays where it already lives, and you query and visualize it through Grafana Cloud. You generally build your own dashboards and alert rules. You can still alert on a data source. Some services offer both an integration and a data source.

When to use each

Use a data source connection when:

You want to visualize data where it already lives.
Cost or retention limits keep data out of Grafana Cloud.
Compliance requires data to stay in its current location.

Use an integration when:

You want to get started quickly.
You want prebuilt dashboards and alerts.
You want your data stored and managed in Grafana Cloud.