Configuration File

Grafana uses INI-formatted configuration files to define settings. The configuration system provides sensible defaults and allows you to override only the settings you need to change.

Configuration Files

defaults.ini

Location: conf/defaults.ini This file contains all default Grafana settings with documentation. Do not modify this file as it will be overwritten during upgrades.

##################### Grafana Configuration Defaults #####################
#
# Do not modify this file in grafana installs
#

# possible values : production, development
app_mode = production

# instance name, defaults to HOSTNAME environment variable value or hostname if HOSTNAME var is empty
instance_name = ${HOSTNAME}

custom.ini

Location: conf/custom.ini This is your custom configuration file where you override default settings. This file is preserved during upgrades.

# Example custom.ini
[server]
http_port = 3000
protocol = http
domain = example.com
root_url = https://grafana.example.com/

[database]
type = postgres
host = db.example.com:5432
name = grafana
user = grafana_user
password = """myp@ssw0rd#with;special"""  # Triple quotes for special characters

[security]
admin_user = admin
admin_password = changeme

Custom Configuration Path

You can specify a custom configuration file path using the --config flag:

grafana-server --config=/etc/grafana/custom.ini

INI File Format

Sections

Configuration is organized into sections denoted by [section_name]:

[server]
http_port = 3000

[database]
type = sqlite3

[security]
secret_key = SW2YcwTIb9zpOOhoPsMm

Nested Sections

Some configuration uses nested sections with dot notation:

[auth.github]
enabled = true
client_id = some_id
client_secret = some_secret

[auth.google]
enabled = false
client_id = some_client_id

Comments

Comments start with # or ;:

# This is a comment
; This is also a comment
http_port = 3000  # Inline comment

Value Types

Strings:

domain = localhost
instance_name = my-grafana

Numbers:

http_port = 3000
max_idle_conn = 2

Booleans:

enabled = true
log_queries = false

Durations:

temp_data_lifetime = 24h
read_timeout = 30s
login_maximum_lifetime_duration = 30d

Supported units: ms (milliseconds), s (seconds), m (minutes), h (hours), d (days), w (weeks), M (months) Special Characters in Values: If your value contains # or ;, wrap it with triple quotes:

password = """#password;with;special""" 
connection_string = """server=localhost;database=grafana;user=admin;password=p@ss;word"""

Variable Substitution

Grafana supports variable substitution using the ${VAR} syntax:

instance_name = ${HOSTNAME}
root_url = %(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s/

The %(key)s syntax references other values within the same section.

Key Configuration Sections

Server Configuration

[server]
# Protocol (http, https, h2, socket, socket_h2)
protocol = http

# The ip address to bind to, empty will bind to all interfaces
http_addr = 0.0.0.0

# The http port to use
http_port = 3000

# The public facing domain name used to access grafana from a browser
domain = localhost

# The full public facing url
root_url = %(protocol)s://%(domain)s:%(http_port)s/

# Serve Grafana from subpath
serve_from_sub_path = false

# enable gzip
enable_gzip = false

# https certs & key file
cert_file =
cert_key =

# Minimum TLS version (TLS1.2, TLS1.3)
min_tls_version = TLS1.2

Paths Configuration

[paths]
# Path to where grafana can store temp files, sessions, and the sqlite3 db
data = data

# Temporary files lifetime
temp_data_lifetime = 24h

# Directory where grafana can store logs
logs = data/log

# Directory where grafana will automatically scan and look for plugins
plugins = data/plugins

# Folder for provisioning config files
provisioning = conf/provisioning

Security Configuration

[security]
# Default admin user, created on startup
admin_user = admin

# Default admin password, can be changed before first start
admin_password = admin

# Default admin email
admin_email = admin@localhost

# Secret key used for signing
secret_key = SW2YcwTIb9zpOOhoPsMm

# Disable creation of admin user on first start
disable_initial_admin_creation = false

# Disable gravatar profile images
disable_gravatar = false

# Set to true if you host Grafana behind HTTPS
cookie_secure = false

# Set cookie SameSite attribute (lax, strict, none, disabled)
cookie_samesite = lax

# Set to true to allow browsers to render Grafana in a frame
allow_embedding = false

Logging Configuration

[log]
# Either "console", "file", "syslog". Use space to separate multiple modes
mode = console file

