Day 62: Building Dashboard on Grafana

Add Data Source on Grafana

In our previous blog- Installing Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus we walked you through the installation process of Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus. In this article, we'll dive deeper into the Grafana setup by showing you how to add the Loki data source and create an insightful dashboard.

Step 1: Access Data Sources

After successfully installing Grafana, the first step is to add Loki as a data source. To do this, access the Grafana web interface.

Step 2: Choose Loki Data Source

In the Grafana interface, navigate to the "Configuration" menu on the left-hand side and click on "Data Sources." Then, click on the "Add data source" button.

Step 3: Configure Loki Data Source

• In the "HTTP" category, you'll need to enter the URL for your Loki instance. Typically, this URL is localhost:3100, assuming Loki is running on the same machine as Grafana.

• Scroll down and click on the "Save & Test" button. A confirmation message will pop up, indicating that the data source has been successfully connected to Loki.

A message will pop up "Data source successfully connected."

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Add new Dashboard

Step 1: Access Dashboards

Go to the Grafana home page and click on "Dashboards."

Step 2: Start a New Dashboard

To create a new dashboard, click on the "New Dashboard" button.

Step 3: Select Data Source

When you add a visualization to your dashboard, make sure to select the Loki data source you created earlier.

Step 4: Customize Your Dashboard

You'll be presented with a blank dashboard canvas. Ensure that the intended data source is selected.

Step 5: Choose Data Source or Label Filters

Depending on your preference, you can choose to visualize data from a specific log file or apply label filters like "job" and "varlogs." These label filters are typically defined in the Promtail configuration file, which you set up during the installation of Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus.

You can refer to the Promtail configuration file that was created while installing Promtail- Installing Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus

Refer Promtail configuration file

Step 6: Execute Queries

Click on "Run Queries," and your selected data will be displayed on the panel.

On the panel the data will reflect

Step 7: Review Logs

If you want to review the actual log entries, click on "Switch to table."

Step 8: Customize Log Title

To enhance clarity, you can rename the title of the logs. For example, you can name it "System Logs" and click "Apply."

We have successfully added the System Logs

Step 9: Add Additional Data

You can follow similar steps to create a separate panel for Grafana Logs, selecting the appropriate label filters such as "job" and "varlogs" to display the desired data.

You can incorporate more data by selecting operations like aggregations (e.g., Sum), changing visualizations, and applying different data sources.

Run Queries

Select Grafana Logs and Apply

We have successfully created Grafana Logs.

Step 10: Dashboard Completion

Once you've added and configured all the desired data as mentioned in the below screenshots, your dashboard is ready to provide valuable insights.

Add new operations -> Aggregations -> Sum

Change Visualisation

Select desired data - in this case we selected "Line Chart with gradient colour scheme" and Apply

Congratulations! Your Dashboard Is Ready

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Conclusion:

With Grafana configured to pull data from Loki and your dashboard set up, you're well-equipped to monitor and analyze your log data effectively. Grafana's flexibility and Loki's log aggregation capabilities make for a powerful combination, enabling you to gain actionable insights from your logs and keep your systems running smoothly. Happy dashboarding! 🚀📊🔍