Plugin Troubleshooting

Introduction

Grafana's plugin ecosystem provides powerful extensions to its core functionality, allowing you to connect to various data sources, create custom visualizations, and extend the platform in numerous ways. However, as with any plugin system, you may occasionally encounter issues when installing, configuring, or using plugins. This guide will walk you through common troubleshooting approaches for Grafana plugins, helping you identify, diagnose, and resolve these issues efficiently.

Common Plugin Issues

1. Plugin Installation Failures

One of the most common issues is when plugins fail to install properly. Let's explore the potential causes and solutions.

Symptoms

• Plugin doesn't appear in the Grafana UI after installation
• Installation commands return errors
• Error messages in Grafana logs related to plugin loading

Troubleshooting Steps

Check Grafana Server Logs

The first step in diagnosing any plugin issue is to check the Grafana server logs:

bash

# For Linux systems with systemd
sudo journalctl -u grafana-server

# For Docker installations
docker logs grafana-container-name

# Check the grafana log file directly
cat /var/log/grafana/grafana.log

Look for error messages that contain the plugin name or occur around the time you installed the plugin.

Verify Plugin Compatibility

Ensure the plugin is compatible with your Grafana version:

bash

# Check your Grafana version
grafana-cli --version

# Or in Grafana UI, navigate to:
# Help (?) > About Grafana

Compare your version with the plugin's compatibility information in the Grafana Plugins Catalog.

Check Plugin Signature Verification

Grafana requires plugins to be signed. If you're using unsigned plugins, you need to configure Grafana to allow them:

ini

# In grafana.ini
[plugins]
allow_loading_unsigned_plugins = plugin1,plugin2

# Or using environment variables
GF_PLUGINS_ALLOW_LOADING_UNSIGNED_PLUGINS=plugin1,plugin2

Manually Install the Plugin

If the Grafana CLI installation fails, try installing manually:

bash

# Download the plugin
wget https://github.com/grafana/plugin-name/releases/download/v1.0.0/plugin-name-1.0.0.zip

# Extract to plugins directory
unzip plugin-name-1.0.0.zip -d /var/lib/grafana/plugins

# Restart Grafana
systemctl restart grafana-server

2. Plugin Loading Issues

Sometimes plugins install correctly but fail to load properly.

Symptoms

• Plugin appears in the UI but with warning icons
• Features of the plugin don't work as expected
• Error messages when attempting to use the plugin

Troubleshooting Steps

Check Plugin Dependencies

Some plugins require additional components:

bash

# For Node.js dependencies
cd /var/lib/grafana/plugins/your-plugin
npm install

# For Go plugins, ensure required libraries are installed
apt-get install required-library  # Debian/Ubuntu
yum install required-library      # CentOS/RHEL

Review Plugin Permissions

Ensure the plugin files have the correct permissions:

bash

# Set owner to grafana user
chown -R grafana:grafana /var/lib/grafana/plugins/your-plugin

# Set correct permissions
chmod -R 755 /var/lib/grafana/plugins/your-plugin

Clear Browser Cache

Sometimes browser caching can cause issues with plugin loading:

1. Open your browser's developer tools (F12)
2. Navigate to the Application/Storage tab
3. Clear site data and cache
4. Reload Grafana

3. Data Source Plugin Issues

Data source plugins can have specific connectivity problems.

Symptoms

• "Test Connection" fails
• Queries return no data or errors
• Error messages in query editor

Troubleshooting Steps

Check Network Connectivity

Ensure Grafana can reach the data source:

bash

# From Grafana server, test connectivity
ping data-source-host
telnet data-source-host port
curl -v http://data-source-host:port/path

# Check if a proxy is required
traceroute data-source-host

Verify Credentials

Double-check your authentication details:

1. Username and password
2. API keys
3. Certificate paths and validity
4. Token expiration

Review Query Syntax

Ensure your queries follow the correct syntax for the specific data source. Common mistakes include:

• Missing quotes around string values
• Incorrect time range formatting
• Using incompatible functions

Enable Debug Logging

Increase logging verbosity to get more detailed error information:

ini

# In grafana.ini
[log]
level = debug

# Or for a specific plugin
filters = plugin.id:debug

Debugging Visualization Plugins

Panel and visualization plugins have their own set of common issues.

Common Visualization Plugin Issues

Rendering Problems

• Visualization doesn't appear
• Visual glitches or incorrect rendering
• Performance issues with large datasets

Troubleshooting Steps

Inspect Browser Console

Most visualization issues can be diagnosed through browser dev tools:

1. Open developer tools (F12)
2. Navigate to the Console tab
3. Look for JavaScript errors
4. Check Network tab for failed requests

Check Data Formatting

Visualization plugins expect data in specific formats:

javascript

// Example of checking data format in browser console
// Navigate to a dashboard with your visualization
// Open browser console and run:
console.log(angular.element('panel-selector').scope().ctrl.data);

Review the plugin documentation for expected data formats.

