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datasource modify

What this page covers

Modify one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.

When to open this page

  • Use this when a datasource already exists and you need to update its URL, auth, JSON payload, or other live settings.

Who this page is for

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

Purpose

Modify one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.

When to use

Use this when a datasource already exists and you need to update its URL, auth, JSON payload, or other live settings.

Key flags

  • --uid: datasource UID to modify.
  • --set-url: replace the datasource URL.
  • --set-access: replace the datasource access mode.
  • --set-default: set or clear the default datasource flag.
  • --basic-auth, --basic-auth-user, --basic-auth-password: update basic auth settings.
  • --user, --password, --with-credentials, --http-header: update supported request settings.
  • --tls-skip-verify, --server-name: update TLS-related settings.
  • --json-data, --secure-json-data, --secure-json-data-placeholders, --secret-values: update structured fields and secrets.
  • --dry-run, --table, --json, --output-format, --no-header: preview output controls.

Examples

# Purpose: Modify one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.
grafana-util datasource modify --url http://localhost:3000 --basic-user admin --basic-password admin --uid prom-main --set-url http://prometheus-v2:9090 --dry-run --json
# Purpose: Modify one live Grafana datasource through the Grafana API.
grafana-util datasource modify --profile prod --uid prom-main --set-default true --dry-run --table

Before / After

  • Before: updating a live datasource usually meant editing a blob of JSON or clicking through multiple UI tabs.
  • After: one command can preview the exact live update and keep the change reviewable before it lands.

What success looks like

  • the UID identifies the intended datasource before the mutation starts
  • --dry-run shows the new URL, auth, or JSON fields you expect
  • default flags and secret updates are visible before the live change

Failure checks

  • if the preview touches the wrong datasource, confirm the UID before retrying
  • if auth or TLS changes are incomplete, compare the previewed payload against the current live settings first
  • if a secret field does not resolve, check the placeholder mapping or the chosen profile defaults