Configuring Grafana Server

1. Editing grafana.ini File

Property	Default Value	Description
app_mode	`production`	Set to `development` for development mode with more verbose logging.
domain		Domain name used for cookies and redirects. Set to your Grafana server's public URL.
root_url	`%(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s`	Root URL for Grafana. Used in redirects and links.
http_port	`3000`	HTTP port to listen on.
protocol	`http`	Protocol to use for the server. Can be `http` or `https`.
cert_file		Path to the certificate file for HTTPS.
key_file		Path to the private key file for HTTPS.
enable_gzip	`false`	Enable GZIP compression for responses.
static_root_path	`public`	Path to the static assets directory.
serve_from_sub_path	`false`	Set to `true` if Grafana is served from a sub-path.

Example: Basic grafana.ini Configuration

[server]
http_port = 3000
domain = grafana.example.com
root_url = %(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s

[security]
admin_user = admin
admin_password = secret123

Note: The grafana.ini file is located in the Grafana configuration directory, typically /etc/grafana/grafana.ini on Linux systems.

2. Setting Server Options

Option	Values	Description
server.http_port	`3000`	HTTP port to listen on
server.domain	`localhost`	Domain name for the server
server.root_url	`%(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s/`	Root URL for the server
server.serve_from_sub_path	`false`	Serve Grafana from a sub-path
server.disable_sanitize_html	`false`	Disable HTML sanitization (not recommended)

Example: Setting server options in grafana.ini

[server]
http_port = 3001
domain = example.com
root_url = %(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s/grafana/
serve_from_sub_path = true
disable_sanitize_html = false

3. Configuring Protocol

Option	Values	Notes
protocol	`http` or `https`	Specifies the protocol to use for the Grafana server
http_port	`3000`	Port to listen on for HTTP requests (default: 3000)
https_port	`443`	Port to listen on for HTTPS requests (default: 443)
http_addr	`0.0.0.0`	Address to bind the HTTP server to (default: 0.0.0.0)
https_enabled	`true` or `false`	Enable HTTPS support (default: false)
http_mode	`production` or `development`	Set the server mode (default: production)

Example: Configure Protocol Settings

[server]
protocol = https
http_port = 3001
https_port = 443
http_addr = 0.0.0.0
https_enabled = true
http_mode = production

4. Setting Up Environment Variables

Variable Name	Default Value	Description	Notes
GF_SERVER_HTTP_PORT	`3000`	HTTP port for the Grafana server	Can be overridden via command line or config file
GF_SERVER_ROOT_URL	`%(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s`	Root URL for the Grafana server	Used for generating links in emails and notifications
GF_DATABASE_TYPE	`sqlite3`	Database type to use for Grafana	Supports `mysql`, `postgres`, and `sqlite3`
GF_DATABASE_HOST	`localhost:3306`	Database host address and port	Required when `GF_DATABASE_TYPE` is not `sqlite3`
GF_DATABASE_NAME	`grafana`	Name of the database to use	Must exist before starting Grafana if using external DB
GF_DATABASE_USER	`grafana`	Database user for authentication	Must have appropriate permissions to access the database
GF_DATABASE_PASSWORD	`grafana`	Password for the database user	Should be set securely and not exposed in logs or config files
GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_USER	`admin`	Admin username for Grafana	Can be changed after initial setup
GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD	`admin`	Admin password for Grafana	Must be changed after initial setup for security reasons
GF_AUTH_ANONYMOUS_ENABLED	`false`	Enable anonymous access to Grafana	Only for development or testing environments
GF_AUTH_ANONYMOUS_ORG_ROLE	`Viewer`	Role assigned to anonymous users	Valid values: `Viewer`, `Editor`, `Admin`
GF_LOG_LEVEL	`info`	Log level for Grafana server logs	Valid values: `debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`
GF_LOG_MODE	`console`	Log output mode	Valid values: `console`, `file`
GF_LOG_FILE_PATH	`/var/log/grafana/grafana.log`	Path to the log file (if `GF_LOG_MODE` is `file`)	Must be writable by the Grafana process

Example: Setting Environment Variables in Docker

docker run -d \
  --name=grafana \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e GF_SERVER_HTTP_PORT=3000 \
  -e GF_DATABASE_TYPE=mysql \
  -e GF_DATABASE_HOST=localhost:3306 \
  -e GF_DATABASE_NAME=grafana \
  -e GF_DATABASE_USER=grafana \
  -e GF_DATABASE_PASSWORD=secret \
  grafana/grafana-enterprise

Example: Setting Environment Variables in systemd Service File

[Service]
Type=simple
User=grafana
Group=grafana
Environment=GF_SERVER_HTTP_PORT=3000
Environment=GF_DATABASE_TYPE=sqlite3
Environment=GF_DATABASE_NAME=/var/lib/grafana/grafana.db
Environment=GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_USER=admin
Environment=GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/grafana-server
Restart=always

Note: Environment variables can be overridden by configuration file settings. If both are set, the configuration file takes precedence.

