How to Create a Kibana Dashboard

Creating a Kibana dashboard involves building and arranging visualizations that display your Elasticsearch data in meaningful ways. This guide walks you through the complete process of creating a dashboard from scratch, from setting up data views to arranging panels and sharing your final dashboard.

Prerequisites

Before creating a dashboard, ensure you have:

1. Kibana installed and running
2. Access to Kibana with appropriate permissions
3. Data indexed in Elasticsearch
4. At least one data view (index pattern) configured

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Dashboard

Step 1: Create a Data View (Index Pattern)

1. Navigate to Stack Management from the main menu
2. Click on Data Views under Kibana section
3. Click Create data view
4. Enter a name for your data view
5. Specify the index pattern (e.g., logs-*, metrics-*)
6. Select the timestamp field
7. Click Save data view to Kibana

Step 2: Create Visualizations

Before building a dashboard, create the visualizations you want to include:

1. Go to Visualize Library from the main menu
2. Click Create visualization
3. Choose a visualization type:
   • Lens: Recommended for most use cases (drag-and-drop interface)
   • TSVB: Time series visual builder
   • Maps: Geographic data
   • Custom visualizations: Legacy editors

Creating a Visualization with Lens

1. Select Lens as your visualization type
2. Choose your data view
3. Drag fields from the field list to the workspace
4. Configure the visualization:
   • Select chart type (bar, line, pie, etc.)
   • Add metrics (count, sum, average, etc.)
   • Add breakdown dimensions
   • Apply filters
5. Click Save and give your visualization a name

Step 3: Create the Dashboard

1. Navigate to Dashboard from the main menu
2. Click Create dashboard
3. You'll see an empty canvas ready for your visualizations

Step 4: Add Visualizations to Dashboard

There are two ways to add visualizations:

Option 1: Add Existing Visualizations

1. Click Add from library button
2. Select visualizations from your saved library
3. Click on each visualization to add it to the dashboard

Option 2: Create New Visualizations

1. Click Create visualization button
2. Build a visualization using Lens or other tools
3. Save it directly to the dashboard

Step 5: Arrange Dashboard Panels

1. Resize panels: Drag the corners of each panel to resize
2. Move panels: Click and drag panels to reposition them
3. Delete panels: Click the gear icon and select Delete from dashboard
4. Organize layout: Arrange panels logically for easy reading

Step 6: Add Filters and Controls

Add Dashboard-level Filters

1. Click Add filter in the top menu
2. Select the field to filter
3. Choose the operator (is, is not, exists, etc.)
4. Enter the filter value
5. Click Save

Add Interactive Controls

1. Click Add panel > Controls
2. Select control type:
   • Options list: Dropdown filter
   • Range slider: Numeric range filter
   • Time slider: Time range control
3. Configure the control field and settings
4. Click Save

Step 7: Configure Dashboard Settings

1. Click the Settings icon (gear)
2. Configure options:
   • Time range: Set default time range
   • Refresh interval: Auto-refresh frequency
   • Use margins between panels: Toggle spacing
   • Show panel titles: Display/hide titles
   • Sync color palettes: Consistent colors across visualizations

Step 8: Save the Dashboard

1. Click Save in the top menu
2. Enter a dashboard name
3. Optionally add a description
4. Choose save options:
   • Store time with dashboard: Save current time range
   • Add to library: Make available in dashboard library
5. Click Save

Advanced Dashboard Features

Adding Markdown Panels

1. Click Add panel > Markdown
2. Write content using Markdown syntax
3. Use for documentation, instructions, or titles
4. Click Save

Creating Drill-downs

1. Select a visualization panel
2. Click the gear icon > Create drill-down
3. Configure the destination (URL or dashboard)
4. Map fields to pass as parameters
5. Save the drill-down

Applying Time Range Settings

1. Use the time picker in the top-right corner
2. Select quick ranges (Last 15 minutes, Last 24 hours, etc.)
3. Set absolute or relative time ranges
4. Click Refresh to apply

Best Practices

1. Keep dashboards focused: Limit to 8-12 visualizations per dashboard
2. Use descriptive names: Name visualizations and dashboards clearly
3. Organize logically: Place related visualizations together
4. Add context: Use Markdown panels for explanations
5. Optimize queries: Use appropriate time ranges and filters
6. Test performance: Monitor dashboard load times
7. Use consistent colors: Maintain color schemes across visualizations
8. Enable auto-refresh: Set appropriate refresh intervals for real-time data

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Creating too many panels on one dashboard (impacts performance)
• Using overly complex aggregations without time range limits
• Not saving visualizations to library (makes reuse difficult)
• Ignoring mobile responsiveness
• Failing to add filters for user interactivity

Troubleshooting

Dashboard Loads Slowly

• Reduce the number of visualizations
• Optimize queries and aggregations
• Limit the time range
• Increase Elasticsearch resources

Visualizations Show No Data

• Verify data exists in the selected time range
• Check index pattern configuration
• Ensure proper field mappings
• Review applied filters

Cannot Save Dashboard

• Check user permissions
• Verify Kibana storage settings
• Check for naming conflicts

Once your Kibana dashboards are up and running, keeping the underlying Elasticsearch cluster healthy is key to ensuring reliable dashboard performance. Pulse provides AI-powered monitoring for your Elasticsearch clusters, with automated health assessments, performance optimization recommendations, and proactive alerting—so you can build dashboards with confidence knowing your cluster is in good shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many visualizations should I include in a dashboard?
A: For optimal performance and usability, limit dashboards to 8-12 visualizations. Create multiple focused dashboards rather than one overcrowded dashboard.

Q: Can I copy visualizations between dashboards?
A: Yes, save visualizations to the library and then add them to multiple dashboards using the "Add from library" option.

Q: How do I share my dashboard with others?
A: Use the Share button in the top menu to generate a shareable link, create a PDF/PNG snapshot, or embed the dashboard using an iframe.

Q: Can I set a default time range for my dashboard?
A: Yes, when saving the dashboard, check the "Store time with dashboard" option to save your current time range as the default.

Q: How do I make my dashboard auto-refresh?
A: Click the refresh icon in the top menu and select an auto-refresh interval (e.g., every 10 seconds, 1 minute, etc.).

Q: Can I revert changes to a dashboard?
A: If you haven't saved, click "Cancel" to discard changes. For saved changes, you may need to manually undo modifications or restore from a backup.

Q: How do I duplicate an existing dashboard?
A: Open the dashboard, click the Actions menu, and select "Clone" to create a copy that you can modify independently.

Q: Can I export my dashboard to share with another Kibana instance?
A: Yes, use Stack Management > Saved Objects to export dashboards and their dependencies, then import them into another Kibana instance.