Grafonnet-lib is a Jsonnet library designed to enable users to generate Grafana dashboard files programmatically. The repository provides a code-based approach to dashboard creation, allowing developers to define Grafana dashboards using Jsonnet, a data templating language that extends JSON with programming capabilities. This approach enables dashboard definitions to be version-controlled, reused, and generated dynamically rather than created through manual UI interactions.
The library facilitates the creation of modular, reusable dashboard components that can be composed together to build complete monitoring solutions. By leveraging Jsonnet's templating and variable capabilities, grafonnet-lib allows users to define template variables, configure data sources, and construct visualization elements programmatically. The library supports integration with Prometheus and other data sources commonly used in monitoring stacks, making it particularly valuable for organizations that manage multiple dashboards or need to maintain consistency across dashboard definitions.
The repository is classified across multiple domains reflecting its broad applicability: configuration management, data visualization, dashboard templating, monitoring infrastructure, and metrics analysis. It serves as a template library that enables the creation of reusable components for dashboard construction, supporting both simple and complex monitoring scenarios. The templating and template variable functionality allows users to parameterize dashboards, making them adaptable to different environments and use cases without requiring manual modifications.
However, the repository is marked as deprecated. The README explicitly states that this version has been superseded by a generated version maintained at the official Grafana organization repository at https://github.com/grafana/grafonnet. The deprecation notice indicates that while this repository will remain in place to ensure backward compatibility with existing code that depends on it, no new changes will be accepted and no further development will occur. Users are directed to submit feature requests and contribute to the new official Grafonnet repository instead.
Despite its deprecated status, the repository continues to serve an important function in the ecosystem. Code and projects that currently use this library will continue to function without disruption, as the repository will not be removed. This preservation approach acknowledges the real-world dependencies that exist while clearly signaling the direction for future development and contributions.
The library's classification as a jsonnet library and template library emphasizes its role in enabling infrastructure-as-code practices for Grafana dashboard management. Organizations using this library can maintain dashboard definitions alongside their application code, apply version control practices to dashboard changes, and automate dashboard generation as part of their deployment pipelines. The support for data analytics and data visualization use cases reflects the library's applicability across different monitoring and observability scenarios, from infrastructure monitoring to application performance tracking.