Test with Sample Data

Isolate whether the issue is with the data source or visualization:

1. Configure the panel to use a static test data source
2. Create a simple CSV or JSON file with sample data
3. Compare behavior with different data sets

Debugging App Plugins

App plugins are the most complex type as they often combine multiple capabilities.

Common App Plugin Issues

Configuration Problems

• Settings pages don't load
• Features partially working
• Integration with other parts of Grafana fails

Troubleshooting Steps

Review Required Settings

App plugins often have dependencies on other configurations:

1. Check for required data sources
2. Verify service accounts and permissions
3. Ensure any external services are properly configured

Check for Plugin Conflicts

Sometimes plugins can conflict with each other:

bash

# List all installed plugins
grafana-cli plugins list-installed

# Try temporarily disabling other plugins
mv /var/lib/grafana/plugins/potentially-conflicting-plugin /var/lib/grafana/plugins/potentially-conflicting-plugin.disabled
systemctl restart grafana-server

Using Developer Tools for Plugin Debugging

For more advanced troubleshooting, developer tools can be invaluable.

Plugin Developer Mode

Enable plugin development mode to get additional debugging information:

ini

# In grafana.ini
[plugins]
development_mode = true

Using Browser Developer Tools

Modern browsers provide powerful debugging capabilities:

Performance Profiling

1. Open Chrome DevTools
2. Go to the Performance tab
3. Record while interacting with the plugin
4. Analyze render times and JavaScript execution

Network Analysis

1. Open the Network tab in DevTools
2. Filter requests by XHR or by plugin name
3. Check response times and error codes

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Walkthrough

Let's walk through a practical example of troubleshooting a common plugin issue.

Scenario: Cloudwatch Data Source Plugin Not Working

Step 1: Identify the Symptoms

• Plugin installs successfully
• Test connection fails with "Access denied" error
• No metrics appear in query editor

Step 2: Check Grafana Logs

bash

sudo journalctl -u grafana-server | grep -i cloudwatch

We find: Error: AccessDenied: User is not authorized to perform cloudwatch:ListMetrics

Step 3: Verify AWS Credentials

The issue appears to be permissions-related. We need to check:

1. AWS IAM policy
2. AWS credentials configuration

Step 4: Fix the IAM Policy

Create or update the IAM policy attached to your user/role:

json

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "cloudwatch:ListMetrics",
        "cloudwatch:GetMetricStatistics",
        "cloudwatch:GetMetricData"
      ],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Step 5: Update Credentials in Grafana

1. Navigate to Configuration > Data Sources > CloudWatch
2. Update authentication details
3. Save and test again

Step 6: Verify Solution

• Test connection succeeds
• Metrics appear in the query editor
• Dashboard panels display data correctly

Common Plugin Error Messages and Solutions

Here's a reference table of common plugin error messages and their solutions:

Error Message	Likely Cause	Solution
Plugin not found	Installation incomplete or path incorrect	Verify plugin directory and reinstall
Unsigned plugin	Plugin signature verification failed	Add to allow_loading_unsigned_plugins list
CSRF check failed	Security setting preventing request	Check cookie_samesite setting in grafana.ini
Network Error	Connectivity issue with data source	Check firewall rules and network setup
Authentication failed	Incorrect credentials	Verify username, password, tokens, and permissions
Plugin is disabled	Plugin explicitly disabled	Check plugins.json and enabled_plugins setting

Plugin Compatibility Matrix

Understanding version compatibility can help avoid many issues:

Monitoring Plugin Health

Set up monitoring for your plugins to proactively detect issues:

1. Configure Grafana alerting to monitor plugin endpoints
2. Set up log analysis for plugin-related errors
3. Create a health dashboard for critical plugins

Example query for monitoring plugin errors:

sql

-- For SQL-based log storage
SELECT 
  timestamp,
  error_message,
  count(*) as error_count
FROM grafana_logs
WHERE log_level = 'error' 
  AND message LIKE '%plugin%'
GROUP BY timestamp, error_message
ORDER BY timestamp DESC

Summary

Troubleshooting Grafana plugins involves a systematic approach:

1. Identify the symptoms and affected components
2. Check logs for detailed error messages
3. Verify compatibility between Grafana and plugin versions
4. Test connectivity for data source plugins
5. Inspect browser console for frontend issues
6. Review configurations for correct setup
7. Update or reinstall plugins when necessary

By following these troubleshooting steps, you can efficiently diagnose and resolve most Grafana plugin issues, ensuring a smooth experience with your dashboards and visualizations.

Additional Resources

• Official Grafana Plugin Troubleshooting Guide
• Grafana Community Forums
• Plugin Development Documentation

Exercises

1. Install a data source plugin and deliberately use incorrect credentials. Practice using the logs to identify the issue.
2. Create a dashboard with a visualization plugin and experiment with different data formats to see how it affects rendering.
3. Set up a test environment with multiple Grafana versions to test plugin compatibility across versions.
4. Practice using browser developer tools to debug visualization rendering issues.
5. Create a plugin health monitoring dashboard using Grafana's own logs as a data source.