Monitoring & Observability
Grafana visualizes metrics, logs, and traces through dashboards.
On this page
Use this page for fast recall. Use Full documentation when you want the complete end-to-end path.
A simple 5-step flow you can follow when using Grafana in real work.
1) Setup
Install/run the tool and confirm version. Create a minimal config.
2) Small change
Do one small action end-to-end to prove the workflow.
3) Validate
Check output, logs, and status. Catch mistakes early.
4) Automate
Convert it into a repeatable script or pipeline step.
5) Productionize
Add safety: secrets, rollback, observability, and docs.
These are practical sequences you can copy into your own checklist or runbook.
Goal: Make dashboards that answer real operational questions.
- Start with golden signals (latency, errors, traffic, saturation).
- Add one panel per question; keep it simple and consistent.
- Use variables for env/service; avoid heavy queries per panel.
- Create an alert only after you can interpret the graph.
- Attach a runbook link and verify alert routing.
- Data sources
- Panels
- Alerts
Learning path (high-level):
- Dashboard basics
- Alerting
- Cross-signal analysis
Run Grafana
Command
docker run -p 3001:3000 grafana/grafanaLogin admin/admin
Add Prometheus data source
Short descriptions and practical intent. Search, filter, copy, and reuse.
Showing 7
docker logs <grafana-container>Inspect Grafana server logs.
curl http://localhost:3001/api/healthCheck Grafana health endpoint.
grafana-cli plugins list-remoteList available Grafana plugins.
grafana-cli plugins install <plugin-id>Install plugin (self-managed).
curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer <token>' http://localhost:3001/api/datasourcesList data sources via API.
curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer <token>' http://localhost:3001/api/searchList dashboards via API.
curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer <token>' http://localhost:3001/api/alertsList alerts via API.
Small blocks you can drop into your terminal, config, or runbook.
Health check (API)
bash
curl -fsS http://localhost:3001/api/health | jq .When things break, follow this order to stay calm and move fast.
- If panels are blank: verify datasource, time range, and query syntax.
- If Grafana is slow: reduce panel query complexity and refresh rate.
The common mistakes that slow people down when using Grafana.
- Copy-pasting commands without understanding inputs/outputs and side effects.
- Not documenting defaults (ports, paths, credentials) and then getting stuck in prod.
- Skipping logs and metrics when troubleshooting; always collect evidence first.
Do these tasks in order. You will feel the tool instead of just reading about it.
- Install or run the tool locally (or in Docker) and verify it works with a hello-world action.
- Create a minimal config and run the most common command 3 times (with a small change each time).
- Break something on purpose and document how you debugged it in your Notes.
Use these to test if you truly understand the basics (and can explain them clearly).
- Explain the tool’s role in a real CI/CD pipeline from commit to production.
- Describe the most common failure you’ve seen with this tool and how you fixed it.
- What would you monitor/alert on for this tool in production?