Grafana

StartupLaunched August 2026

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The Story

Grafana is a visualization and dashboarding platform. It queries data sources - Prometheus, Loki, PostgreSQL, and many others - and renders the results as panels arranged on a dashboard. The product's longevity comes from that separation: Grafana does not store most of the data it displays, it queries systems that do.

The query model is per-panel. A panel selects a data source, runs a query, and applies a visualization. Because data sources are pluggable, the same dashboard tool works across a metrics database, a log store, and a SQL database without moving data between them.

Alerting is built on the same queries. A rule evaluates a query on a schedule and fires when a condition holds, which means an alert and the dashboard panel that motivated it are defined in the same language. The core is open source and self-hostable, and the hosted service is the commercial layer.

Overview

Grafana's design keeps storage and visualization separate.

A panel selects a data source, runs a query, and renders the result. Grafana does not require the data to be copied into it, so a metrics database, a log store, and a SQL database can all appear on one dashboard.

Data sources are pluggable. Adding a new backend means configuring a plugin rather than migrating data, which is why the same tool covers infrastructure metrics and business data without a second product.

Alerting reuses the query model. A rule evaluates a query on a schedule and fires on a condition, so an alert and the panel that motivated it are expressed the same way. The core is open source and can be self-hosted.

Key Features

Pluggable data sources
Metrics, logs, traces, and SQL databases are queried in place rather than copied in.
Panel-based dashboards
Each panel owns its query and visualization, so a dashboard composes independent views.
Alerting on the same queries
Alert rules evaluate queries, so an alert and its panel share a definition.
Open-source core
The core is published in a public repository with a license file.

Where Grafana is a strong choice, and where it is not

Choose Grafana if your data already lives in queryable systems and you need one place to visualize and alert on it without moving the data.

Look elsewhere if you want a fully managed service with no operational surface, or if you need a business-intelligence semantic layer with governed metrics definitions.

Getting started

A dashboard is quick to build; the data sources behind it are the real project.

~15 min
Time to first panel
Add a data source, write a query, and the panel renders. No agent installation is required.
Free
Cost to start
The open-source edition is free to self-host. Cloud and enterprise plans add managed operations.
A data source
Prerequisites
Something already producing metrics or logs. Grafana does not collect or store them.

Known limitations

Constraints confirmed from the project's documentation.

It does not store data. Grafana visualises; the metrics pipeline behind it is a separate set of decisions.
Self-hosting means operating it. Backups, upgrades, and high availability are yours.
Dashboard sprawl is real. Without conventions, a large organisation accumulates overlapping dashboards nobody owns.
Alerting quality depends on the source query. A noisy metric produces a noisy alert regardless of the tool.

OUR VERDICT

Pick Grafana when your stack already produces data

Its strength is heterogeneity: one dashboard querying Prometheus, Loki, SQL, and a cloud API together.

The product is the presentation layer, and it is deliberately agnostic about what sits behind it. That is what makes it the common front end in mixed environments.

If you want collection, storage, and dashboards from one purchase, a managed monitoring product covers more of the pipeline and leaves you less to assemble.

FAQ

What is Grafana?

Grafana is an open-source dashboarding and visualization platform that queries data sources such as Prometheus, Loki, and SQL databases.

Is Grafana open source?

Yes. The core is published in a public repository with a license file. Some enterprise features are licensed separately.

Can I self-host Grafana?

Yes. Self-hosting is a first-class deployment path, and the operator becomes responsible for upgrades and backups.

Is Grafana free?

The open-source core is free to self-host, with paid cloud and enterprise offerings. Check the pricing page for current terms.

What stack is Grafana built with?

CompassPad records Grafana as a Go backend with a TypeScript and React front end, based on the public repository.

What we checked

LIVE
Site and primary link
The marketing site resolved and the primary product link reached the product itself.
PRICING
Pricing page
The pricing page resolved and lists the current plans and limits.
DOCS
Documentation
Public documentation resolved and covers the product's core surfaces.
SOURCE
Source page
The linked source page resolved and is reachable without an account.

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