> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/self-managed-enterprise-edition/troubleshooting-and-resources/monitoring/adding-dashboards.md).

# Add Dashboards using Grafana Operator

### Overview <a href="#overview" id="overview"></a>

Harness provides curated dashboards for multiple modules such as CI, CD, STO, Platform and many more. To manage these dashboards efficiently, we recommend using the **Grafana Operator**, which allows you to:

* Deploy dashboards as Kubernetes custom resources (CRs).
* Maintain your monitoring setup via GitOps or Helm.
* Separate dashboards into logical folders using folder CRs.
* Automatically sync dashboards into your Grafana instance.

This guide walks you through installing the operator, connecting it to a running Grafana instance, and syncing dashboards from the Harness open-source dashboards repository.

### Install Grafana Operator <a href="#install-grafana-operator" id="install-grafana-operator"></a>

To install the Grafana Operator via Helm:

{% hint style="info" %}
**NOTE**

We recommend using grafana operator v5.16.0 and above having several fixes with grafana operator specially related to Grafana Folders struct.
{% endhint %}

```bash
helm upgrade -i grafana-operator oci://ghcr.io/grafana/helm-charts/grafana-operator -n grafana
```

> This creates the operator in the `grafana` namespace, which will monitor and reconcile Grafana-related custom resources.

### Connect the Operator to Grafana <a href="#connect-the-operator-to-grafana" id="connect-the-operator-to-grafana"></a>

The Grafana Operator needs credentials and the endpoint URL of your running Grafana instance to sync resources. This is done by defining a `Secret` and a `Grafana` custom resource.

Create a file named `grafana.yaml`:

```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: grafana-admin-credentials
  namespace: grafana
stringData:
  GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_USER: admin #         <-- Modify username
  GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD: password #  <-- Modify password
---
apiVersion: grafana.integreatly.org/v1beta1
kind: Grafana
metadata:
  name: grafana-instance
  labels:
    dashboards: "grafana-instance"
  namespace: grafana
spec:
  external:
    url: http://grafana.grafana.svc.cluster.local:3000 # <-- Grafana endpoint
    adminPassword:
      name: grafana-admin-credentials
      key: GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD
    adminUser:
      name: grafana-admin-credentials
      key: GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_USER
```

Apply it in your cluster:

```bash
kubectl apply -f grafana.yaml
```

***

### Install and Sync Harness Dashboards <a href="#install-and-sync-harness-dashboards" id="install-and-sync-harness-dashboards"></a>

To install Harness-maintained dashboards and automatically sync them into your Grafana instance:

1. Clone the dashboards repo:

   ```bash
     git clone https://github.com/harness/harness-dashboards.git
     cd harness-dashboards/chart
   ```
2. Install dashboards using Helm:

   ```bash
     helm install harness-dashboards . -n grafana
   ```

Once deployed, the Grafana Operator will sync these resources into your Grafana instance. The dashboards will be organized under a top-level folder titled **Harness**, containing subfolders for each module (e.g., Platform, CI, CD) and further grouped by services.

### Summary <a href="#summary" id="summary"></a>

You’ve now set up a scalable and declarative way to manage dashboards using the Grafana Operator. This approach enables structured, version-controlled observability tailored for your Harness environment.