Grafonet

Questions & Answers

What is Grafonnet-lib?

Grafonnet-lib is a Jsonnet library designed for defining Grafana dashboards as code. It enables programmatic creation and management of dashboards using Jsonnet's templating capabilities, though this specific repository is now deprecated.

Who should use Grafonnet for managing Grafana dashboards?

Grafonnet is suitable for developers, SREs, or teams who prefer to manage their Grafana dashboards as code. It's ideal for environments requiring version control, automation, and consistent deployment of monitoring configurations.

How does Grafonnet differ from manually creating Grafana dashboards?

Grafonnet allows dashboards to be defined as code using Jsonnet, providing version control, reusability, and automated deployment capabilities. This contrasts with manual creation via the Grafana UI, which can be less scalable and harder to manage across multiple instances or environments.

When should I consider using Grafonnet for my Grafana setup?

You should consider using Grafonnet when you need to programmatically generate and manage a large number of similar Grafana dashboards, or when integrating dashboard deployment into a CI/CD pipeline. For new projects, it's recommended to use the actively maintained `grafana/grafonnet` repository instead of this deprecated version.

Can you explain a key technical feature of Grafonnet?

A key technical feature of Grafonnet is its ability to compose dashboard elements like panels, rows, and targets using Jsonnet functions and objects. This allows for parameterization, inheritance, and modular construction of complex dashboards from reusable components, promoting consistency and reducing duplication.