Grafana Cloud
Host Grafana, Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo for a small stack on user-owned infrastructure
A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Grafana Cloud, host Grafana, Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo for a small stack on user-owned infrastructure. The hard boundary is managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations, plus independent infrastructure and reliable alerting.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations
- global probe network
- phone and SMS delivery
- massive retention
- advanced incident response and support
Why people still pay
People still pay for Grafana Cloud because monitoring must continue working during the exact outage it reports, which makes independent infrastructure and alert delivery the real product. The recurring cost buys probe geography, clocks, retries, deduplication, sampling, storage, paging, notification delivery, on-call rules, and its own uptime, not just the visible interface.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- server outside the monitored failure domain
- PostgreSQL
- optional ClickHouse
- email or webhook destination
- public HTTPS
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Project rule, data: Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this uptime, errors, logs and status pages prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.
Project rule, behavior: Implement HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS-expiry, and heartbeat checks with explicit timeout and retry policies.
Project rule, recovery: Implement HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS-expiry, and heartbeat checks with explicit timeout and retry policies.
Implementation plan
Phase 1, architecture and data
Use Go, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, a Next.js 15 dashboard, and Docker Compose. Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this uptime, errors, logs and status pages prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps.
Phase 2, implement
Implement HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS-expiry, and heartbeat checks with explicit timeout and retry policies.
Phase 3, implement
Run checks from one independently hosted worker and store raw results plus incident state transitions.
Phase 4, review and output
Send deduplicated alerts to email or one webhook destination with recovery notifications. Provide health checks, retention settings, exports, backups, and a test-alert function.
Phase 5, recovery and acceptance
Implement HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS-expiry, and heartbeat checks with explicit timeout and retry policies. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. State the practical limit: managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations.
Build me a focused uptime, errors, logs and status pages workflow for the personal core of Grafana Cloud. Requirements: - Use Go, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, a Next.js 15 dashboard, and Docker Compose. Model the inputs, state transitions, and outputs named in this uptime, errors, logs and status pages prompt; keep source IDs and timestamps. - Paid product context: Host Grafana, Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo for a small stack on user-owned infrastructure. Build only this DIY scope: Host Grafana, Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo for a small stack on user-owned infrastructure, run independent checks, alert through one channel, and publish an honest status page. - Implement HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS-expiry, and heartbeat checks with explicit timeout and retry policies. - Run checks from one independently hosted worker and store raw results plus incident state transitions. - Send deduplicated alerts to email or one webhook destination with recovery notifications. Create services, maintenance windows, incidents, subscribers, and a public status page. Add bounded event ingestion for application errors with sampling and sensitive-field scrubbing. - Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: server outside the monitored failure domain; optional ClickHouse. - Recovery: Implement HTTP, TCP, DNS, TLS-expiry, and heartbeat checks with explicit timeout and retry policies. - Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: An invalid input or interrupted operation must retain the source and show a recoverable state; exported records must reload with the same IDs. - Out of scope: managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations; global probe network. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow. - Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan
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Alternatives to building your own
all 3 free alternatives to Grafana Cloud →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Grafana Cloud pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | 10,000 active metric series; 50 GB logs; 50 GB traces; 50 GB profiles; 14-day retention; 100,000 API + 10,000 browser synthetic executionsPermanent free tier. |
| pro | $19/workspace | — | Starts with a $19/month platform fee; usage is metered across metrics, logs, traces, profiles, synthetics and other servicesThe platform fee does not include unlimited telemetry. |
| enterprise | — | $2083.33/workspace | Annual commitment starts at $25,000/year with enterprise support and contract termsMonthly equivalent shown for the published minimum annual commitment. |
free tier10,000 active metric series/month; 50 GB logs, 50 GB traces and 50 GB profiles/month; 14-day retention; 100,000 API and 10,000 browser synthetic executions/month
billingFree; Pro monthly platform fee + usage; Enterprise annual commitment from $25,000/year
hidden costsPro adds usage charges beyond the $19 platform fee: metrics are billed per 1,000 active series and logs/traces have separate processing, write, retention and query meters; separate stacks can each carry a platform fee
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Grafana Cloud
Can you build your own Grafana Cloud with AI?
A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Grafana Cloud, host Grafana, Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo for a small stack on user-owned infrastructure. The hard boundary is managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations, plus independent infrastructure and reliable alerting.
What does the Grafana Cloud build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Host Grafana, Prometheus, Loki, and Tempo for a small stack on user-owned infrastructure, run independent checks, alert through one channel, and publish an honest status page. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations; global probe network; phone and SMS delivery. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Grafana Cloud prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Grafana Cloud project take?
The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Grafana Cloud?
managed global telemetry, integrations, retention, support, and scalable operations; global probe network; phone and SMS delivery; massive retention; advanced incident response and support. People still pay for Grafana Cloud because monitoring must continue working during the exact outage it reports, which makes independent infrastructure and alert delivery the real product. The recurring cost buys probe geography, clocks, retries, deduplication, sampling, storage, paging, notification delivery, on-call rules, and its own uptime, not just the visible interface.
What can I use instead of building Grafana Cloud?
OpenObserve: Logs, metrics, traces and dashboards in one stack; fewer logos, same telemetry. HyperDX: An OpenTelemetry stack with logs, metrics and traces; ClickHouse replaces the alphabet soup. Uptrace: OpenTelemetry APM with two databases and no pretending that is one click. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/grafana-cloud/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.