--- title: "Visualizations | Grafana documentation" description: "Apply visualizations to your data" --- > For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt). # Visualizations Grafana offers a variety of visualizations to support different use cases. This section of the documentation highlights the built-in visualizations, their options and typical usage. > Note > > If you are unsure which visualization to pick, Grafana can provide visualization suggestions based on the panel query. When you select a visualization, Grafana will show a preview with that visualization applied. - Graphs & charts - [Time series](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/time-series/) is the default and main graph visualization. Alerts are supported in this panel. - [State timeline](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/state-timeline/) for state changes over time. - [Status history](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/status-history/) for periodic state over time. - [Bar chart](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/bar-chart/) shows any categorical data. - [Histogram](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/histogram/) calculates and shows value distribution in a bar chart. - [Heatmap](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/heatmap/) visualizes data in two dimensions, used typically for the magnitude of a phenomenon. - [Pie chart](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/pie-chart/) is typically used where proportionality is important. - [Candlestick](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/candlestick/) is typically for financial data where the focus is price/data movement. - [Gauge](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/gauge/) is the traditional rounded visual showing how far a single metric is from a threshold. - [Trend](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/trend/) for datasets that have a sequential, numeric x that is not time. - [XY chart](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/xy-chart/) provides a way to visualize arbitrary x and y values in a graph. - Stats & numbers - [Stat](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/stat/) for big stats and optional sparkline. - [Bar gauge](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/bar-gauge/) is a horizontal or vertical bar gauge. - Misc - [Table](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/table/) is the main and only table visualization. - [Logs](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/logs/) is the main visualization for logs. - [Node graph](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/node-graph/) for directed graphs or networks. - [Traces](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/traces/) is the main visualization for traces. - [Flame graph](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/flame-graph/) is the main visualization for profiling. - [Canvas](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/canvas/) allows you to explicitly place elements within static and dynamic layouts. - [Geomap](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/geomap/) helps you visualize geospatial data. - Widgets - [Dashboard list](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/dashboard-list/) can list dashboards. - [Alert list](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/alert-list/) can list alerts. - [Annotations list](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/annotations/) can list available annotations. - [Text](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/text/) can show markdown and html. - [News](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/news/) can show RSS feeds. The following video shows you how to create gauge, time series line graph, stats, logs, and node graph visualizations: ## Get more You can add more visualization types by installing [panel plugins](https://grafana.com/grafana/plugins/?type=panel). ## Examples Below you can find some good examples for how all the visualizations in Grafana can be configured. You can also explore [play.grafana.org](https://play.grafana.org) which has a large set of demo dashboards that showcase all the different visualizations. ### Graphs For time based line, area and bar charts we recommend the default [time series](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/time-series/) visualization. [This public demo dashboard](https://play.grafana.org/d/000000016/1-time-series-graphs?orgId=1) contains many different examples for how this visualization can be configured and styled. [Time series](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/time-series-panel/time_series_small_example.png) For categorical data use a [bar chart](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/bar-chart/). [Bar chart](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/bar-chart-panel/barchart_small_example.png) ### Big numbers & stats A [stat](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/stat/) shows one large stat value with an optional graph sparkline. You can control the background or value color using thresholds or color scales. [Stat](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/v66/stat_panel_dark3.png) ### Gauge If you want to present a value as it relates to a min and max value you have two options. First a standard radial [gauge](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/gauge/) shown below. [](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/v66/gauge_panel_cover.png) Secondly Grafana also has a horizontal or vertical [bar gauge](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/bar-gauge/) with three different distinct display modes. [](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/v66/bar_gauge_lcd.png) ### Table To show data in a table layout, use a [table](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/table/). [Table visualization](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/tables/table_visualization.png) ### Pie chart To display reduced series, or values in a series, from one or more queries, as they relate to each other, use a [pie chart](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/pie-chart/). [Pie chart](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/pie-chart-panel/pie-chart-example.png) ### Heatmaps To show value distribution over, time use a [heatmap](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/panels-visualizations/visualizations/heatmap/). [Heatmap](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/v43/heatmap_panel_cover.jpg) ### State timeline A state timeline shows discrete state changes over time. When used with time series, the thresholds are used to turn the numerical values into discrete state regions. [State timeline with string states](https://grafana.com/static/img/docs/v8/state_timeline_strings.png)