Navigating the Grafana Interface
Now that you have Grafana installed and configured, let's explore the interface you'll be working with every day. Understanding how to navigate Grafana efficiently is crucial for building effective monitoring solutions.
- Understand the main navigation components
- Learn how to use the sidebar and search functionality
- Explore different Grafana pages and their purposes
- Get comfortable with the dashboard interface structure
Main Navigation Overview
Grafana's interface is organized around several key areas that you'll use regularly:
- Sidebar (Main Menu): Located on the left, provides access to different sections
- Search Bar: Quick access to dashboards and other resources
- Header: User menu, help, and notifications
- Content Area: Where dashboards, settings, and data appear
The Sidebar Navigation
The sidebar is your primary navigation tool. Let's explore its main sections:
🏠 Home # Your landing page with recent dashboards
📊 Dashboards # Access and manage all dashboards
🔍 Explore # Ad-hoc querying and data exploration
🔔 Alerting # Configure and manage alerts
⚙️ Configuration # Data sources, users, plugins, and settings
You can collapse the sidebar by clicking the hamburger menu icon (☰) in the top-left corner to maximize screen space when working on dashboards.
Dashboard Navigation
When you open a dashboard, you'll see several important interface elements:
Dashboard Header Components
Dashboard Title # Name of the current dashboard
Time Range Selector # Choose time range (last 5min, 1h, 24h, custom)
Refresh Controls # Auto-refresh settings and manual refresh
Share Button # Share dashboard via link or snapshot
Save Button # Save changes to dashboard
Settings Gear # Dashboard settings and JSON model
Using the Time Range Selector
The time range selector is one of the most frequently used tools:
Last 5 minutes
Last 15 minutes
Last 1 hour
Last 6 hours
Last 24 hours
Last 7 days
Custom range
Search and Discovery
Grafana's search functionality helps you quickly find resources:
Dashboard Search
Click the search icon (🔍) in the sidebar or press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac) to open the search dialog. You can search by:
- Dashboard name
- Folder name
- Tags
- Panel titles
# Find dashboards containing "CPU"
CPU monitoring
# Search by tag
tag:production
# Combine search terms
Kubernetes tag:staging
Explore Mode
Explore mode allows you to run ad-hoc queries without saving to a dashboard:
// Temporary query testing
// Compare multiple data sources
// Debug query performance
// Experiment with visualization options
Explore mode is perfect for troubleshooting and data discovery. Changes made here don't affect your saved dashboards, making it a safe space for experimentation.
User Menu and Preferences
Click your user icon in the top-right corner to access:
- Profile: Edit your personal information
- Preferences: Set UI theme, timezone, and home dashboard
- Change Password: Update your login credentials
- Sign out: Log out of Grafana
Common Pitfalls
- Getting lost in nested folders: Use the breadcrumb navigation at the top of dashboards to track your location
- Forgetting to save changes: The save button turns orange when you have unsaved changes - don't navigate away without saving!
- Overlooking keyboard shortcuts: Press
?to see all available keyboard shortcuts - Ignoring the help menu: The help icon (?) provides access to documentation and community resources
- Not using dashboard links: Create internal links between related dashboards for better navigation flow
Summary
You should now feel comfortable navigating Grafana's interface. Remember the key areas: sidebar for main navigation, search for quick access, dashboard header for time controls, and explore mode for experimentation. Practice moving between these sections to build muscle memory for efficient Grafana usage.
Grafana UI and Navigation – Quick Check
Which keyboard shortcut opens the search dialog in Grafana?