Metric graphs 101: Timeseries graphs

Visualizing monitoring data is crucial for providing human-readable representations of system health and performance. This series explores four types of timeseries graphs: line graphs, stacked area graphs, bar graphs, and heatmaps. Each graph type has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding when to use each one can help present actionable information from metrics more clearly. The ideal use cases for each graph type include tracking single metrics, summing complementary metrics, representing counts, and showing distribution over time. By choosing the right visualization, developers can gain a better understanding of their systems' performance and make data-driven decisions.