How to install Grafana on VPSnet
Install Grafana from Applications with a generated admin password and managed HTTPS. First useful task: Explore a Random Walk chart — no Prometheus required.
Prerequisites
Only what you need before the install steps below — nothing repeated from the guide.
A VPSnet account with access to the control panel.
A VPS or Cloud VPS that meets the Grafana resource guidance on the product page.
Install Grafana from the panel
Follow the Applications panel path end to end. Each step covers one action only.
Choose a plan for Grafana
Open the Grafana product page and note minimum and recommended vCPU, RAM, and disk. Order a new Cloud VPS or VPS, or use a running server that still has free capacity.
Install from Applications
In the service panel open Applications → Grafana → Install. Choose an access mode and expand Additional settings. If a customer-editable password field is offered, enter your own strong value or leave it empty for VPSnet to generate a random one. Confirm a runtime restart if the panel asks.
Save one-time credentials
When install finishes, the panel shows owner or admin credentials once. Copy them into your password manager immediately — they are never sent by email. If you closed the dialog too early, use the recovery path on that install in Applications.
Open the managed HTTPS URL
When Grafana exposes a web UI, VPSnet assigns a *.vpsnet.cloud hostname. A short Certificate pending state is normal while DNS and SSL finish. When the status is active, use Open URL in Applications.
Sign in and run a Random Walk in Explore
Open Grafana and sign in as admin (or the username you set under Additional settings) with the one-time password from Applications. Open Explore, keep the built-in Grafana datasource, set query type to Random Walk, and run the query. That confirms the install is useful before you add Prometheus or Loki.
Operate from the panel
Use Applications for restart, logs, health, update, and uninstall. Avoid editing the host Compose by hand — catalog installs are version-pinned managed recipes.
Options in the install dialog
The Applications → Install dialog is more than a single Install button. These controls appear when the recipe supports them. Safe defaults apply if you leave optional fields unchanged.
Application access
Choose how you reach the app at install time: VPSnet HTTPS (managed *.vpsnet.cloud), Private (this server only), Public IP (cleartext HTTP), Managed HTTPS on a DNS zone you own, or External HTTPS when you terminate SSL. You can change this later on the installation page.
Additional settings
Expand Additional settings for optional recipe fields and packs. Empty fields keep recipe defaults. Fields marked as generated may be left empty, or filled when the recipe exposes them for customer input.
Runtime restart
The first managed app on a server may need a short runtime restart. The dialog asks for confirmation. Later installs on the same server usually skip this.
First usage of Grafana
Save the one-time admin password when install finishes. After Open URL, sign in and run a Random Walk in Explore so the install is a working chart, not only a healthy container.
Sign in with the one-time admin password
Username defaults to admin unless you changed Administrator username under Additional settings. Paste the password shown once in Applications — it is not emailed. Copy it into a password manager before closing the dialog.
Explore a Random Walk chart
Open Explore. If no customer datasource exists yet, use -- Grafana -- and query type Random Walk, then Run query. Managed Grafana does not ship Prometheus; this built-in query is a quick check that the UI works.
All configuration variables
Customer-editable fields from the public catalog API for this recipe version, plus curated tips where we publish them. In the panel these fields live under Additional settings (Basics and Optional packs). Access mode is a separate control above that section.
| Variable | Label | Type | Required | Secret | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ADMIN_USERNAME | Administrator username | string | Required | No | admin | Username for the first Grafana administrator account. |
Additional notes
- The install dialog has more than the variables table: Application access (VPSnet HTTPS, Private, Public IP, Managed HTTPS, External HTTPS when offered), Use VPSnet AI plus a model picker when the recipe supports it, Additional settings (Basics and Optional packs), and a runtime restart confirmation on the first managed install.
How you reach the app and claim secrets
Owner and admin credentials appear once in the VPSnet panel after install — they are never emailed. Most web UIs use managed HTTPS on *.vpsnet.cloud. Choose the access mode in the install dialog, then switch it later from the installation page (private, public HTTP, Managed HTTPS, or advanced External HTTPS when you terminate SSL yourself).
Sizing and tested targets
| Requirement | vCPU | RAM | NVMe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 1 GB | 10 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 2 GB | 20 GB |
| Server type | Operating system | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| VPS | Almalinux 10 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Almalinux 9 | x86_64 |
| VPS | Centos stream 10 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Centos stream 9 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Debian 12 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Debian 13 | x86_64 |
| VPS | Rocky 10 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Rocky 9 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Ubuntu 22.04 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Ubuntu 24.04 | x86_64 |
| VPS | Ubuntu 26.04 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Almalinux 8 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Arch latest | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Debian 11 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Fedora 39 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Fedora 40 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Opensuse 15.5 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Oracle 9 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Rocky 8 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Ubuntu 20.04 | x86_64 |
FAQ
01Explore is empty / I expected Prometheus metrics.
This install is Grafana only. Use the built-in Grafana datasource and Random Walk for the first chart, then add Prometheus, Loki, or another source under Connections. Pairing Grafana with Prometheus is a separate catalog install.
02I closed the credentials dialog without saving the password.
Open that install in Applications and use the recovery path shown there, or contact support if recovery is not offered.
03Open URL still shows Certificate pending after several minutes.
Confirm the install health is green, then wait for DNS/SSL to finish. If access settings offer temporary public HTTP, you can use it only as a short workaround.
04Where are timezone, add-ons, and other extra install options?
Expand Additional settings in the install dialog for optional recipe fields and packs. If a customer-editable password field is offered, enter your own strong value or leave it empty for VPSnet to generate a random one. You can change access later from the installation page.
05I need environment variables that are not in the install form.
Only customer-editable blueprint fields are exposed at install and in the table below. Remaining env belongs to the managed recipe. Custom Compose is a separate advanced option when enabled on the service.