chartbrew vs grafana
Dashboard and data visualization tools compared
chartbrew and grafana both turn data from multiple sources into dashboards. chartbrew focuses on building and sharing charts from APIs and databases, while grafana centers on exploring observability data and setting alerts.
chartbrew: Build Live Dashboards from APIs and Databases
Chartbrew is a web app for connecting APIs and databases to build, share, and embed live charts and dashboards. It suits teams that want to turn data from existing sources into reports without building a dashboard application from scratch.
grafana: Explore and Visualize Observability Data
Grafana is a platform for querying, visualizing, and alerting on metrics, logs, and traces across data sources. It suits teams that need shared dashboards and a common way to explore operational data.
| chartbrew | grafana | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| License | NOASSERTION | AGPL-3.0 |
| Stars | 4.1k | 77.1k |
| Forks | 458 | 14.8k |
| Last analyzed | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 3, 2026 |
Key differences
- chartbrew is designed to build reports from APIs and SQL or NoSQL databases; grafana focuses on metrics, logs, and traces for observability.
- chartbrew includes editors for API requests and database queries, while grafana emphasizes ad-hoc exploration, drilldowns, and comparisons across queries and time ranges.
- chartbrew supports sharing and embedding dashboards or charts; grafana offers reusable dashboards through template variables and alert notifications to external systems.
- chartbrew is written in JavaScript and grafana in TypeScript.
- chartbrew can be self-hosted or used as a hosted service; local deployment requires Node.js, MySQL or PostgreSQL, and Redis. grafana requires teams to connect and configure relevant data sources.
- chartbrew reports a NOASSERTION license, while grafana is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only with Apache-2.0 exceptions described in its licensing information.
Choose chartbrew if you…
- need to build and share reports from APIs and databases without creating a dashboard application from scratch.
- want to embed charts in a website or internal tool.
- prefer a hosted option or want to self-host with the required database and Redis services.
Choose grafana if you…
- need to monitor and explore metrics, logs, and traces across data sources.
- want to investigate issues by comparing queries or time ranges and following labels from metrics into logs.
- need alert rules, notifications, or reusable dashboards with template variables.
Compare the numbers side by side, or add more projects
This comparison is generated with AI from the OSRepos analyses of both projects. Always check each project's repository and documentation before choosing.