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How to Self-Host Grafana on a VPS (Complete Guide)

A complete guide to self-hosting Grafana on a VPS: install, configure, and secure Grafana step by step, with recommended specs and common gotchas.

This guide installs Grafana on a Debian or Ubuntu VPS from Grafana’s official APT repository. It also covers a persistent Docker alternative, private first access, the current data source menu, backups, and the checks to run after an update.

Grafana is the visualization and alerting layer. Prometheus, Loki, Tempo, InfluxDB, or another data source usually stores the telemetry. Size the VPS for the Grafana server and its query workload, then budget data-source capacity separately. See the Grafana VPS requirements guide before choosing a plan.

Before You Install

Prepare the following:

Use one installation method on a host. The APT method integrates with systemd and the distribution package manager. The Docker method is useful when you already operate containers.

Choosing Your VPS Provider

Choose a plan that fits the dashboard workload and the other services sharing the VPS. The provider table below is a starting point; verify current plan details before ordering:

ProviderMonthly PriceRAMCPUStorage
Contabo VPS5.99 EUR4 GB2 vCPU200 GB SSD
Hetzner Cloud5.49 EUR4 GB2 vCPU40 GB NVMe
DigitalOcean6 USD2 GB1 vCPU50 GB SSD
Vultr6 USD2 GB1 vCPU55 GB SSD
Linode5 USD4 GB2 vCPU80 GB SSD

Treat the table as a shortlist, not a sizing rule. For a decision page with Grafana-specific tradeoffs, compare the best VPS options for Grafana or the lower-cost Grafana VPS shortlist.

Step 1: Prepare the VPS

Connect with the administrative account created during provisioning:

ssh admin@your_vps_ip

Update the package index and installed packages before adding Grafana:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

If this is a production server, review the pending upgrades before accepting them and reboot if the operating system requires it.

Step 2: Install Grafana From the Official APT Repository

Grafana’s current Debian and Ubuntu instructions require apt-transport-https, wget, and gnupg:

sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https wget gnupg
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo wget -O /etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc https://apt.grafana.com/gpg-full.key
sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc

Add the stable repository and install Grafana OSS:

echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/grafana.asc] https://apt.grafana.com stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grafana.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install grafana

The repository method lets normal package updates deliver future Grafana releases. Read the release notes and make a backup before a production upgrade.

Step 3: Start and Verify the Service

Enable Grafana at boot and start it now:

sudo systemctl enable --now grafana-server
sudo systemctl status grafana-server --no-pager

If the service is not active, inspect its recent log entries:

sudo journalctl -u grafana-server -n 100 --no-pager

Do not open port 3000 to the whole internet just to complete setup. Use an SSH tunnel for private first access:

ssh -L 3000:127.0.0.1:3000 admin@your_vps_ip

Keep that SSH session open and visit http://127.0.0.1:3000 on your own computer. Unless you changed the defaults, use admin for both the username and password, then replace the initial password when Grafana prompts you.

Step 4: Bind Grafana to the Private Interface

For an APT installation, place custom settings in /etc/grafana/grafana.ini. Do not edit defaults.ini. If the reverse proxy runs on the same VPS, bind Grafana to loopback and set its public URL:

[server]
http_addr = 127.0.0.1
http_port = 3000
domain = grafana.example.com
root_url = https://grafana.example.com/
enforce_domain = true

Restart Grafana and confirm that it listens locally:

sudo systemctl restart grafana-server
sudo systemctl is-active grafana-server
sudo ss -ltnp | grep ':3000'

Grafana’s default empty http_addr binds to all interfaces. Setting it to 127.0.0.1 keeps direct access private when the reverse proxy is on the same host. If your proxy runs elsewhere, use the appropriate private network address and restrict access with firewall rules.

Step 5: Put HTTPS in Front of Grafana

Use Nginx, Apache, HAProxy, Traefik, or another maintained reverse proxy. Route the public hostname to 127.0.0.1:3000, terminate TLS at the proxy, and pass the original Host header. Grafana Live uses WebSockets, so copy the WebSocket headers from Grafana’s official proxy example rather than using a generic HTTP-only block.

Check all of these before making the hostname public:

Step 6: Add a Data Source and a Test Panel

Only an organization administrator can add or remove a data source. In the current interface, open Connections > Data sources, choose the integration, enter its connection details, and use Save & test.

Create a small verification dashboard before importing a large community dashboard:

  1. Open Dashboards and create a dashboard.
  2. Add one panel with a simple query.
  3. Confirm the returned time range and units.
  4. Save the dashboard, sign out, and sign in again to verify persistence.

Grafana users can query data sources available to their organization. Use separate organizations, restricted data-source credentials, network rules, or Grafana’s permission features when a data source contains sensitive records.

Docker Alternative With Persistent Storage

Skip the APT steps if you choose Docker. With Docker already installed, create a named volume and bind the published port to loopback:

sudo docker volume create grafana-storage
sudo docker run -d \
  --name grafana \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 127.0.0.1:3000:3000 \
  --volume grafana-storage:/var/lib/grafana \
  grafana/grafana

The volume is essential. Without persistent storage, deleting the container also discards its local Grafana database, users, dashboards, and other container filesystem changes. Put the same HTTPS reverse proxy in front of the loopback port.

Verify the container and its logs:

sudo docker ps --filter name=grafana
sudo docker logs --tail 100 grafana

Back Up Before Updates

For the APT installation, back up the modified configuration, plugin directory, and database:

Stop Grafana before copying the SQLite database so that the backup is consistent. If you configured MySQL or PostgreSQL instead, use that database system’s backup tools. For Docker, back up the named volume or the external database plus any provisioned configuration.

After an update, check service health, the login flow, data-source tests, a representative dashboard, alerts, and reverse-proxy logs. Keep the previous package or image version available until those checks pass.

FAQ

Does Grafana Store My Metrics and Logs?

Normally, no. Grafana stores its own application state, including users, dashboards, and data-source definitions. Metrics, logs, and traces usually remain in systems such as Prometheus, Loki, Tempo, or a database. Back up both layers according to their roles.

Why Does Grafana Work Through SSH but Not Through My Domain?

Check the reverse-proxy target, firewall, TLS certificate, DNS record, and the [server] values in grafana.ini. A mismatched root_url can break redirects. Grafana Live also needs the proxy’s WebSocket configuration.

Can I Expose Port 3000 Directly?

It can be exposed deliberately, but a public production setup should use HTTPS, access controls, and a reviewed firewall policy. Binding Grafana to loopback behind a reverse proxy reduces accidental direct exposure and gives you one place to manage TLS.

Which Files Must I Back Up?

For the default APT setup, protect /etc/grafana/grafana.ini, /var/lib/grafana/plugins, and /var/lib/grafana/grafana.db. Stop the service before copying the SQLite file. A Docker deployment needs a backup of its persistent volume or external database.

Official Grafana References