grafanalib

What it is and what it does

grafanalib is a Python library that generates Grafana dashboard JSON from code, letting you define monitoring dashboards as Python objects instead of through Grafana's UI. It depends only on attrs and installs as a pure Python wheel with low friction. The library is designed for teams that want to version-control dashboards, reuse common patterns across multiple dashboards, and automate dashboard creation as part of infrastructure-as-code workflows.

The package is in alpha status and has been maintained since 2016, though recent activity has slowed—the last release was over a year ago and the maintainers acknowledge reduced availability. It supports Python 3.7 through 3.11 and works by letting you write Python scripts that describe dashboard structure, then using the generate-dashboard command to output JSON ready for Grafana provisioning.

Use it for:

• Version-control Grafana dashboards in Git alongside infrastructure code and application monitoring definitions
• Build reusable dashboard templates and patterns to standardize monitoring across multiple services or teams
• Automate dashboard creation in CI/CD pipelines when spinning up new environments or services
• Reduce repetition by factoring out common graph, alert, and panel configurations into Python functions
• Generate dashboards programmatically from metrics metadata or service inventory

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Generates Grafana dashboards from Python code, letting you version-control, template, and programmatically build monitoring configurations instead of editing them through the UI.

Yes, if you need to version-control and template Grafana dashboards. The low install friction, permissive license, and established community make it a solid choice for infrastructure-as-code workflows. However, be aware that maintenance is aging—last release was over a year ago and maintainers have reduced availability. Check that the library supports your Grafana version and required dashboard features before committing to it in a production pipeline.

Install

grafanalib on PyPI

pip install grafanalib

uv add grafanalib

poetry add grafanalib

Installing grafanalib

Before you install

Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (attrs). Maintenance status is aging—last release was over a year ago and maintainers note reduced availability, though the repository remains active and the project has moderate community adoption.

License in practice

Apache License (permissive) places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution for commercial or private projects.

Quickstart

pip install grafanalib

from grafanalib.core import Dashboard, Row, Graph

dash = Dashboard(title="My Dashboard", rows=[Row(panels=[...])])
generate-dashboard -o dashboard.json example.dashboard.py

Verify before relying

• Whether the library supports all current Grafana dashboard features and API versions
• Maintenance timeline and whether critical bugs or Grafana compatibility issues are addressed promptly
• Python 3.12+ support status (classifiers list up to 3.11)

Package facts

Evidence: grafanalib-0.7.1-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

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