Build a plugin

For more information on the types of plugins you can build, refer to the [Plugin Overview]({{< relref "../../plugins/_index.md" >}}).

Get started

The easiest way to start developing Grafana plugins is to use the Grafana Toolkit.

Open the terminal, and run the following command in your [plugin directory]({{< relref "../../administration/configuration.md#plugins" >}}):

npx @grafana/toolkit plugin:create my-grafana-plugin

If you want a more guided introduction to plugin development, check out our tutorials:

[Build a panel plugin]({{< relref "../../../../../tutorials/build-a-panel-plugin.md" >}})
[Build a data source plugin]({{< relref "../../../../../tutorials/build-a-data-source-plugin.md" >}})

Learn more about specific areas of plugin development.

If you're looking to build your first plugin, check out these introductory tutorials:

[Build a panel plugin]({{< relref "../../../../../tutorials/build-a-panel-plugin.md" >}})
[Build a data source plugin]({{< relref "../../../../../tutorials/build-a-data-source-plugin.md" >}})
[Build a data source backend plugin]({{< relref "../../../../../tutorials/build-a-data-source-backend-plugin.md" >}})

Ready to learn more? Check out our other tutorials:

[Build a panel plugin with D3.js]({{< relref "../../../../../tutorials/build-a-panel-plugin-with-d3.md" >}})

Improve an existing plugin with one of our guides:

[Add authentication for data source plugins]({{< relref "add-authentication-for-data-source-plugins" >}})
[Add support for annotations]({{< relref "add-support-for-annotations.md" >}})
[Add support for Explore queries]({{< relref "add-support-for-explore-queries.md" >}})
[Add support for variables]({{< relref "add-support-for-variables.md" >}})
[Build a logs data source plugin]({{< relref "build-a-logs-data-source-plugin.md" >}})
[Build a streaming data source plugin]({{< relref "build-a-streaming-data-source-plugin.md" >}})

Deepen your knowledge through a series of high-level overviews of plugin concepts:

Explore the many UI components in our Grafana UI library.

Learn more about Grafana options and packages.