Grafana on EKS – Install and Test
Deploy Grafana via Argo CD on EKS and access it locally with port-forward. The Application manifest includes persistence, Prometheus datasource, and health probes.
1. Overview
What this guide does:
- Deploys Grafana using the official Helm chart via an Argo CD Application
- Creates an AppProject and Application for the
grafananamespace - Configures Prometheus as the default datasource (pre-configured for dashboards)
- Persists data with EBS-backed PVC
- Uses port-forward for local access (no ingress required)
Prerequisites:
- EKS cluster running with kubectl context set
Argo CD installed
Prometheus installed
2. Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
kubectl configured with context set to your EKS cluster
Argo CD installed and syncing Applications
Prometheus running (e.g.kube-prometheus-stack-prometheus.kube-prometheus-stack.svc.cluster.local:9090—adjust the datasource URL if yours differs)
3. Install Grafana
Save the manifest below as grafana-application.yaml and apply:
kubectl apply -f grafana-application.yaml
Argo CD will create the Application and sync Grafana (Helm chart). Wait until the Application shows Synced in the Argo CD UI or CLI.
Manifest:
apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: AppProject
metadata:
name: platform
namespace: argocd
spec:
clusterResourceWhitelist:
- group: "*"
kind: "*"
destinations:
- namespace: "*"
server: "*"
namespaceResourceWhitelist:
- group: "*"
kind: "*"
sourceRepos:
- "*"
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
name: grafana
labels:
name: grafana
---
apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
name: grafana
namespace: argocd
spec:
project: platform
source:
repoURL: https://grafana.github.io/helm-charts
chart: grafana
targetRevision: 7.0.0
helm:
values: |
deploymentStrategy:
type: Recreate
persistence:
enabled: true
type: pvc
storageClassName: ebs-sc
size: 10Gi
service:
type: ClusterIP
adminUser: admin
datasources:
datasources.yaml:
apiVersion: 1
datasources:
- name: Prometheus
type: prometheus
access: proxy
url: http://kube-prometheus-stack-prometheus.kube-prometheus-stack.svc.cluster.local:9090
isDefault: true
editable: true
resources:
limits:
cpu: 500m
memory: 512Mi
requests:
cpu: 250m
memory: 256Mi
startupProbe:
httpGet:
path: /api/health
port: 3000
periodSeconds: 5
failureThreshold: 18
readinessProbe:
httpGet:
path: /api/health
port: 3000
periodSeconds: 10
failureThreshold: 3
livenessProbe:
httpGet:
path: /api/health
port: 3000
initialDelaySeconds: 30
periodSeconds: 10
failureThreshold: 10
destination:
server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
namespace: grafana
syncPolicy:
automated:
prune: true
selfHeal: true
syncOptions:
- CreateNamespace=true
Note: Adjust storageClassName if your EKS cluster uses a different EBS storage class. Ensure Prometheus URL matches your install (e.g. kube-prometheus-stack-prometheus.kube-prometheus-stack.svc.cluster.local:9090).
4. Test Access
Port-forward
kubectl port-forward svc/grafana -n grafana 3000:80
Get admin password
kubectl get secret grafana -n grafana -o jsonpath="{.data.admin-password}" | base64 -d
echo
Login
Open http://localhost:3000 and sign in with admin and the password from above.
Verify datasource
Go to Connections → Data sources. Prometheus should be configured and ready. Create a dashboard and run a query to confirm.
5. Summary: Copy-Paste
# 1. Apply manifest
kubectl apply -f grafana-application.yaml
# 2. Wait for sync (check Argo CD UI or: argocd app get grafana)
# 3. Port-forward and get password
kubectl port-forward svc/grafana -n grafana 3000:80 &
kubectl get secret grafana -n grafana -o jsonpath="{.data.admin-password}" | base64 -d && echo
Then open http://localhost:3000 and log in with admin / the password.
6. Troubleshooting
Issue: Application stuck in Syncing or OutOfSync
Solution: Check Argo CD logs and the Application status. Ensure the Grafana Helm repo is reachable and storageClassName: ebs-sc exists in your cluster. If using a different storage class, update the manifest.
Issue: Prometheus datasource connection failed
Solution: Verify Prometheus is running: kubectl get svc -n kube-prometheus-stack (or your Prometheus namespace). Update the url in the manifest to match your Prometheus service.
Issue: Argo CD ingress stuck or inaccessible
Solution: See Argo CD Ingress Stuck – Find & Fix for troubleshooting steps.
7. References
Grafana Helm Chart: https://github.com/grafana/helm-charts
Grafana Documentation: https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/
Argo CD: https://argo-cd.readthedocs.io/