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Open-Source Observability · dotdc

grafana-dashboards-kubernetes

A collection of pre-built Grafana dashboards designed for Kubernetes monitoring. Includes 8 dashboards covering cluster-wide views, node metrics, pod details, and Kubernetes component health—ready to deploy via multiple methods.

Source: GitHub — github.com/dotdc/grafana-dashboards-kubernetes
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GitHub stars
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Forks
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Primary language
Apache-2.0
License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

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FieldValue
Repositorydotdc/grafana-dashboards-kubernetes
Ownerdotdc
Primary languageUnknown
LicenseApache-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars3.6k
Forks471
Open issues11
Latest releasev3.0.6 (2026-03-24)
Last updated2026-04-02
Sourcehttps://github.com/dotdc/grafana-dashboards-kubernetes

What grafana-dashboards-kubernetes is

JSON dashboard files compatible with Grafana 7.2+ that visualize Prometheus metrics from kube-state-metrics and node-exporter. Requires Prometheus datasource and supports deployment via manual import, ConfigMaps, Helm, ArgoCD, Terraform, or Grafana Operator.

Quickstart

Get the grafana-dashboards-kubernetes source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash
git clone https://github.com/dotdc/grafana-dashboards-kubernetes.gitcd grafana-dashboards-kubernetes# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Multi-level cluster observability

Monitor Kubernetes from global cluster view down to individual pod performance using purpose-built dashboards for each abstraction level (global, namespaces, nodes, pods).

kube-prometheus-stack deployments

Drop-in dashboards optimized for the widely-used kube-prometheus-stack Helm chart, reducing setup time and ensuring metric alignment with standard Prometheus configurations.

Infrastructure troubleshooting

Quickly diagnose cluster-wide issues (API server latency, CoreDNS performance, node resource saturation) using dashboards covering Kubernetes system components.

Implementation considerations

  • Requires Prometheus datasource variable configured in Grafana to support federated instances and multi-cluster setups.
  • Dashboard sidecar must be enabled in Grafana Helm chart when using ConfigMaps, ArgoCD, or Operator deployment methods.
  • Known issue: excessive dashboard resolution can cause broken panels; verify display settings match expected metrics cardinality.
  • Node IP address changes and nodename label mismatches are documented issues requiring label configuration review on dynamic clusters.
  • Dashboards target kube-prometheus-stack by default; compatibility with other metric exporters depends on matching label schemes and metric names.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

  • Grafana versions older than 7.2 — Dashboards leverage features introduced in Grafana 7.2+ (gradient mode, time series visualization, __rate_interval variable). Older versions will not render panels correctly.
  • Non-Prometheus monitoring stack — Dashboards are tightly coupled to Prometheus, kube-state-metrics, and node-exporter. Custom or alternative metrics sources require significant modification.
  • Windows-only Kubernetes clusters — README explicitly lists Windows support as a known issue. Limited or no coverage for Windows node metrics.
  • Heavy customization requirements — While dashboards are editable, extensive modifications to queries, layout, or metrics may negate upstream updates and maintenance benefits.

License & commercial use

Licensed under Apache License 2.0, a permissive OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.

Apache 2.0 permits unrestricted commercial use, including in proprietary products, subject only to license attribution and liability disclaimers. No vendor lock-in or paid tier required; suitable for enterprise and commercial deployments.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

SignalAssessment
MaintenanceActive
DocumentationAdequate
License clarityClear
Deployment complexityLow
DEV.co fitStrong
Assessment confidenceHigh
Security considerations

Dashboards are JSON configuration files with no executable code; security posture depends on Grafana instance, Prometheus access controls, and RBAC for kube-state-metrics/node-exporter. Ensure Prometheus datasource credentials are managed securely. No embedded secrets in repository.

Alternatives to consider

kubernetes-mixin

Community-maintained Prometheus recording rules and alert rules for Kubernetes. Focuses on alerting rather than dashboards; requires grafonnet knowledge for customization.

Prometheus kube-state-metrics Helm chart default dashboards

Simpler, officially-maintained dashboards shipped with kube-prometheus-stack. Less feature-rich than dotdc dashboards but require zero custom installation.

Commercial Kubernetes monitoring platforms (Datadog, New Relic, Splunk)

Fully managed observability with built-in dashboards, alerting, and support. Higher cost but eliminates self-hosted maintenance burden and provides cross-cluster federation out-of-box.

Software development agency

Build on grafana-dashboards-kubernetes with DEV.co software developers

Deploy these dashboards in minutes using Helm, ArgoCD, Terraform, or manual import. No code changes required—just plug into your existing Prometheus stack.

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grafana-dashboards-kubernetes FAQ

Are these dashboards compatible with my existing Prometheus setup?
Likely yes if you have kube-state-metrics and node-exporter installed. Dashboards are optimized for kube-prometheus-stack but work with any Prometheus scraping these exporters using standard labels. Test with a single dashboard first to confirm metric availability.
Can I modify these dashboards and keep receiving updates?
Yes, but you lose automatic updates for modified dashboards. Use version control or configuration management (Helm, ArgoCD) to maintain your customizations separately from the upstream repository.
What Grafana version do I need?
Minimum Grafana 7.2 due to __rate_interval variable support. Grafana 8.1+ recommended to fully utilize gradient mode for time series visualizations.
How do I deploy these in a multi-cluster setup?
Each cluster's Prometheus must be registered as a separate datasource in Grafana. Dashboards support datasource variables, allowing you to select which cluster to monitor from a dropdown. Configure datasources with appropriate URLs and credentials per cluster.

Custom software development services

DEV.co is a software development agency delivering custom software development services to companies building on open source. Our software developers and web developers design, integrate, and ship production systems — spanning web development, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If grafana-dashboards-kubernetes is part of your open-source observability roadmap, our team can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.

Ready to gain visibility into your Kubernetes cluster?

Deploy these dashboards in minutes using Helm, ArgoCD, Terraform, or manual import. No code changes required—just plug into your existing Prometheus stack.