Visualize CockroachDB in Grafana: Introducing the CockroachDB Enterprise data source

We’re excited to announce the addition of CockroachDB as an Enterprise data source for Grafana.

The data source, available now in private preview, enables secure and seamless access to the CockroachDB distributed SQL database, while leveraging Grafana’s powerful visualization capabilities.

CockroachDB is the latest addition to our catalog of more than 30 Enterprise data sources, which includes ServiceNow, Splunk, Snowflake, Datadog, MongoDB, Oracle, New Relic, Dynatrace, Wavefront, and AppDynamics. All Enterprise plugins are available in Grafana Enterprise as well as across all tiers of Grafana Cloud, including our generous forever-free tier.

Let’s take a closer look at the CockroachDB data source and some of its core features.

What is CockroachDB?

CockroachDB is a cloud-native, distributed SQL database designed for developers building resilient, scalable applications. It is particularly well-suited for use cases that require high availability, horizontal scalability, and strong consistency.

The CockroachDB SQL database offers:

• Distributed SQL: CockroachDB provides a horizontally scalable SQL database with a PostgreSQL-compatible interface, ensuring your applications can grow without sacrificing performance or consistency.
• Strong consistency: The database supports ACID transactions, providing strong consistency and reliability across your distributed environment.
• Resilience and high availability: CockroachDB is built to survive hardware failures and keep your applications running with minimal downtime.
• Global distribution: With its ability to geo-distribute data, CockroachDB ensures low-latency access and compliance with data residency requirements.
• Enterprise-grade security: CockroachDB includes advanced security features like role-based access control and encryption at rest and in transit, and supports Kerberos authentication for secure, authenticated access.

How to visualize CockroachDB with Grafana

When you install the CockroachDB data source for Grafana, you will be taken to the configuration editor, which looks like this:

To configure the CockroachDB data source, you will need your host URL, default database, and the details for one of the three supported authentication methods. For further information on each authentication method and detailed configuration steps, please refer to our documentation. Once all required fields are completed, click the Save and Test button. A successful connection will confirm that the data source is configured correctly and ready for use!

The CockroachDB Enterprise data source is launching with a suite of essential features, providing you with the flexibility to interact with your data in the way that suits you best — whether that’s a guided approach with the builder mode, or complete control through the raw SQL query editor. You can easily create dashboards to monitor and visualize your data, such as transaction data, as demonstrated below. By combining the power of SQL with CockroachDB’s reliability and Grafana visualizations, you can bring your data to life and enhance your monitoring strategy.

Next steps

Our goal is to build on the CockroachDB Enterprise data source significantly in the coming months — and we’d love feedback from our incredible community to help guide us. Your input will be invaluable to help us shape the future development of the plugin. To reach out, please visit our GitHub repo and provide any feedback using the “datasource/cockroachDB” label.

The easiest way to get started with our Enterprise data source plugins is in Grafana Cloud. We have a generous forever-free tier that includes access to Enterprise data sources for 3 active users. If you haven’t already, sign up for free today!