Does Grafana collect metrics by itself?
No. Grafana queries data sources such as Prometheus and displays their metrics in dashboards.
Grafana: Metrics Dashboards and Alerts
Grafana builds dashboards, explores metrics and evaluates alert rules against configured data sources. By default it stores settings, users and dashboards in SQLite.
Grafana requirements
The key facts for Grafana.
| Requirement | Grafana |
|---|---|
| Architecture | x86 + ARM |
| Min hardware | 1 core · 512 MB RAM |
| Price | Free |
| Containers | 1 (app only) |
| Database | SQLite |
| Runtime | Go |
| Install options | Docker + Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Clients | DockerLinuxmacOSWindows |
Common questions
Does Grafana need a cloud account?
No. You can run Grafana locally and use its web interface without a Grafana Cloud account.
Where does Grafana store its dashboards?
By default, Grafana stores its configuration, users and dashboards in an embedded SQLite database.