Grafana is a powerful open-source platform for monitoring and observability that allows you to visualize and analyze data from various sources. One of its key features is the ability to create and customize dashboards. However, there are times when you might want to export these dashboards for backup, sharing, or migration purposes. In this article, we’ll explore the steps to export Grafana dashboards effectively.

Why Export Grafana Dashboards?

Exporting Grafana dashboards can be beneficial for several reasons:

1. Backup: Safeguard your dashboard configurations against accidental deletions or changes.
2. Sharing: Share your dashboards with team members or the community.
3. Migration: Move dashboards between different Grafana instances or environments.
4. Version Control: Keep track of changes and maintain a history of dashboard configurations.

Prerequisites

Before you begin exporting dashboards, ensure you have:

• Access to a Grafana instance.
• Appropriate permissions to view and export dashboards.
• A basic understanding of JSON, as Grafana exports dashboards in JSON format.

Steps to Export a Grafana Dashboard

Step 1: Access the Dashboard

1. Log in to your Grafana instance.
2. Navigate to the dashboard you wish to export.

Step 2: Open the Dashboard Settings

1. Click on the dashboard title to open the dropdown menu.
2. Select “Dashboard settings” from the menu.

Step 3: Export the Dashboard

1. In the dashboard settings, navigate to the “JSON Model” tab.
2. Here, you’ll see the JSON representation of your dashboard.
3. Click on the “Copy to Clipboard” button to copy the JSON code.

Alternatively, you can:

1. Click on the “Share Dashboard” icon (usually represented by an arrow or share symbol).
2. Select the “Export” tab.
3. Choose “Save to file” to download the JSON file directly.

Step 4: Save the JSON File

If you copied the JSON code, paste it into a text editor and save it with a .json extension. This file can now be used for backup, sharing, or importing into another Grafana instance.

Importing a Grafana Dashboard

To import a dashboard, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Grafana instance.
2. Click on the “+” icon in the left-hand menu and select “Import”.
3. You can either upload the JSON file or paste the JSON code directly.
4. Click “Load” and configure any necessary data source mappings.
5. Click “Import” to finalize the process.

Best Practices

• Version Control: Store your exported JSON files in a version control system like Git to track changes over time.
• Documentation: Document any dependencies or data sources required by the dashboard.
• Regular Backups: Schedule regular exports of critical dashboards to prevent data loss.

Conclusion

Exporting Grafana dashboards is a straightforward process that can greatly enhance your ability to manage, share, and migrate your monitoring configurations. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your dashboards are safely backed up and easily transferable between environments.

References

• Grafana Documentation
• Grafana GitHub Repository

By leveraging the power of Grafana’s export functionality, you can maintain robust and flexible monitoring solutions that adapt to your organization’s evolving needs.