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Visualizing Your Data: Connecting Grafana to Prometheus

3 December 2025bpd · ubuntu

Bring Your Server Metrics to Life

Once you have Prometheus collecting data from your servers, the next step is to visualize it. The ‘Ubuntu System Administration Guide’ shows you how to connect Grafana to your Prometheus instance and import a pre-built dashboard to get started quickly.

Connecting the Dots

  1. Install Grafana: The book provides the commands to add the official Grafana repository and install it using `apt`.
  2. Add a Data Source: After logging into the Grafana web interface, you’ll add a new ‘Data Source’ and select Prometheus. You’ll simply need to provide the URL of your Prometheus server (e.g., `http://localhost:9090`).
  3. Import a Dashboard: Grafana has a huge community library of pre-made dashboards. The guide shows you how to import the popular ‘Node Exporter Full’ dashboard by simply providing its ID (1860).

Instantly, you will see a comprehensive dashboard filled with graphs and stats about your server’s performance, all without having to build a single query yourself.

This post is based from content of the book Ubuntu System adminstration guide. And the book can be found here https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mattias-Hemmingsson/author/B0FF5CQX13