How to install and configure Grafana on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

o install and configure Grafana on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, you can follow the steps outlined below. Grafana is a popular open-source platform for monitoring and analytics, and it allows you to create dashboards and visualize data from various sources.

Step 1: Install Grafana

Update the package index:
sudo apt update
Install Grafana using the APT package manager:
sudo apt install -y grafana
Start the Grafana service and enable it to start on boot:
sudo systemctl start grafana-server sudo systemctl enable grafana-server

Step 2: Access Grafana Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to http://your_server_ip:3000.
The default login credentials are as follows:
- Username: admin
- Password: admin
Upon first login, Grafana will prompt you to change the default password.

Step 3: Configure Grafana

After changing the password, you’ll be directed to the main Grafana dashboard.
Click on the gear icon (⚙️) in the left sidebar to access the settings.
Under “Data Sources,” click on “Add your first data source.”
Choose the type of data source you want to add (e.g., Prometheus, InfluxDB, MySQL, etc.) and configure the necessary details. For example, to configure Prometheus:
- Set the URL to your Prometheus server (e.g., http://localhost:9090).
After configuring the data source, click on “Save & Test” to verify the connection.

Step 4: Create a Dashboard

To create a dashboard, click on the “+” icon in the left sidebar and select “Dashboard.”
Click on “Add new panel” to add visualizations to your dashboard.
Configure the panel settings, and use the query editor to select data from the data source you added.
Customize your dashboard with panels, graphs, and other visualizations.
Once you’ve configured your dashboard, click on the disk icon to save it.

Step 5: Accessing Grafana via Nginx (Optional)

If you want to access Grafana via a domain name or use SSL, you can set up Nginx as a reverse proxy. Install Nginx:

sudo apt install -y nginx

Configure Nginx to act as a reverse proxy for Grafana:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/grafana

Add the following configuration, replacing your_domain_or_IP with your domain name or IP address:

server {
 listen 80;
 server_name your_domain_or_IP;

location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection ‘upgrade’;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
}
}

Create a symbolic link and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/grafana /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
 sudo systemctl restart nginx

Now, you should be able to access Grafana securely through your domain or IP address.

That’s it! You have now installed and configured Grafana on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. You can continue to customize and explore its features based on your monitoring and visualization needs.