Grafana, a popular open-source observability platform, provides robust tools for analyzing and visualizing data from diverse sources. If you are looking to unlock its full potential as a data visualization and monitoring platform, then this book is for you.
This book offers a comprehensive insight into the capabilities of Grafana and empowers you to leverage this powerful tool to its fullest extent. It provides you with the knowledge and skills necessary to create impressive visualizations, establish dashboards, and optimize monitoring processes. The book will help you delve into various aspects of Grafana, including its interface, utilizing the Graph Panel for visualizing data, connecting it to data sources, organizing dashboards, harnessing advanced features, and exploring additional functionalities like Grafana Loki for log exploration and managing authorization and authentication. Furthermore, the book explores specific use cases such as blackbox exporter, synthetic monitoring, Kubernetes monitoring, AIOps monitoring, and maximizing Grafana plugins. It concludes by presenting best practices for working with Grafana and offering insights into setting up performance testing and engineering dashboards.
By the end of the book, you will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to unlock its full potential as a data visualization and monitoring platform.
What you will learn
● Learn how to create visually appealing dashboards and panels using Grafana.
● Gain the ability to track and optimize application performance, ensuring an enhanced user experience.
● Utilize Grafana to record and analyze system applications.
● Track and analyze unique metrics for customized performance monitoring insights.
Who this book is for
This book is suitable for professionals in DevSecOps, Performance Testing, Site Reliability, AIOps, MLOps, Platform, Development, and Test Engineering teams.
