Creating Dashboards
Learn how to create custom dashboards with panels, visualization types, and query configurations in Last9
You can create dashboards in Last9 either from scratch or by promoting queries from the Logs and Traces explorers.
Creating a Dashboard from Scratch
- Navigate to Dashboards in the left sidebar
- Click Create Dashboard
- Enter a name for your dashboard
- Click Add Panel to add your first visualization
- Configure the panel query and visualization type (see below)
- Click Save to save the dashboard
Creating from Logs or Traces Explorer
You can promote aggregated queries from the Logs Explorer or Traces Explorer directly into dashboard panels.
- Build an aggregation query in the Logs Explorer or Traces Explorer
- Click the Add to Dashboard button
- Choose to create a new dashboard or add to an existing one
- Provide a descriptive panel name
- You will be redirected to the dashboard with your query added as a panel
For detailed instructions on building aggregation queries, see:
Panels
Panels are the building blocks of a dashboard. Each panel contains a query and a visualization.
Adding a Panel
- Open a dashboard and click Add Panel
- Choose a visualization type from the tabs at the top (Time Series, Bar Chart, Doughnut Chart, Gauge Chart, Stat, or Table)
- Select a telemetry type (Metrics, Logs, or Traces)
- Write your query using the appropriate query mode
- Configure panel options (legend, units, thresholds)
- Click Save to add the panel to your dashboard
Visualization Types
| Type | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Time Series | Line or area charts plotted over time | Monitoring trends, comparing metrics over time |
| Bar Chart | Vertical or horizontal bar charts, with optional stacking | Comparing categories, distribution analysis |
| Doughnut Chart | Pie/donut chart showing proportions | Percentage breakdowns, resource allocation |
| Gauge Chart | Dial indicator showing a single value against a range | Utilization metrics, threshold monitoring |
| Stat | Single prominent value display | Key metrics at a glance, counters |
| Table | Tabular data with sorting, filtering, and summaries | Detailed breakdowns, top-N analysis |
Telemetry Types and Query Modes
Each panel supports different query modes depending on the selected telemetry type:
Metrics panels use PromQL:
rate(http_requests_total{service="api"}[5m])Logs panels support two modes — Builder for visual query construction, and LogQL for writing queries directly:
sum by (severity) (count_over_time({service="api"} [1m]))Traces panels use the Query Builder with filter and aggregate stages to query span data.
Query Modes
Each query can run in one of two modes:
| Mode | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Range | Returns data points over a time range | Timeseries, bar charts, heatmaps |
| Instant | Returns a single data point at the current time | Stat panels, gauge panels, tables |
Panel Configuration
Chart Settings
These options are available under Chart Settings when editing a panel:
- Unit: Set the unit format for panel values (see Units below)
- Legend Type: Auto (uses the query name as the legend label) or Custom (lets you define your own legend label)
- Legend Placement: Bottom, Left, or Right
- Display Type: Line or Area (Time Series panels only)
Bar Chart Options
- Orientation: Vertical or horizontal bars
- Stacked: Enable stacking to show cumulative values
Table Settings
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Transpose | Swap rows and columns (max 20 columns when transposed) |
| Density | Compact or comfortable row spacing |
| Summary Footer | Display a summary row at the bottom |
| Summary Type | Aggregation for summary: sum, avg, min, max, first, last, count, p50, p90, p95, p99 |
| Thresholds | Color cells based on their values. Set a value, color, and target (Text or Background). Higher thresholds take precedence. Click + Add for multiple thresholds |
| Column Visibility | Show or hide individual table columns |
Units
Apply unit formatting to panel values. Select from the built-in units or type a custom unit:
| Unit | Format |
|---|---|
| Bytes (IEC) | KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB (factors of 1024) |
| Bytes (SI) | KB, MB, GB, TB (factors of 1000) |
| Bytes/sec (IEC) | KiB/s, MiB/s, GiB/s |
| Bytes/sec (SI) | KB/s, MB/s, GB/s |
| Nanoseconds | ns precision |
| Milliseconds | ms precision |
| Seconds | s precision |
You can also enter any custom unit (e.g., requests/s, %, ops) by typing directly into the unit field.
Layout
Panels can be repositioned by dragging the panel header and resized using the handles at the panel edges.
Sections
Add Section dividers to organize panels into named groups. Sections act as visual separators with a label, making it easier to navigate dashboards with many panels. You can drag panels between sections and reposition sections themselves by dragging.
Troubleshooting
Please get in touch with us on Discord or Email if you have any questions.