---
id: grafanalib
version: "0.7.1"
license: Apache
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# grafanalib — Library for building Grafana dashboards

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 393.3K/mo

## 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 above — 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

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

- License: Apache (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 393.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

grafana dashboard as code, python grafana automation, version control dashboards, grafana json generation, infrastructure monitoring templates, dashboard configuration python, grafana provisioning library, infrastructure-as-code, grafana-automation, dashboard-templating

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