Grafana dashboards for containers in Docker - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Grafana dashboards for containers

Start Docker Containers

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Collect Metrics with Prometheus

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Grafana Connects to Prometheus

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Create Dashboard in Grafana

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Visualize Container Metrics

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Monitor & Analyze Container Health

This flow shows how container metrics are collected and visualized using Grafana dashboards connected to Prometheus.

Execution Sample

Docker

docker run -d --name prometheus -p 9090:9090 prom/prometheus

docker run -d --name grafana -p 3000:3000 grafana/grafana

# Configure Grafana to use Prometheus as data source
# Import container metrics dashboard

# Access Grafana UI at http://localhost:3000

This code runs Prometheus and Grafana containers, sets up Prometheus as data source, and imports a dashboard to visualize container metrics.

Process Table

Step	Action	Result	System State
1	Run Prometheus container	Prometheus starts on port 9090	Prometheus container running
2	Run Grafana container	Grafana starts on port 3000	Grafana container running
3	Configure Grafana data source	Prometheus added as data source	Grafana connected to Prometheus
4	Import container metrics dashboard	Dashboard loaded with panels	Dashboard ready to display metrics
5	Access Grafana UI	Dashboard visible in browser	User can see container metrics
6	Monitor container metrics	Metrics update in real-time	Continuous monitoring active
7	Stop process	User stops monitoring	Containers can be stopped or kept running

💡 User finishes monitoring or stops containers

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	Final
Prometheus Container	Not running	Running	Running	Running	Running	Running	Running or stopped
Grafana Container	Not running	Not running	Running	Running	Running	Running	Running or stopped
Grafana Data Source	None	None	None	Prometheus	Prometheus	Prometheus	Prometheus
Dashboard	None	None	None	None	Loaded	Loaded	Loaded
User Access	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we need Prometheus before Grafana can show container metrics?

Prometheus collects and stores the container metrics. Grafana only visualizes data from a data source like Prometheus, as shown in step 3 of the execution_table.

What happens if Grafana is running but Prometheus is not?

Grafana cannot display container metrics because it has no data source connected. This is shown in step 2 where Grafana runs but step 3 data source is missing.

How does the dashboard update metrics in real-time?

Grafana queries Prometheus regularly to get fresh metrics, so the dashboard panels update continuously as in step 6.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, at which step is Prometheus first running?

A Step 3

B Step 2

C Step 1

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column for Prometheus starting.

According to variable_tracker, what is the state of Grafana container after Step 2?

A Not running

B Running

C Stopped

D Unknown

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Grafana Container' row under 'After Step 2' column.

If the data source configuration in Grafana is missing, what will happen to the dashboard?

A Dashboard will load but show no data

B Dashboard will show metrics normally

C Grafana will crash

D Prometheus will stop collecting metrics

💡 Hint

Refer to step 3 and 4 in execution_table and variable_tracker for data source and dashboard state.

Concept Snapshot

Run Prometheus container to collect metrics
Run Grafana container for visualization
Configure Grafana to use Prometheus as data source
Import or create dashboards to display container metrics
Access Grafana UI to monitor containers in real-time

Full Transcript

To monitor containers visually, first run Prometheus in a Docker container to collect metrics. Then run Grafana container to visualize data. Configure Grafana to connect to Prometheus as its data source. Import or create dashboards in Grafana that show container metrics like CPU, memory, and network. Access Grafana's web UI to see live updates and monitor container health easily.