How to use the command "grafana-cli" (with examples)

The “grafana-cli” is a small executable that comes bundled with Grafana server. It provides a command-line interface for managing plugins in Grafana. Whether you want to install, update, remove, or list plugins, the “grafana-cli” command has got you covered.

Use case 1: Install, update, or remove specific plugins

To install, update, or remove specific plugins in Grafana, you can use the following command:

grafana-cli plugins install|update|remove plugin_id1 plugin_id2 ...

• “grafana-cli”: This is the command used to interact with the Grafana server and manage plugins.
• “plugins”: This specifies that we are performing an action on Grafana plugins.
• “install|update|remove”: This argument specifies the action to be performed on the plugins. You can choose to install, update, or remove.
• “plugin_id1 plugin_id2 …”: These are the IDs of the plugins you want to perform the action on. You can specify one or multiple plugin IDs, separated by spaces.

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to add new functionality to your Grafana instance by installing new plugins, update existing plugins to the latest versions, or remove unnecessary plugins to improve performance or security.

Code:

grafana-cli plugins install my-plugin-id

Explanation:

• The command “grafana-cli plugins install” is used to install a plugin.
• “my-plugin-id” is the ID of the plugin you want to install.

Example output:

Attempting to install plugin 'my-plugin-id'-
Plugin 'my-plugin-id' successfully installed.

Use case 2: List all installed plugins

To list all the installed plugins in your Grafana instance, you can use the following command:

grafana-cli plugins ls

• “grafana-cli”: This is the command used to interact with the Grafana server and manage plugins.
• “plugins”: This specifies that we want to list the installed plugins.

Motivation: This use case is helpful when you want to get an overview of all the plugins currently installed in your Grafana instance. It allows you to check if the plugins you need are installed, verify their versions, and ensure they are active.

Code:

grafana-cli plugins ls

Explanation:

• The command “grafana-cli plugins ls” is used to list all the installed plugins.

Example output:

my-plugin-id1
my-plugin-id2
my-plugin-id3

Conclusion:

The “grafana-cli” command provides a convenient way to manage plugins in Grafana. Whether you need to install, update, remove, or list plugins, the “grafana-cli” command offers a simple and effective solution. By utilizing these use cases, you can easily customize your Grafana instance according to your requirements and ensure that your plugins are up to date.