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Kentik for Grafana

Upgrading from v1.7.0 (kentik-connect-app)? v2.0.0 is published as a new plugin (kentik-connect-datasource) because Grafana requires datasource plugins to use the -datasource ID suffix, the two plugins can coexist on the same Grafana instance without conflict. Your existing v1.7.0 dashboards and configuration remain fully functional while you migrate at your own pace. See the v2.0.0 release notes for migration steps.

The Kentik datasource plugin allows you to query the Kentik API and visualize network traffic data directly in Grafana. It leverages the Kentik Network Observability Platform to provide real-time, Internet-scale ingest and querying of network data including flow records (NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow), BGP, GeoIP, and SNMP.

The plugin provides instant access to the Kentik Data Engine (KDE), enabling you to seamlessly integrate network activity metrics into your Grafana dashboards with improved performance and flexibility.

Features

  • Granular Visibility: View traffic by time range, devices, sites, and over 200 dimensions across 20+ categories (interfaces, routing, cloud, SNMP, and more).
  • Multi-Select Support: Select multiple sites, devices, and up to 8 dimensions simultaneously for complex queries.
  • NMS / SNMP Support: Query SNMP device and interface metrics alongside traditional flow data.
  • Smart Labeling: Customize graph legends using the Alias and Prefix fields with intelligent autocomplete (e.g., {{Source Interface}}, $col, $metric_group).
  • Drilldown Workflows: Automatically generates deep-link URLs to the Kentik Portal for detailed investigation of specific data points.
  • High Performance: Integrated caching ensures fast dashboard loading and responsive query building.
  • Flexible Visualization:
    • Control the number of returned results with Visualization Depth.
    • View Max, 95th Percentile, and Average values in sortable tables.

Configuration

Authentication

To enable the datasource:

  1. Navigate to Data Sources in Grafana.
  2. Add Kentik.
  3. Select the appropriate Region (US, EU, or Custom).
  4. Enter your Kentik Email and API Token.
  5. Click Save & Test to verify connectivity.

Terminology

  • Dimensions: Attributes used to segment data (e.g., Device, Site, Interface, Source IP).
  • Metric: The numerical value being measured (e.g., Bits/s, Packets/s, Retransmits).

External Dependencies

  • Kentik Account: An active Kentik account and API key are required.
  • Device Registration: Devices must be registered in the Kentik portal to appear in the plugin.

Development

This project requires Node.js v22 or higher and Docker.

  1. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  2. Start the development server (watch mode):

    npm run dev

  3. Run Grafana: In a separate terminal, start the Docker container:

    docker compose up

    Grafana will be accessible at http://localhost:3000.

  4. Run Tests:

    npm run test

Build

To produce a development build:

npm run build

Signed Build

To build, sign, and package the plugin for distribution, use the signing script. A Grafana API key is required:

GRAFANA_API_KEY=<your-key> ./scripts/build-signed.sh

This produces kentik-datasource-dev.zip.

To specify a version:

GRAFANA_API_KEY=<your-key> ./scripts/build-signed.sh --version 1.5.0

This produces kentik-datasource-1.5.0.zip.

To restrict signing to a specific Grafana instance:

GRAFANA_API_KEY=<your-key> ./scripts/build-signed.sh --root-urls https://grafana-test.kentiklabs.com

Useful links