5. Configuring Paths

Path Type	Default Location	Description
app_mode	`production`	Sets the application mode. Options are `production` or `development`.
home_page	`/`	Path to the home page. Can be used to redirect users to a specific dashboard.
static_root_path	`public`	Directory where static assets (CSS, JS, images) are served from.
data_path	`data`	Directory where Grafana stores data files like logs, plugins, and provisioning configs.
logs_path	`data/logs`	Directory where Grafana logs are stored.
plugins_path	`data/plugins`	Directory where Grafana plugins are installed.
provisioning_path	`conf/provisioning`	Directory where Grafana looks for provisioning configuration files.
temp_data_lifetime	`24h`	How long temporary data files are kept before being deleted.

Example: Setting Custom Paths in grafana.ini

[paths]
data = /custom/data/path
logs = /custom/logs/path
plugins = /custom/plugins/path
provisioning = /custom/provisioning/path

Note: Ensure that the directories specified in grafana.ini exist and have appropriate permissions for Grafana to read and write.

6. Setting Timezone and Locale

Configuration Option	Values	Description
app_mode	`production`, `development`	Sets the application mode. Affects logging and error handling behavior.
default_app_mode	`production`, `development`	Default app mode if not overridden by user.
timezone	`UTC`, `Asia/Tokyo`, `America/New_York`	Default timezone for the Grafana server. Used for time-based queries and display.
locale	`en-US`, `fr-FR`, `de-DE`	Default locale for the Grafana server. Affects date/time formatting and localization.

Example: Setting Timezone and Locale in grafana.ini

[server]
timezone = America/New_York
locale = en-US

[app_mode]
default_app_mode = production

Note: Changes to timezone and locale require a Grafana server restart to take effect.

7. Configuring Logging

Option	Values	Notes
log.level	`debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`	Set the minimum log level to output. Default is `info`.
log.mode	`file`, `console`, `syslog`	Determines where logs are written. Default is `console`.
log.file.name	`string`	Path to the log file when `log.mode` is set to `file`.
log.file.maxlines	`integer`	Maximum number of lines in the log file before rotation. Default is `1000000`.
log.file.maxsize	`string`	Maximum size of the log file before rotation (e.g., `100m`). Default is `100m`.

Example: Logging Configuration

[log]
level = debug
mode = file
file.name = /var/log/grafana/grafana.log
file.maxlines = 500000
file.maxsize = 50m

Note: Setting log.level to debug can significantly impact performance in production environments.

8. Enabling Feature Toggles

Feature toggles in Grafana allow you to enable or disable experimental or preview features before they are officially released. These toggles can be managed via the Grafana configuration file or environment variables.

Feature Toggle	Description	Default State	Configuration Method
feature_toggles	Enables or disables specific feature toggles.	Disabled	Configuration file or environment variable

Example: Enabling Feature Toggles via Configuration File

[feature_toggles]
enable = new_dashboard

Example: Enabling Feature Toggles via Environment Variables

GF_FEATURE_TOGGLES_ENABLE=new_dashboard

Note: Feature toggles are subject to change and may be removed in future versions. Always refer to the official Grafana documentation for the latest updates.

9. Setting Anonymous Access

Setting	Description	Default	Notes
anonymous.enabled	Enables anonymous access to Grafana	`false`	When enabled, users can access Grafana without logging in
anonymous.org.name	Organization name for anonymous users	`Anonymous`	Visible to anonymous users in the UI
anonymous.org.role	Role assigned to anonymous users	`Viewer`	Options: `Viewer`, `Editor`, `Admin`

Example: Enable Anonymous Access

[anonymous]
enabled = true
org_name = "Anonymous"
org_role = "Viewer"

Note: Enabling anonymous access can pose security risks. Ensure that sensitive dashboards and data are protected by appropriate permissions.

10. Configuring SMTP Settings

Option	Values	Notes
smtp.enabled	`false`	Enable SMTP functionality
smtp.host	`localhost:25`	SMTP server host and port
smtp.user		SMTP username (optional)
smtp.password		SMTP password (optional)
smtp.skip_tls	`false`	Disable TLS for SMTP connection
smtp.from_address	`admin@grafana.com`	From address for emails
smtp.from_name	`Grafana`	Name to display in "From" field

Example: SMTP Configuration in grafana.ini

[smtp]
enabled = true
host = smtp.gmail.com:587
user = myemail@gmail.com
password = my_secure_password
skip_tls = false
from_address = admin@mycompany.com
from_name = Grafana Notifications

Note: Ensure that the SMTP server allows connections from your Grafana instance and that credentials are properly secured (e.g., via environment variables or encrypted config).