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This guide shows you how to display your Grafana dashboards on the big screen, perfect for visualizing time-series data, monitoring system observability, and tracking operational metrics in real time.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:
  • A Grafana account (Grafana Cloud or self-hosted) with access to the dashboard
  • Email and password login available for that account
  • The full dashboard URL you plan to display
This integration requires a direct Grafana account login with an email and password. Federated login methods, such as signing in with a Google or other SSO provider, are not compatible with this setup. Please ensure you use an account with basic authentication credentials.
Best Practice: For security, create a dedicated user in Grafana with Viewer permissions for the specific dashboards you want to display. Use this account’s credentials for Pickcel.

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Step-by-Step Configuration

1

Create the Dashboard App in Pickcel

Log in to the Pickcel Console and navigate to Apps. Search for the Dashboard app and click on it. Then, click Create App.
Search for the Dashboard app and click Create App
  • Give a name to the app instance based on the dashboard you are configuring (e.g., “API Performance - Grafana”).
  • Select Grafana from the dropdown menu. The fields required for configuring your Grafana Dashboard will open on the right-hand side.
Select Grafana from the dropdown menu
2

Fill in the Fields for Grafana Dashboard Configuration

This section requires precise information to generate a correct and secure Auth Token.
  • Grafana Login URL: Go to your Grafana instance’s login page. Copy the entire URL from the browser’s address bar (e.g., https://yourcompany.grafana.net/login) and paste it here.
Copy the Grafana login URL from the address bar
Paste the Grafana login URL into the configuration field
  • Email: Enter the email address that you use for logging in to your Grafana account.
  • Password: Enter the password for that account.
  • Dashboard URL: Log in to Grafana and navigate to the exact dashboard you want to display. Copy the entire URL from the address bar and paste it here.
Copy the Grafana dashboard URL from the address bar
Paste the Grafana dashboard URL into the configuration field
Click Generate Auth Token. The token will be generated and automatically pasted into the Auth Token field on the left.
Generate Auth Token and view it in the Auth Token field

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Enter Screen Selection Code (Optional)

If you want to display only a specific portion of the dashboard (like a specific set of panels), use the Pickcel Dashboard Screen Mapper Extension. Select the area you want to display, and upon confirming the selection, the code will be copied to your clipboard. Paste this code into the Screen Selection Code field.
Check this guide for more info: How to Use the Dashboard Screen Mapper Chrome Extension?
3

Set Refresh Interval and Session Expiry

  • Refresh Interval: This setting defines how often the dashboard screenshot is updated. For real-time operational metrics, a short refresh interval of 5-10 minutes is recommended.
  • Session Expiry: This forces a fresh login to prevent session timeouts. A value of 5-8 hours is recommended for continuous display during a workday.
Set the refresh interval and session expiry
4

Enable Scroll Option for the Dashboard (Optional)

  • Enable Auto Scroll: Set a scroll duration in seconds. For example, at 60 seconds, the entire dashboard scrolls from top to bottom over 60 seconds.
  • Enable Auto Scroll Height: Set a scroll height in pixels. The screen scrolls down by the defined pixel height.
Enable auto scroll options for the dashboard
5

Create and Publish

Once the configuration is complete, click Create App. The app instance will be available in the Media section.
Click Create App to create the app instance
To preview, go to Media, find your app instance by name, and click its thumbnail. If you are happy with the result, assign it to your screens.
Find the app instance in the Media section and preview it
Grafana dashboard preview on Pickcel
If the password or any other credentials are incorrect, the process will stall on the login screen, displaying the login screen instead of the dashboard.

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What’s Next?

Your Grafana Dashboard App is now ready. For further reading: