Exporting a Kibana Dashboard

Exporting a Kibana dashboard allows you to share visualizations, generate reports, migrate dashboards between environments, or create backups. Kibana provides multiple export methods including PDF/PNG reports, saved object exports, CSV data exports, and shareable links.

Export Methods Overview

Kibana supports several export formats:

PDF/PNG Reports: Static snapshot for presentations and reports
Saved Objects Export: Dashboard configuration and dependencies
CSV Data Export: Raw data from visualizations
Shareable Links: Interactive dashboard URLs
Embedded iframes: Dashboard integration into external applications

Exporting Dashboard as PDF or PNG

Using the Reporting Feature

Open the dashboard you want to export
Click the Share button in the top menu
Select PDF Reports or PNG Reports
Configure report options:
- Optimize for printing: Adjust layout for paper
- Layout: Portrait or landscape orientation
Click Generate PDF or Generate PNG
Wait for report generation
Download the file when ready

Report Generation Tips

Ensure all visualizations have loaded before generating
Use appropriate time ranges for meaningful data
Consider dashboard complexity (complex dashboards take longer)
Check that you have sufficient Kibana reporting resources

Automating Report Generation

You can schedule automated reports using:

Kibana Reporting from Alerts:
- Create a rule in Stack Management
- Configure the alert condition
- Add "Generate PDF report" action
- Set schedule and recipients
Using Kibana API:

POST /api/reporting/generate/printablePdf
{
  "objectType": "dashboard",
  "objectId": "dashboard-id",
  "browserTimezone": "America/New_York"
}

Exporting Dashboard as Saved Object

Saved object export is ideal for:

Migrating dashboards between environments
Creating backups
Sharing complete dashboard configurations
Version control

Export Process

Navigate to Stack Management from the main menu
Click Saved Objects under Kibana section
Find your dashboard in the list or use the search
Check the box next to your dashboard
Click Export button
Choose export options:
- Include related objects: Export dependencies (visualizations, index patterns)
- Exclude: Remove specific objects
Click Export to download the NDJSON file

Bulk Export Multiple Dashboards

In Saved Objects management, select multiple dashboards
Click Export with all dependencies
Save the combined NDJSON file

Command Line Export

Use Kibana's saved objects API:

POST /api/saved_objects/_export
{
  "objects": [
    {
      "type": "dashboard",
      "id": "dashboard-id"
    }
  ],
  "includeReferencesDeep": true
}

Exporting Data as CSV

Export underlying data from individual visualizations:

From Dashboard

Open your dashboard
Click on a visualization panel
Click the Options menu (three dots)
Select Download as CSV
Choose the data format:
- Formatted CSV: Human-readable with formatting
- Raw CSV: Unformatted raw data
Save the CSV file

From Discover

Navigate to Discover
Apply filters and select fields
Click Share > CSV Reports
Configure and generate the CSV export

CSV Export Limitations

Maximum row limit (default 10,000 rows)
May require Elasticsearch scroll settings adjustment for large exports
Time-based data should have appropriate time range

Generate Shareable Link

Open the dashboard
Click Share button
Select Links
Choose link type:
- Short URL: Compressed URL
- Saved object URL: Direct reference
- Snapshot URL: Current state with filters
Configure options:
- Generate short URL: Create shortened link
- Share as-is: Include current time range and filters
Copy the URL

Embedding Dashboards

Click Share > Embed code
Choose embed options:
- Height: Set iframe height
- Generate embed code: Create HTML snippet
Copy the iframe code:

<iframe src="https://your-kibana-instance/app/dashboards#/view/dashboard-id"
        height="600" width="800"></iframe>

Anonymous Access Configuration

For public sharing, configure in kibana.yml:

xpack.security.authc.providers:
  anonymous.anonymous1:
    order: 0
    credentials:
      username: "anonymous_service_account"
      password: "anonymous_password"

Importing Dashboards

Import Saved Objects

Navigate to Stack Management > Saved Objects
Click Import
Select the NDJSON file
Handle conflicts:
- Overwrite: Replace existing objects
- Skip: Keep existing objects
- Request action: Choose per object
Click Import

Import via API

POST /api/saved_objects/_import
Content-Type: multipart/form-data

Export Best Practices

Include dependencies: Always export with related visualizations and index patterns
Document changes: Add descriptions to saved objects before export
Version control: Store exported NDJSON files in version control systems
Test imports: Verify exports work in target environment
Backup regularly: Schedule automated exports for disaster recovery
Sanitize data: Remove sensitive information before sharing externally
Use descriptive names: Name exports with version and date

Troubleshooting Export Issues

PDF/PNG Export Fails

Check Kibana reporting configuration
Verify sufficient memory allocation
Reduce dashboard complexity
Check browser timezone settings

Saved Object Export Missing Dependencies

Enable "Include related objects" option
Verify all visualizations are saved
Check index pattern availability

CSV Export Incomplete

Increase csv.maxSizeBytes setting
Adjust csv.scroll.duration and csv.scroll.size
Narrow the time range

Sharing Link Not Working

Verify user has access permissions
Check Kibana server URL configuration
Ensure authentication is properly configured

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I export multiple dashboards at once?
A: Yes, use the Saved Objects interface to select and export multiple dashboards simultaneously with their dependencies.

Q: What's the difference between PDF and PNG exports?
A: PDF exports are multi-page documents suitable for reports, while PNG exports create single-image snapshots. PDF is better for sharing complete dashboards.

Q: How do I schedule automated dashboard reports?
A: Use Kibana's alerting and reporting features to create scheduled PDF/PNG reports that can be emailed to recipients automatically.

Q: Can I export dashboard data programmatically?
A: Yes, use Kibana's REST APIs for saved objects export, reporting generation, and CSV data extraction.

Q: Will exported dashboards work in a different Kibana version?
A: Generally yes, but compatibility depends on version differences. Minor version updates usually work, but major version changes may require adjustments.

Q: How do I export only the dashboard configuration without data?
A: Use the Saved Objects export method, which exports only the configuration (visualizations, queries, settings) without the underlying Elasticsearch data.

Q: Can I password-protect exported dashboards?
A: PDF exports can be password-protected using third-party tools. For sharing dashboards, use Kibana's built-in authentication and role-based access control.

Q: What file format is used for dashboard exports?
A: Dashboard configurations are exported as NDJSON (Newline Delimited JSON) files, which contain all saved objects and their relationships.

Q: How large can an exported dashboard file be?
A: The size depends on complexity and number of visualizations. Saved object exports are typically small (KB-MB), while PDF/PNG reports depend on content and can be larger.

Q: Can I export dashboards from Kibana to external BI tools?
A: While you can export CSV data, direct dashboard export to BI tools isn't supported. Consider using Elasticsearch as a data source for BI tools instead.