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Think Big

Grafana’s flexible architecture is a playground for creativity. If a feature or capability doesn’t exist, you—as a contributor—can seamlessly bridge the gap. Rather than holding you back, Grafana empowers you with the tools to innovate. That’s its true strength!

A Paradigm-Shifting Insight​

Visualization panels were originally built for one-way data flow, designed to display time series, bar charts, pie charts, and similar visuals. In the past, users faced a rigid process:

  • Choose a visualization from a dropdown in panel edit mode
  • Guess the data format required by that visualization
  • Connect a data source and tweak it to match the expected format

This workflow was limiting—until two community plugins shattered the mold:

  • Business Charts Plugin: Replaces a finite set of visualizations with infinite possibilities
  • Business Forms Plugin: Transforms panels from static displays into interactive tools for managing data and system behavior

With Business Forms, users evolve from passive observers into active controllers—think Mission Control Center commanders rather than silent readers.

The Takeaway​

I highlight these plugins to ignite your imagination. They demonstrate the untapped potential within Grafana. Don’t confine yourself to predefined boundaries—reshape Grafana to fit your vision, not the other way around. Think big, color outside the lines, and turn possibilities into realities.