---
title: "Data sources compared to integrations | Grafana Labs"
description: "How a data source differs from an integration, and when to use each."
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Data sources compared to integrations

In Grafana Cloud’s **Connections**, you’ll see both data sources and integrations, sometimes with similar names. They sound alike, but they work differently. The difference comes down to where your data lives.

|                              | Data source                                                            | Integration                                   |
|------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
| **Where your data lives**    | Stays in its original system; Grafana queries it in place              | Collected and sent into Grafana Cloud storage |
| **Collection**               | You set it up and run it                                               | A managed collector is installed for you      |
| **Dashboards and alerts**    | You build most yourself; some data sources include prebuilt dashboards | Prebuilt dashboards and alerts come with it   |
| **Migration or new storage** | None; your data doesn’t move                                           | Your data is copied into Grafana Cloud        |
| **Best when**                | You already have systems you don’t want to migrate                     | You want a managed, batteries-included setup  |

Integrations are one of two ways to send data into Grafana Cloud. The other is sending telemetry directly with Alloy, OpenTelemetry, or SDKs, which is the manual version of the same idea: either way, your data ends up stored in Grafana Cloud.

**Key insight**:

- A data source queries your data where it lives and leaves collection, dashboards, and alerts mostly to you Supported data sources can even back Grafana Cloud features like **service level objectives (SLOs)**.
- An integration brings your data into Grafana Cloud and manages collection plus prebuilt dashboards and alerts for you.

## When to use which

Reach for a **data source** when:

- You already have monitoring infrastructure you don’t want to migrate.
- Data sovereignty requires your data to stay in your own systems.
- You want to query and visualize data from tools you already run.

Choose an **integration** when:

- You’re fine sending your data to Grafana Cloud to be stored there.
- You want a managed setup with prebuilt dashboards and alerts.