---
page_title: Grafana Installation
page_description: Install guide for Grafana.
page_keywords: grafana, installation, documentation
---

# Installation
Grafana is easily installed via a Debian/Ubuntu package (.deb), via Redhat/Centos package (.rpm) or manually via
a tar that contains all required files and binaries. If there is not a package or binary for you specific platform you might be able
to build one your self, read [build from source](../project/building_from_source) instructions for more information.

## From Ubuntu & Debian package
Start by [downloading](http://grafana.org/download/builds) the latest `.deb` package.

To install the package:

```
sudo dpkg -i grafana_latest_amd64.deb
```

## From Redhat & Centos package
Start by [downloading](http://grafana.org/download/builds) the latest `.rpm` package.

```
sudo rpm -Uvh grafana-latest-1.x86_64.rpm
```

On Redhat/RHEL 5.10 you need to add the grafana user before executing the above.
Execute this to add a grafana user:

```
sudo useradd -r grafana

```

### Package details
The `.deb` and the `rpm` package install will do the following

- Install binaries and frontend files under `/opt/grafana/versions/<version>`
- Symlink dir `/opt/grafana/current` to `/opt/grafana/versions/<version>`
- Symlink `/etc/init.d/grafana` to `/opt/grafana/current/scripts/init.sh`
- Add config file to `/etc/grafana/grafana.ini` , this is where you specify your config settings
- Default configuration is in `/opt/grafana/current/conf/defaults.ini`, do not modify that file
- The default configuration specifies log file at `/var/log/grafana/grafana.log`
- The default configuration specifies sqlite3 db at `/opt/grafana/data/grafana.db`

### Start the backend & web server

- Start grafana by `sudo service grafana start`
- This will start the grafana process as the `grafana` user (created during package install)
- Default http port is `3000`, and default user is admin/admin

## Manual install from tar file
Start by [downloading](http://grafana.org/download/builds) the latest `.tar.gz` file and extract it.
This will extract into a folder named after the version you downloaded. This folder contains all files required to run grafana.
There are no init scripts or install scripts in this package.

To configure grafana add a config file named `custom.ini` to the `conf` folder and override any of the settings defined in
`conf/defaults.ini`. Start grafana by excecuting `./grafana web`. The grafana binary needs the working directory
to be the root install dir (where the binary is and the public folder is located).

## Dependencies
There are no dependencies with the default configuration. You can switch from a sqlite3 database to mysql or postgres but
that is optional. For small to medium setups sqlite3 should suffice.

## Install using provisioning
If you prefer to install grafana via Puppet, Ansible, Docker or Chef. [This page](provisioning) has compiled a
list of repositories for different provisioning systems