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InfluxDB

InfluxDB to Grafana Cloud

What it’s for: Teams with existing InfluxDB infrastructure who want to send metrics to Grafana Cloud.

For InfluxDB metrics, you can use either the InfluxDB exporter or Telegraf as a bridge to Grafana Cloud.

InfluxDB to Grafana Cloud flow

Option 1: InfluxDB exporter

Best for: Teams who want to keep existing InfluxDB writers unchanged

ProsCons
No changes to InfluxDB writersRequires running the exporter service
Transparent protocol translationSome InfluxDB features don’t map cleanly
Can remote write directly to Grafana CloudAdditional component to maintain
Supports InfluxDB line protocol v1 and v2

Option 2: Telegraf

ProsCons
Direct push via Prometheus remote writeAnother tool to manage
Simple configurationInfluxData ecosystem
Well-documented, mature

Documentation

View the full documentation. Learning path coming soon!

Script

If you have metrics in InfluxDB format, you have two main options for sending them to Grafana Cloud: the InfluxDB exporter and Telegraf.

The InfluxDB exporter acts as a bridge. It receives InfluxDB line protocol data and converts it to Prometheus format. You can either have Prometheus scrape the exporter, or configure the exporter to remote write directly to Grafana Cloud. This is useful if you have existing systems writing InfluxDB line protocol and you don’t want to modify them.

Telegraf is InfluxData’s collection agent that can push InfluxDB metrics directly to Grafana Cloud using Prometheus remote write. If you’re already using Telegraf or want a simpler push-based approach, this is a good option.

Both approaches work well. The InfluxDB exporter is better if you want to keep your existing writers unchanged. Telegraf is simpler if you want a direct push model.

Keep in mind that InfluxDB and Prometheus have different data models, so some metrics may need mapping adjustments. Both tools handle common cases automatically, but complex schemas might need configuration.

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