Configure the Pyroscope data source

The Pyroscope data source sets how Grafana connects to your Pyroscope backend.

You can configure the data source using either the data source interface in Grafana or using a configuration file. This page explains how to set up and enable the data source capabilities using Grafana.

If you make any changes, select Save & test to preserve those changes.

If you're using your own installation of Grafana, you can provision the Pyroscope data source using a YAML configuration file. For more information about provisioning and available configuration options, refer to Provisioning Grafana.

Before you begin

To configure a Pyroscope data source, you need administrator rights to your Grafana instance and a running Pyroscope backend that's receiving profiling data.

If you're provisioning a Pyroscope data source, then you also need administrative rights on the server hosting your Grafana instance.

Add or modify a data source

You can use these procedures to configure a new Pyroscope data source or to edit an existing one.

Create a new data source

To configure basic settings for the data source, complete the following steps:

1. Select Connections in the main menu.

2. Enter Grafana Pyroscope in the search bar.

3. Select Grafana Pyroscope.

4. Select Add new data source in the top-right corner of the page.

5. On the Settings tab, complete the Name, Connection, and Authentication sections.

   • Use the Name field to specify the name used for the data source in panels, queries, and Explore. Toggle the Default switch for the data source to be pre-selected for new panels.
   • Under Connection, enter the URL of the Pyroscope instance. For example, https://example.com:4040. Refer to Connection URL for more information.
   • Complete the Authentication section.

6. Optional: Use Additional settings to configure other options.

7. Select Save & test.

Update an existing data source

To modify an existing Pyroscope data source:

1. Select Connections in the main menu.
2. Select Data sources to view a list of configured data sources.
3. Select the Pyroscope data source you want to modify.
4. Optional: Use Additional settings to configure or modify other options.
5. After completing your updates, select Save & test.

Connection URL

The data source connection URL should point to a location of a running Pyroscope backend.

Grafana Cloud Profiles

Your Grafana Cloud instance automatically includes a fully provisioned data source.

If you are running a self-managed Grafana instance or need to configure an additional Pyroscope data source pointing to Grafana Cloud Profiles, you can find the Pyroscope URL under the Manage your stack section for your organization.

To authenticate against Grafana Cloud Profiles, enable Basic auth and enter your numeric instance ID as the username and an access policy token as the password. The token must belong to an access policy that includes the profiles:read scope and targets the correct stack. For more information, refer to Grafana Cloud access policies.

Self-managed Pyroscope backend

The connection URL for a self-managed Pyroscope backend depends on how Pyroscope is deployed. Refer to the steps under Query profiles in Grafana for more information on how to configure the data source.

If you plan to use the Profiles Drilldown application and you are running a self-managed Pyroscope backend in microservices mode, the data source connection URL should point to a gateway or proxy that routes requests to the corresponding Pyroscope service. Refer to the Helm ingress configuration for specific routing requirements.

Authentication

Use this section to select an authentication method to access the data source.

{{< admonition type="note" >}} Use Transport Layer Security (TLS) for an additional layer of security when working with Pyroscope. For additional information on setting up TLS encryption with Pyroscope, refer to Pyroscope configuration. {{< /admonition >}}

{{< docs/shared source="grafana" lookup="datasources/datasouce-authentication.md" leveloffset="+2" version="<GRAFANA_VERSION>" >}}

Additional settings

Additional settings are optional settings that give you more control over your data source. Select the Additional settings section to expand it and configure these options.

Advanced HTTP settings

The Grafana Proxy deletes forwarded cookies. Use the Allowed cookies field to specify cookies that should be forwarded to the data source by name.

The Timeout field sets the HTTP request timeout in seconds.

Private data source connect

{{< docs/shared source="grafana" lookup="datasources/datasouce-private-ds-connect.md" leveloffset="+2" version="<GRAFANA_VERSION>" >}}

Querying

Use the Minimal step field to set the minimum step used for metric queries that return time-series data. The default value is 15 seconds. Enter a value in Grafana duration format using a number and a time unit specifier, such as 15s, 1m, or 1h. Set it to the same value as, or higher than, the scrape interval configured in your Pyroscope database.

Adjusting this option can help prevent gaps when you zoom in to profiling data.

Verify the connection

After you configure the data source, select Save & test to verify the connection. When the connection is successful, Grafana displays a Data source is working message. If the test fails, Grafana displays the error returned by the Pyroscope backend. For help resolving connection errors, refer to Troubleshoot the Pyroscope data source.

Provision the data source

You can provision the Pyroscope data source using YAML configuration files or Terraform, as part of the Grafana provisioning system. For more information about provisioning and available configuration options, refer to Provisioning Grafana.

YAML provisioning example

The following example provisions a Pyroscope data source:

apiVersion: 1

datasources:
  - name: Grafana Pyroscope
    type: grafana-pyroscope-datasource
    url: http://localhost:4040
    jsonData:
      minStep: '15s'

To provision with basic authentication, for example when connecting to Grafana Cloud Profiles:

apiVersion: 1

datasources:
  - name: Grafana Pyroscope
    type: grafana-pyroscope-datasource
    url: https://example.grafana.net
    basicAuth: true
    basicAuthUser: '<INSTANCE_ID>'
    jsonData:
      minStep: '15s'
    secureJsonData:
      basicAuthPassword: <ACCESS_POLICY_TOKEN>

Replace the following:

• <INSTANCE_ID>: Your numeric instance ID, found under Manage your stack.
• <ACCESS_POLICY_TOKEN>: An access policy token with the profiles:read scope.

Terraform example

To provision the data source with Terraform, use the grafana_data_source resource:

resource "grafana_data_source" "pyroscope" {
  type = "grafana-pyroscope-datasource"
  name = "Grafana Pyroscope"
  url  = "http://localhost:4040"

  json_data_encoded = jsonencode({
    minStep = "15s"
  })
}

To provision with basic authentication:

resource "grafana_data_source" "pyroscope" {
  type                = "grafana-pyroscope-datasource"
  name                = "Grafana Pyroscope"
  url                 = "http://localhost:4040"
  basic_auth_enabled  = true
  basic_auth_username = "<USERNAME>"

  secure_json_data_encoded = jsonencode({
    basicAuthPassword = "<PASSWORD>"
  })
}

Replace the following:

• <USERNAME>: Your Pyroscope username.
• <PASSWORD>: Your Pyroscope password.