Dashboards
This guide introduces you to the Dashboards in OpenObserve, including what they are, how to access them, and how to create a new dashboard.
Introduction to Dashboards
In OpenObserve, Dashboards are the central tool for data visualization and monitoring. They provide a way to display real-time and historical data in an interactive, easy-to-understand format.
The purpose of Dashboards is to offer an intuitive, at-a-glance view of your data, helping you:
- Visualize trends: Track performance over time with charts and graphs.
- Monitor systems: Keep an eye on critical systems or services in real-time.
- Analyze errors: Detect and analyze errors or issues that need attention.
- Facilitate collaboration: Share and discuss insights with team members through dynamic and interactive data visualizations.
How to Access Dashboards
On the left-hand side menu, click Dashboards to access the dashboard management section.
How to Build Dashboards
Video walkthrough
Dashboard Structure in OpenObserve
Folders
Dashboards are stored in folders. By default, the default folder is created. However, you can create additional folders to organize Dashboards based on your requirements.
Create Folders
To create a new folder, click + (Add Folder) at the top of the Folders rail, and provide a folder name and description. You can also pick an icon for the folder.
Editing or Deleting Folders
To edit or delete a folder, click the vertical ellipsis (three dots) menu next to the folder name in the folder list and select Edit or Delete.
Dashboards
Inside each folder, you can create one or more Dashboards. Dashboards hold Panels, which represent visualizations of your data.
Create Dashboards
To create a new Dashboard, click New dashboard, add a Name and Description for the Dashboard, and select an existing folder or create a new folder to organize the Dashboard. To bring in an existing Dashboard, open the Import menu and choose Custom (a JSON file or URL), Templates (the dashboard gallery), or one of the Migrate from options (Datadog, Grafana, Kibana, CloudWatch).
Dashboards can contain one or more Panels for visualizing various data points or metrics.
Panels
A Panel displays a single visualization using one of the supported chart types, based on specific data.
Create Panels
To add a Panel inside a Dashboard, click the Add Panel button.
Each Panel displays one type of visualization. You can add multiple Panels to a Dashboard to represent different data.
Example of a Dashboard with Panels:
Supported Chart Types in Dashboards
The following charts are supported in Dashboards:
- Area
- Area Stacked
- Bar
- Horizontal (bar)
- Line
- Scatter
- Stacked (bar)
- H-Stacked (horizontal stacked bar)
- GeoMap
- Maps
- Pie
- Donut
- Treemap
- Sunburst
- Heatmap
- Box plot
- Distribution
- State timeline
- Host map
- Table: Display data in rows and columns, with optional pivot mode.
- Metric Text
- Gauge
- Logs
- Bar gauge
- Funnel
- Alert list
- Flame graph
- HTML
- Markdown
- Sankey
- Node graph
- Custom Chart
The Table chart supports a pivot mode: add a Pivot Field (the +P button) to cross-tabulate data into columns (up to 3 pivot fields), with optional Show Row Totals / Show Column Totals (and sticky variants). Transpose and Allow Dynamic Columns are disabled while pivot mode is active. See Pivot Table.
Tabs
Tabs help organize your Panels into different sections within a Dashboard. For example, use one Tab for Performance, another for Errors, and another for Traffic Analysis. By default, Panels are added to the Default tab.
Create New Tabs
To create a new Tab, click the + (Add Tab) icon next to the Tabs and enter a Tab name. You can also create Tabs from the Tabs section of Dashboard Settings. Tabs cannot be added while the layout is in edit mode.
Examples of a Dashboard with Panels organized in different Tabs:
Time Range and Auto Run
Auto Run re-runs dashboard queries automatically when a dashboard opens and when you change the time range or filters. Enable it for your deployment with ZO_AUTO_QUERY_ENABLED=true. The setting applies to all dashboards, Logs, and Traces.
When Auto Run is on, panels with a relative time range show their cached result first, then refresh in the background with the latest data.
Dashboard time pickers apply the selected range based on Auto Run:
- Auto Run on: The range applies immediately.
- Auto Run off: The Refresh button turns yellow. Click Refresh or press R to apply the range.
FAQ
Why does my dashboard chart say "No data"?
OpenObserve shows a "No data" message on a dashboard chart when the selected query returns no results for the specified time range. This clarifies that the chart loaded successfully but no matching data was found. It is not an error.
When a dashboard loads, a blank chart placeholder appears while data is loading. If the query returns data for the selected time range, the chart is rendered normally. If the query returns no data, the chart shows a "No data" message to indicate an empty result.
To resolve this: try adjusting the time range or filters, and refresh the dashboard.
Can I import an existing dashboard?
Yes. From the Dashboards page, open the Import menu and select Custom to upload a dashboard JSON file or import it from a URL. You can also choose the folder to import it into, or create a new one. Templates imports a ready-made dashboard from the gallery.
How do I move a dashboard to a different folder?
In the dashboard list, click the Move to another Folder icon in the dashboard's Actions column, select the destination folder, and click Move. To move many dashboards at once, see Bulk move and export.
Next steps
- Manage Dashboards: edit, duplicate, delete, and share dashboards.
- Panels: deep-dive into panel configuration and chart types.
- Filters: control what data is shown across panels.
- Variables: make dashboards dynamic with reusable values.
- Bulk move and export: manage dashboards at scale.
Need some help?
- Join our Community Slack
- Or Contact support
Dashboards Overview
Visualize and monitor real-time or historical data in OpenObserve using dashboards, variables, comparisons, and custom interactive charts.
Folder Icons
Assign emoji and full-color service logos to folders so you can identify Dashboards, Alerts, Reports, and Synthetics folders at a glance.