Automate the Dashboard Import

Grafana Dashboards
1

I want to some thoughts on my scenario:

  1. I have an application that pushedsmetrics to prometheus and these metrics are put into dashboards in Grafana
  2. So the usual process I follow is deploy prometheus(push mode enabled) and then deploy grafana, and the create a data source to that prometheus so that grafana has the datasource in place
  3. Now I have dashboards that use these metrics.

My requirement now is to automate the dashboard/datasource imports, I do not usually download the charts and make changes rather I deploy them individually through helm and change the values as needed.

My understanding as of now (and correct me if I am wrong) is that In order for the dashboards to be imported , I definitely need to download the grafana chart and make changes to it and then apply.
But is there a way or Can I utilize “dashboardProviders” “dashboardConfigMaps” method to add the dashboard file and the configmap to my application (and by this time Grafana is already installed/deployed using helm) so that by the time I deploy my application, grafana is already present (deployed) and will consume the dashboard from my application chart/templates folder and import the dashboards.

Do you think this scenario is even a possible one or the only way to go is downloading the Grafana chart and making changes manually.

Any input is highly appreciated !!

2

Why do you need to edit the dashboard it so often?

3

So I got it to work using the below

  1. The dashboardProviders and Dashboard
  2. The dashboardsProviders and Configmap reference
  3. Side car container for real time checking and updating the dashboards

I will put them here for future reference in case,

# Setup Data Source (prometheus)
  datasources:
    datasources.yaml:
      apiVersion: 1
      datasources:
        - name: Prometheus
          type: prometheus
          url: http://prometheus-server
          access: proxy
          isDefault: true
  dashboardProviders:
    dashboardproviders.yaml:
     apiVersion: 1
     providers:
      - name: 'app1'
        orgId: 1
        folder: ''
        type: file
        disableDeletion: false
        updateIntervalSeconds: 10 
        allowUiUpdates: true
        editable: true
        options:
          path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/app1
      - name: 'app2'
        orgId: 1
        folder: ''
        type: file
        disableDeletion: false
        updateIntervalSeconds: 10
        allowUiUpdates: true
        editable: true
        options:
          path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/app2
  dashboards:
    app1:
      app1-dashboard:
        url: http://
    app2:
      app2-dashboard:
        url: http://

# Setup Data Source (prometheus)
  datasources:
    datasources.yaml:
      apiVersion: 1
      datasources:
        - name: Prometheus
          type: prometheus
          url: http://prometheus-server
          access: proxy
          isDefault: true
  dashboardProviders:
    dashboardproviders.yaml:
     apiVersion: 1
     providers:
      - name: 'app1'
        orgId: 1
        folder: ''
        type: file
        disableDeletion: false
        updateIntervalSeconds: 10 
        allowUiUpdates: true
        editable: true
        options:
          path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/app1
      - name: 'app2'
        orgId: 1
        folder: ''
        type: file
        disableDeletion: false
        updateIntervalSeconds: 10
        allowUiUpdates: true
        editable: true
        options:
          path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/app2
  dashboardsConfigMaps:
    fid: "app1-dashboard"
    zookeeper: "app2-dashboard"

# Setup Data Source (prometheus)
  datasources:
    datasources.yaml:
      apiVersion: 1
      datasources:
        - name: Prometheus
          type: prometheus
          url: http://prometheus-server
          access: proxy
          isDefault: true
# Setup dashboards
  dashboardProviders:
    dashboardproviders.yaml:
     apiVersion: 1
     providers:
      - name: 'app1'
        orgId: 1
        folder: ''
        type: file
        disableDeletion: false
        updateIntervalSeconds: 10 
        allowUiUpdates: true
        editable: true
        options:
          path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/app1
      - name: 'app2'
        orgId: 1
        folder: ''
        type: file
        disableDeletion: false
        updateIntervalSeconds: 10
        allowUiUpdates: true
        editable: true
        options:
          path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/app2

  securityContext:
    runAsUser: 0
    runAsGroup: 0
    fsGroup: 0
  rbac:
    extraRoleRules:
      # Allow k8s-sidecar image to read ConfigMap objects in same namespace
      - apiGroups: [""]
        resources: ["configmaps"]
        verbs: ["get", "watch", "list"]
  
  extraContainers: |
    - name: collect-dashboard-configmaps-in-directory
      image: kiwigrid/k8s-sidecar:latest
      volumeMounts:
        - name: collection
          mountPath: /tmp/collection
      env:
        - name: LABEL
          value: "dashboard-collect"
        - name: LABEL_VALUE
          value: "grafana-dashboard"
        - name: FOLDER
          value: /tmp/collection
        - name: RESOURCE
          value: configmap
  
  extraVolumeMounts:
    - name: collection
      mountPath: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards/default
      readOnly: true

For (3) the config map should have a label = dashboard-collect

All of these work and are useful in different situations.

1 Like
4

it is requirement for the application as the contents and metrics keep changing constantly

1 Like
5

Sorry to dig this up again.

I would like to know how you added the config maps

 dashboardsConfigMaps:
    fid: "app1-dashboard"
    zookeeper: "app2-dashboard"

without the chart structure.
As I understand it, you would either have to create them externally via kubectl create cm or by adding the configmaps in the template directory of a helm chart, which I understood, you are not using.

Thank you, for your time