# Either "debug", "info", "warn", "error"
level = info

# Optional settings to set different levels for specific loggers
# Ex: filters = sqlstore:debug
filters =

[log.console]
level =
# log line format: text, console, json
format = console

[log.file]
level =
format = text
log_rotate = true
max_lines = 1000000
max_size_shift = 28
daily_rotate = true
max_days = 7

Users Configuration

[users]
# Disable user signup / registration
allow_sign_up = false

# Allow non admin users to create organizations
allow_org_create = false

# Set to true to automatically assign new users to default organization
auto_assign_org = true

# Default organization (id 1)
auto_assign_org_id = 1

# Default role new users will be assigned (Viewer, Editor, Admin)
auto_assign_org_role = Viewer

# Require email validation before sign up completes
verify_email_enabled = false

# Default UI theme (dark, light, system)
default_theme = dark

# Default UI language (en-US, fr-FR, etc.)
default_language = en-US

Configuration Validation

Grafana validates configuration on startup. Common validation errors: Invalid INI syntax:

Failed to parse configuration: unclosed section

Invalid value type:

Failed to parse http_port: strconv.ParseInt: invalid syntax

Missing required value:

Database host is required when type is postgres

Check the Grafana logs at startup for configuration errors.

Reloading Configuration

Most configuration changes require a Grafana restart:

# Systemd
sudo systemctl restart grafana-server

# Init.d
sudo service grafana-server restart

# Docker
docker restart grafana

Some settings (like provisioning) are reloaded automatically without restart.

Best Practices

Start with defaults.ini - Review default settings before customizing
Use comments - Document why you changed a setting
Group related settings - Keep related configuration together
Avoid duplicates - Only specify each setting once
Quote special characters - Use triple quotes for passwords with special chars
Version control custom.ini - Track configuration changes (excluding secrets)
Use environment variables for secrets - Keep sensitive data out of config files

Example Complete Configuration

# conf/custom.ini - Production Grafana Configuration

[server]
protocol = https
http_port = 3000
domain = grafana.example.com
root_url = https://grafana.example.com/
cert_file = /etc/grafana/ssl/grafana.crt
cert_key = /etc/grafana/ssl/grafana.key
enable_gzip = true

[database]
type = postgres
host = postgres.example.com:5432
name = grafana_prod
user = grafana
# Password set via GF_DATABASE_PASSWORD environment variable
ssl_mode = require
max_open_conn = 100
max_idle_conn = 50
conn_max_lifetime = 14400

[security]
# Admin credentials set via environment variables
secret_key = ${SECRET_KEY}
cookie_secure = true
cookie_samesite = strict
strict_transport_security = true
strict_transport_security_max_age_seconds = 86400

[users]
allow_sign_up = false
auto_assign_org = true
auto_assign_org_role = Viewer
default_theme = dark

[auth.github]
enabled = true
allow_sign_up = true
client_id = ${GITHUB_CLIENT_ID}
client_secret = ${GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET}
scopes = user:email,read:org
auth_url = https://github.com/login/oauth/authorize
token_url = https://github.com/login/oauth/access_token
api_url = https://api.github.com/user
allowed_organizations = my-org

[smtp]
enabled = true
host = smtp.example.com:587
user = grafana@example.com
# Password set via GF_SMTP_PASSWORD environment variable
from_address = grafana@example.com
from_name = Grafana
skip_verify = false
startTLS_policy = MandatoryStartTLS

[log]
mode = console file
level = info

[log.file]
format = json
log_rotate = true
max_days = 30

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