grafana-util docs
Home / Commands / datasource add

datasource add

What this page covers

Create one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.

When to open this page

  • Use this when you want to create a new datasource directly, or dry-run the create step before applying it.

Who this page is for

Best for operators who manage Grafana data source configuration, dependency checks, and recovery paths.

Purpose

Create one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.

When to use

Use this when you want to create a new datasource directly, or dry-run the create step before applying it.

Key flags

  • --uid: stable datasource identity.
  • --name: datasource name.
  • --type: Grafana datasource plugin type id.
  • --datasource-url: datasource target URL.
  • --access: proxy or direct access mode.
  • --default: mark as the default datasource.
  • --preset-profile and --apply-supported-defaults: scaffold supported defaults.
  • --json-data, --secure-json-data, --secure-json-data-placeholders, --secret-values: configure custom fields and secrets.
  • --dry-run, --table, --json, --output-format, --no-header: preview output controls.

Examples

# Purpose: Create one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.
grafana-util datasource add --url http://localhost:3000 --basic-user admin --basic-password admin --name prometheus-main --type prometheus --datasource-url http://prometheus:9090 --dry-run --table
# Purpose: Create one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.
grafana-util datasource add --profile prod --name tempo-main --type tempo --datasource-url http://tempo:3200 --preset-profile full --dry-run --json

Before / After

  • Before: datasource creation often lived in UI clicks or hand-written API payloads.
  • After: one command can scaffold the create payload, preview it, and show the exact fields you are about to send.

What success looks like

  • the type id and URL are explicit before the live create
  • --dry-run shows the payload shape you expect
  • secret placeholders and defaults are resolved the same way every time

Failure checks

  • if the create preview looks wrong, confirm the type id and datasource URL before going live
  • if a secret field remains unresolved, check whether --secret-values or the chosen preset profile is complete
  • if the live create fails, compare the preview payload against the datasource rules for that plugin type