Django dashboards come in two flavors. Some live inside the Django app, built with templates, a chart library and your models. Others sit outside the codebase and query the same database. The first gives full control; the second saves developer time. Most teams end up needing some of each.
Below are eight Django dashboard tools and templates, with the point where each one stops. For full frontends, see the best frontend options for Django.
The eight options at a glance
| Option | Type | Lives in your codebase? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet Admin | No-code dashboards and internal tools | No | Free plan; paid tiers |
| Unfold | Admin theme with dashboard components | Yes | Free |
| django-admin-charts | Charts in the admin | Yes | Free |
| Chart.js in templates | Chart library | Yes | Free |
| Plotly Dash (django-plotly-dash) | Python analytics apps | Yes | Free |
| AdminLTE and similar templates | Dashboard UI kits | Yes | Free or paid |
| Metabase | Open-source BI | No | Free self-hosted; paid cloud |
| Grafana | Metrics dashboards | No | Open source; paid cloud |
Outside the codebase
1. Jet Admin
Jet Admin connects to the database behind Django (Postgres, MySQL and others) or to your REST API, and builds dashboards with charts and KPIs next to the screens where people act: open the order behind a number, approve it, update a record. You describe the app and Jet generates it, then refine it visually or in code. No new views or templates in your repo.
People sign in with their own logins and see only what their role allows. Granular permissions, SSO and audit logs are on the Business plan and above; unlimited users are on every plan, including Free.
Where it stops: it does not run your Django model methods or signals; logic that lives only in Python needs an API endpoint.
2. Metabase
Metabase connects to the Django database for self-serve charts and scheduled reports.
Where it stops: read-only, and it sees tables, not your models.
3. Grafana
Grafana is the standard for application metrics, often fed by django-prometheus.
Where it stops: for engineers, not business reporting.
Inside the codebase
4. Unfold
Unfold is a modern admin theme with dashboard components you can fill with your own queries.
Where it stops: every chart is code you write and maintain.
5. django-admin-charts
django-admin-charts adds configurable charts to the Django admin with little code.
Where it stops: basic chart types, and it stays inside the admin.
6. Chart.js in templates
Passing aggregated querysets to Chart.js in a template is the simplest custom dashboard.
Where it stops: filters, drill-downs and permissions are all hand-built.
7. Plotly Dash
django-plotly-dash embeds Dash apps in Django for interactive analytical views.
Where it stops: a second framework to learn and maintain.
8. AdminLTE and similar templates
Bootstrap dashboard templates give you a ready layout to wire to your views.
Where it stops: it is a UI kit; the data and logic are still yours to build.
Which to use
- Business teams need dashboards they can act on, without developer time: Jet Admin.
- Analysts want self-serve reports: Metabase.
- Engineers need app metrics: Grafana.
- You want dashboards inside the Django admin: Unfold or django-admin-charts.
- You need a custom, in-product dashboard: Chart.js, Dash or a template kit.
Frequently asked questions
Should dashboards live in the Django app?
Customer-facing dashboards usually should. Internal dashboards change often and are cheaper to build outside the codebase.
Will dashboard queries slow down my Django app?
Heavy queries can. Point dashboards at a read replica or pre-aggregated tables.
Skip the dashboard sprint
Connect Django to Jet Admin and build dashboards without new templates.