How to install Grafana on Ubuntu

Installing Grafana on Ubuntu gives a server-hosted web UI for dashboards, alerts, and data source connections. The supported APT repository from Grafana Labs keeps the package tied to normal Ubuntu package updates instead of a one-off downloaded .deb file.

The repository method installs the Grafana OSS package named grafana and creates the grafana-server.service systemd unit. The same repository also provides grafana-enterprise; choose only one edition on a host so later upgrades come from the same package line.

A completed install should report a Grafana version, show grafana-server active in systemd, and return the sign-in page from http://127.0.0.1:3000/login. Expose port 3000 to other clients only after the active firewall, login policy, and HTTPS plan match the server environment.

1. Open a terminal with sudo privileges.
2. Refresh the package index.

   $ sudo apt update

3. Install the packages needed to add the Grafana Labs APT repository.

   $ sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates wget gnupg curl

   curl is used later to verify that the local Grafana login page responds.

4. Create the APT keyring directory.

   $ sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

5. Download the Grafana Labs signing key.

   $ sudo wget -O /etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc https://apt.grafana.com/gpg-full.key

6. Set readable permissions on the signing key.

   $ sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc

7. Add the stable Grafana Labs repository.

   $ echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc] https://apt.grafana.com stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grafana.list
   deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc] https://apt.grafana.com stable main

8. Refresh package metadata from the new repository.

   $ sudo apt update
   Get:1 https://apt.grafana.com stable InRelease [7661 B]
   Reading package lists... Done

9. Install Grafana OSS.

   $ sudo apt install grafana
   Reading package lists... Done
   Building dependency tree... Done
   The following NEW packages will be installed:
     grafana
   ##### snipped #####
   Setting up grafana (13.0.2) ...

   Install grafana-enterprise instead when Enterprise plugins or licensed Enterprise features are planned. Grafana Labs publishes both packages from the same repository.

10. Confirm the installed binary reports a version.

    $ grafana server -v
    Version 13.0.2 (commit: 3fcdbc5a, branch: release-13.0.2)

    The exact version changes as Grafana Labs publishes new releases. Look for a Version line from the package you installed.

11. Reload systemd unit files.

    $ sudo systemctl daemon-reload

12. Enable and start the Grafana service.

    $ sudo systemctl enable --now grafana-server

    Related: How to manage the Grafana service with systemctl

13. Confirm the service is active.

    $ systemctl is-active grafana-server
    active

    Related: How to manage the Grafana service with systemctl

14. Verify that the local login page responds.

    $ curl --silent --include http://127.0.0.1:3000/login
    HTTP/1.1 200 OK
    Cache-Control: no-store
    Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
    X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
    X-Frame-Options: deny
    X-Xss-Protection: 1; mode=block
    ##### snipped #####

    Open http://server.example.com:3000/login from a browser after allowing port 3000 through the active firewall. The first local admin credentials are admin / admin unless /etc/grafana/grafana.ini sets different values.
    Related: How to configure HTTPS for Grafana