Tailor Cloud Observability Dashboards for AWS, Azure, and GCP in Grafana Cloud
Introduction
Cloud Provider Observability in Grafana Cloud delivers out-of-the-box dashboards and drill-downs for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, including service overviews, instance-level views, and quick links to explore metrics. However, teams often need a tailored experience—whether integrating existing dashboards, aligning with specific workflows, or customizing per-instance panels. Now, you can personalize all these aspects without leaving the application. This article explains three ways to customize service views: connecting an existing dashboard, creating one with AI, and editing instance drill-down panels.
Why Customize?
Customization provides three key benefits:
- Quick Links and Default Dashboard: On the Configure page, you set either a preconfigured or a custom dashboard as the default. This view appears when users access the service from the services tab, entity graph, or other entry points. Additional custom dashboards become extra quick links.
- Consistent Instance Drill-Down: The panels and queries you define in the “Customize the panels…” section are rendered everywhere the instance-level view is used—Cloud Provider Observability, Database Observability, entity graph, and more.
- AI-Generated Dashboards: Use AI to create dashboards with correct variables and methodology, then add them like any custom dashboard. Optionally set one as the default to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows.
Together, these options let you keep proven out-of-the-box views where they fit, plug in your own or AI-generated dashboards where a different starting point is needed, and tailor per-instance drill-downs for consistent observability across surfaces.
One Central Location: The Configure Page
Customization for a specific cloud service (e.g., Amazon RDS, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure Virtual Machines) lives on that service’s Configure page. To access it, click Configure for the desired service on the Services tab. There you’ll find:
- Preconfigured dashboard: The built-in view for that service.
- Custom dashboards: Dashboards you’ve added as quick links, with one marked as default.
- Explore-style links: Direct links to metrics and Grafana Metrics Drilldown.
Any changes you make are saved per service and reused wherever that service appears in Grafana, including services, entity graph, and Database Observability.
1. Connect an Existing Dashboard
If you already have a dashboard that fits a service (e.g., an internal RDS or Lambda view), you can attach it as a quick link and optionally set it as the default view.
On the service’s Configure page, locate the section titled “Customize your quick links and add new ones to your custom dashboards.” Under Select a dashboard, choose the dashboard from the list. Then decide whether to set it as the default (if not already) or simply add it as an additional quick link. Save your changes. The dashboard will appear immediately as a quick link and, if marked default, will load when users navigate to that service.
2. Create a Dashboard with AI
You can generate a new dashboard using AI, ensuring it includes the correct variables and methodology for the cloud service. After creation, add it to the Configure page just like any other custom dashboard. Optionally, set it as the default to replace the preconfigured view. This approach allows teams to quickly build purpose-built dashboards tailored to specific metrics or operational needs without starting from scratch.
To create an AI-generated dashboard, use Grafana’s AI assistant (if enabled) and describe the desired panels and data sources. Once generated, export or save the dashboard, then return to the Configure page and add it as a custom dashboard using the same process as connecting an existing one.
3. Edit Instance Drill-Down Views
The instance-level drill-down is used across multiple surfaces in Grafana, such as Cloud Provider Observability, Database Observability, and the entity graph. To customize it, go to the same Configure page and find the section “Customize the panels that appear when you drill into a single instance.” Here you can modify panels, queries, and visualizations. Changes take effect immediately everywhere the drill-down view is rendered, ensuring consistency regardless of how you navigate to an instance.
This is particularly useful if you need different metrics, alarm thresholds, or layout compared to the default instance view. You can add new panels, remove existing ones, or adjust queries to match your team’s observability standards.
Putting It All Together
With these three customization options, Cloud Provider Observability becomes adaptable to any team’s workflow. Keep the preconfigured views for common scenarios, integrate existing trusted dashboards, harness AI for rapid creation, and fine-tune instance drill-downs for detailed investigations. All changes are managed from a single Configure page, making it easy to maintain and update as needs evolve.
Start customizing today by opening the Services tab in Cloud Provider Observability, clicking Configure on any service, and exploring the options. Your tailored dashboards will be available instantly across Grafana.