Author(s): Ajay Reddy Yeruva; Vivek Basavegowda Ramu
Publisher: BPB Online
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 374
1. Introduction to Data Visualization with Grafana
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
1.1 Technical requirements
1.1.1 Supported operating systems
1.1.2 Hardware recommendations
1.1.3 Supported databases for Grafana configuration storage
1.1.4 Supported web browsers
1.2 Data storage and visualization
1.3 What is the appeal of Grafana?
1.4 Grafana installation
1.4.1 Grafana for Linux
Debian Linux
1.4.2 Grafana for Windows
1.4.3 Grafana for Mac
Homebrew
Command line
1.4.4 Grafana in a Docker container
1.4.5 Managed Grafana on the cloud
1.5 Grafana server connection
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
2. A Tour of the Grafana Interface
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
2.1 Technical requirements
2.2 Exploring Grafana – The home dashboard
2.2.1 Glancing at the sidebar menu
2.2.2 Dashboard settings
2.2.3 View modes
2.2.4 Learning to use the icons on Grafana’s left sidebar
2.2.5 Create dropdown menu
2.2.6 Folder
2.2.7 Import
2.2.8 Dashboards
2.2.9 Manage
2.2.10 Playlists
2.2.11 Snapshots
2.2.12 Library panels
2.2.13 Explore
2.2.14 Alerting
Alert Rules
Contact points
Alert Manager
2.2.15 Data sources
Users
2.2.16 Teams
2.2.17 Plugins
2.2.18 Organization preferences
2.2.19 User preferences
2.2.20 API keys
2.2.21 Server admin
2.2.22 Users
2.2.23 Orgs
2.2.24 Settings
2.2.25 Stats
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
3. An Introduction to the Graph Panel
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
3.1 Technical requirements
3.2 Touring the Graph Panel
3.2.1 Creating a simple Data Source
3.2.2 Creating a Graph Panel
3.3 Generating data series in the Query tab
3.3.1 What is a query?
3.3.2 Query tab features
3.4 Editing the Graph in the Panel tab
3.4.1 Panel options
3.4.2 Tooltip
3.4.3 Legend
3.4.5 Graph styles
3.4.6 Axis
3.4.7 Standard options
3.4.8 Data links
3.4.9 Value mappings
3.4.10 Thresholds
3.5 Monitoring with the Alert tab
3.5.1 Rule
3.5.2 Conditions
3.5.3 No data and error handling
3.5.4 Notifications
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
4. Connecting Grafana to a Data Source
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
4.1 Technical requirements
4.2 Installing the Prometheus server
4.2.1 Installing Prometheus from Docker
4.2.2 Configuring the Prometheus data source
4.3 Exploring Prometheus
4.3.1 Using Explore for investigation
4.3.2 Configuring Grafana metrics
4.4 Querying the Prometheus data source
4.4.1 Typing in a metrics query
4.4.2 Querying for process metrics
4.5 Detecting trends with aggregations
4.5.1 Applying aggregations to our query data
4.6 Limitations of data source
4.6.1 Querying for series aggregations
4.6.2 Querying for time aggregations
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
5. Visualizing Data in the Graph Panel
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
5.1 Technical requirements
5.2 Executing advanced queries
5.2.1 Probing Prometheus
5.2.1.1 Dashboards’ query editor
5.2.1.2 Query editor in explore
5.2.1.3 Templating
5.2.1.4 Query variable
5.2.1.5 Using interval and range variables
5.2.1.6 Using the $__rate_interval variable
5.2.1.7 Using variables in queries
5.2.1.8 Annotations
5.2.2 Sample queries
5.2.3 Advanced queries
5.3 Understanding time series data display
5.3.1 Aggregating time series
5.3.2 Time series and monitoring
5.3.3 Time series databases
5.3.4 Collecting time series data
5.4 Setting vertical axes
5.4.1 Right Y-axis
5.4.2 Log scale
5.4.3 Setting up a dual axis graph
5.4.4 Finding correlation
5.4.5 Resource utilization
5.4.6 Dangers of using dual axis graphs
5.4.7 Increase contrast between series
5.4.8 Align baselines
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
6. Creating Your First Dashboard
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
6.1 Technical requirements
6.2 Designing a dashboard
6.2.1 Target audience for your dashboard
6.2.2 Installing TestData DB
6.2.3 Creating a dashboard
6.2.3.1 Select data source
6.2.3.2 Visualization
6.2.3.3 Title change
6.2.3.4 Panel standard options
6.2.3.5 Panel link for external website
6.2.3.6 Threshold
6.2.3.7 Query inspector
6.2.3.8 Saving panel and dashboard
6.2.3.9 Time range on dashboard
6.2.3.10 Dashboard refresh frequency
6.3 Information-heavy Grafana dashboard
6.3.1 Multiple panels
6.3.2 Graphs placement
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
7. Visualization Panels in Grafana
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
7.1 Technical requirements
7.2 Introducing the Stat panel
7.2.1 Value options
7.2.2 Stat styles
7.3 Introducing the Gauge panel
7.3.1 Value options
7.4 Introducing the World Map panel
7.4.1 Data sources format
7.5 Introducing the Table panel
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
8. Organizing Dashboards
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
8.1 Technical requirements
8.2 Dashboard naming
8.2.1 Naming a dashboard
8.2.2 Dashboard naming best practices
8.3 Dashboard folders
8.3.1 Creating a dashboard folder
8.3.2 Adding dashboards to a folder
8.3.3 Deleting folders
8.3.4 Folder management best practices
8.4 Dashboard starring and tagging
8.4.1 Marking dashboards as favorites
8.4.2 Tagging dashboards
8.4.2.1 Adding tags
8.4.2.2 Deleting tags
8.5 List panel in dashboard
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
9. Grafana Alerting
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
