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Use Azure Monitor dashboards with Grafana

This article explains how to use Azure Monitor dashboards with Grafana.

Prerequisites

  • Running Azure resources that have created data over at least a 15-minute period.
  • Assigned Monitoring Reader for access to Azure Managed Prometheus (Azure Monitor Workspace).

For more information about RBAC and assigning roles, see Azure RBAC.

Use dashboard templates

Azure managed template dashboards help you get started quickly with pre-provisioned and automatically updated dashboards for frequently used Azure resources and Azure Kubernetes Services. They're identified with an Azure-managed tag.

Screenshot of Azure managed template listing the gallery.

Use the following steps to use the Grafana dashboards that are already available in the Azure portal.

  1. Navigate to Azure Monitor in the Azure portal.
  2. Select Dashboards with Grafana.
  3. Browse the list of available dashboards in the Azure Monitor or Azure Managed Prometheus listings.
  4. Select a dashboard, for example Azure | Insights | Storage Accounts or Azure | Insights | Key Vaults.
  5. Choose a subscription and resource group where the target resource exists. The dashboard loads based on the dashboard you chose and the selected resources.

Other Azure resources with built-in dashboard templates include the following. Access from the Monitoring > Dashboards with Grafana menu item for the following resources:

  • Azure Kubernetes
  • AKS Automatic
  • AKS Arc
  • App Insights
  • Azure Container Apps
  • Azure Monitor Workspace

Create a new Grafana dashboard

  1. Select New > New Dashboard from within the Grafana interface.
  2. Select Add visualization.
  3. Choose a supported data source (Azure Monitor, Azure Data Explorer or Prometheus) for the first panel.
  4. Add panels using built-in or code-based query editors.

Save a copy of a dashboard

You can choose Save As to save the dashboard to your subscription and make edits without affecting the original dashboard.

  1. Open the dashboard.
  2. Choose Save As.
  3. Enter a title in the Title field.
  4. Choose the subscription for the dashboard from the Subscription dropdown list.
  5. Choose the resource group from the Resource Group dropdown list.
  6. Choose the location (region) from the Location dropdown list.
  7. Select Save.
  8. Select Yes to open the dashboard copy and begin editing.

Edit a dashboard

Note

Editing tools and behavior follow standard Grafana open-source controls.

  1. Open an editable dashboard (created or imported).
  2. Select Edit to modify panels, queries, and visualizations.

For more details on editing a Grafana dashboard, see the Grafana documentation.

Import Grafana dashboards using JSON

The following instructions assume you signed in to your Azure account, are in the Azure Monitor area of the Azure portal, and selected Dashboards with Grafana.

Using the Grafana website window or tab, navigate to the dashboard you want to import.

  1. Download the JSON file for the dashboard.
  2. Using the Azure portal window or tab, on the Dashboards with Grafana screen, select New > Import.
  3. Select the JSON file.
  4. Select Load.
  5. Enter a name for the dashboard.
  6. Select the subscription, resource group, and region.
  1. Visit the Grafana dashboard gallery.
  2. Locate a dashboard using a JSON file or Dashboard ID.
  3. On the Azure Monitor page in the Azure portal, open Import in Azure Monitor dashboards.
  4. Enter the Dashboard ID or upload the corresponding JSON file.
  5. Follow the import steps listed above.

Note

Only Azure Monitor and Prometheus dashboards using supported data sources can be imported.

Use Explore to copy and edit a query and panel

You can copy and edit a query and panel without breaking or changing the original query with the Explore feature.

  1. Select the resource you want to monitor, for example an AKS cluster.
  2. Select Dashboards with Grafana. A list of available dashboards appears.
  3. Select a dashboard, for example the Kubernetes | Compute Resources | Cluster dashboard.
  4. Select the vertical ellipsis in one of the panels in the dashboard, then select Explore. The Explore screen appears. A copy of query of the panel is copied (populated) to the new screen for you to work with.
  5. You can now edit the copied query without breaking or changing the original query.

Save the new panel to a dashboard

When you are happy with the results of the changes you made to the copied query and the panel, you can save it to a dashboard.

  1. Select Add to dashboard. The Add Panel to Dashboard screen appears.
  2. From the Subscription dropdown list, select the subscription you want to work with.
  3. From the Resource groups dropdown list, select the resource group you want to work with. A list of dashboard for that resource group appears.
  4. Select the dashboard from the list. The dashboard screen appears with the new query and panel added to it. Alternatively, you can create a new dashboard by selecting New dashboard.
  1. From the resource page in the Azure portal, select Dashboards with Grafana. The Explore screen appears without data.
  2. Select Select a resource and then select a resource from the list of resources in the subscription you are currently working with.
  3. Select the metric, aggregation, time grain, and dimensions for the query and panel.
  4. When you are happy with the query and the panel, select Add to dashboard to save it to a dashboard or create a new dashboard by selecting New dashboard.

For more information about Grafana Explore, see the Grafana documentation.

Dashboards that you import or create require RBAC access configuration to share them with specific people or groups.

  1. Open the dashboard.
  2. Select Share. The Share Dashboard pane opens. Copy the link to the dashboard to your clipboard.
  3. Review sharing options:
    • People with this link can edit - Enabling this option creates a link that opens the dashboard in the standard view and provides the ability to edit for users with the required dashboard write permissions. Disabling this option creates a link that opens the dashboard in a view-only mode for all users.
    • Lock time range - If the dashboard is using a relative time range e.g. now-30m to now, enabling this option converts the time range in the link to an absolute time range. This enables link recipients to view the same absolute time range as used when shared.
    • Keep variables - If the dashboard includes variables, enabling this option retains the current values of the variables and includes them in the generated link.
  4. Select Manage sharing options to use the RBAC workflow for granting view or edit access to users or groups. The Reader role is required for viewing the dashboard. Contributor is required to edit the dashboard. The link recipient will also need access to any data source used in the content of this Grafana dashboard. Monitoring Reader role is required for Azure Monitor data and Monitoring Data Reader is required for Prometheus data.

    Note

    'Microsoft.Dashboard/dashboard/read' and 'Microsoft.Dashboard/dashboard/write' can also be used to assign permissions with more fine-grained control.

  5. Copy the link to the dashboard to your clipboard.
  6. Paste the link into your preferred communication method to share it.

Tag a dashboard

Azure Monitor dashboards with Grafana tags are managed using Azure tags. Open-source Grafana dashboard tags remain in the dashboard JSON during import and export but are not used for populating Azure tags.

To add Dashboard tags to a saved dashboard, add or update the Azure tag with the key GrafanaDashboardTags with your tag names using commas to separate entries.

Screenshot of tagging interface.

Dashboards created or saved from the context of an Azure Kubernetes Service cluster automatically have the Azure tag GrafanaDashboardResourceType added. For example, dashboards created or saved from the context of an Azure Kubernetes Service cluster automatically have the Azure tag GrafanaDashboardResourceType: microsoft.ContainerService/managedClusters added. You can also add this tag to a saved dashboard to be able to access and view the dashboard in the context of AKS clusters.

Export JSON

You can export a dashboard as JSON which can be saved, imported and re-used across any Grafana instance.

  1. In the dashboard screen, select Export then JSON.
  2. Save the file.

Export a dashboard ARM template

You can export a dashboard as an ARM template that contains the JSON for the dashboard.

  1. In the dashboard screen, select Export then Export as ARM template.
  2. Select Download and save the file.

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