9.1 Technical requirements
9.2 Threshold setup
9.3 Alerts configuration
9.3.1 Accessing alerts
9.3.2 Setting up alerts
9.4 Alerts to notification channel
9.4.1 Setting up notification
9.4.2 Alert triggers
9.5 Alert state history and management
9.5.1 Viewing alert state history
9.5.2 Alerts silences
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
10. Working with Advanced Dashboard Features
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
10.1 Technical requirements
10.2 Templating dashboards using Grafana variables
10.3 Linking dashboards
10.3.1 Grafana dashboard hierarchy
Panel links
Dashboard links
10.4 Annotations
10.4.1 Use annotations in dashboards
Creating an annotation
10.5 Exporting dashboards
10.5.1 Sharing a dashboard
10.5.2 Sharing a direct link
10.5.3 Publishing a snapshot
10.5.4 Exporting a dashboard
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
11. Exploring Logs with Grafana Loki
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
11.1 Technical requirements
11.2 Loki architecture
11.3 Installing Loki and Promtail
11.4 Setting-up config files for Loki and Promtail
11.4.1 Updating .yaml files
11.4.2 Run Loki and Promtail locally
11.5 Loki log visualization in Grafana
11.5.1 Adding Loki as data source
11.5.2 Visualizing logs in Grafana
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
12. Managing Authorization and Authentication
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
12.1 Technical requirements
12.2 Understanding key permissions concepts
12.3 Managing users in Grafana organization
12.4 Establishing teams in Grafana
12.5 Administering users and organizations in Grafana
12.6 Configuring Google OAuth2 authentication
12.7 Testing the Google OAuth2 authentication configuration
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
13. Blackbox Exporter
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
13.1 Technical requirements
13.2 What is Blackbox Exporter?
13.3 Installing Blackbox Exporter
13.4 Setting-up Blackbox and .yml files
13.4.1 Updating .yml files
13.4.2 Run Prometheus and Blackbox Exporter locally
13.5 Monitoring websites performance in Grafana
13.5.1 Prerequisites
13.5.2 Visualizing in Grafana
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
14. Synthetic Monitoring
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
14.1 Technical requirements
14.2 Introduction of synthetic monitoring
14.3 Initialization of synthetic monitoring
14.4 Configuring synthetic monitoring check
14.4.1 Recommended practices for synthetic monitoring alerts
Recording rules
Alert expressions
Alerting on probes
Testing alert expressions
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
15. Maximizing the Grafana Plug-in
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
15.1 Technical requirements
15.2 What is the Grafana plugin?
15.3 Types of Grafana plugins
15.3.1 Data source plugins
15.3.2 Apps plugins
15.3.3 Panels plugins
15.4 Best Grafana plugins to download
15.4.1 Boom table
15.4.2 FlowCharting
15.4.3 Status panel
15.4.4 Discrete
15.4.5 Polystat
15.5 Building your own plugin
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
16. Kubernetes Monitoring
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
16.1 Technical requirements
16.2 Reasons to monitor Kubernetes
16.3 Set up and access Prometheus and Grafana dashboards
16.3.1 Prerequisites for exploring Prometheus on macOS
16.3.2 Accessing the dashboards
16.3.3 Visualizing Prometheus Data with Grafana
16.4 Monitor Kubernetes resources and workloads
16.4.1 Kubernetes cluster level compute resources dashboard
16.4.2 Kubernetes node exporter dashboard
16.4.3 Kubernetes CoreDNS dashboard
16.4.4 Kubernetes namespace level compute resources dashboard
16.4.5 Kubernetes API server dashboard
16.4.6 Kubernetes node exporter utilization dashboard
16.4.7 Prometheus overview dashboard
16.5 Alerting for Kubernetes cluster with alert manager
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
17. Grafana Cloud
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
17.1 Technical requirements
17.2 What is Grafana cloud
17.3 Grafana cloud subscription
17.4 Setting up data source
17.5 Monitoring a Windows machine from Grafana cloud
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
18. AIOps Monitoring
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
18.1 Technical requirements
18.2 Pros and cons of AIOps monitoring setup
18.2.1 Pros of AIOps monitoring setup
18.2.2 Cons of AIOps monitoring setup
18.3 Popular AIOps monitoring tools available in market
18.4 Moogsoft AIOps Plugin Integration with Grafana
18.4.1 Plugin installation for Moogsoft AIOps
18.4.2 Enable the Moogsoft AIOps Application:
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
19. Dashboard Setup for Performance Testing and Engineering
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
19.1 Technical requirements
19.2 Performance testing and engineering
19.3 Role of Grafana in performance testing and engineering
19.4 Grafana dashboards for performance analysis
19.4.1 JMeter load test
19.4.2 OracleDB monitoring
19.4.3 Zabbix for server monitoring
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
20. Best Practices of Working with Grafana
Introduction
Structure
Objectives
20.1 Technical requirements
20.2 Significance of using Grafana best practices
20.3 Designing effective dashboards
20.4 Optimizing performance
20.5 Ensuring security
20.6 Collaboration and version control
Conclusion
Multiple choice questions
Answers
Index
