# Panel (dashboard element)

> A dashboard panel is a single element of a dashboard, such as a chart, table, filter, or metric, placed on the page grid with its own data binding and settings.

Canonical: https://dvt.dev/glossary/dashboard-panel/

A dashboard panel, also called a dashboard element, is a single visual component of a dashboard, such as a chart, table, filter, KPI, or text block, placed at a fixed position on the page grid with its own data binding and settings.

Panels are the atomic unit of a dashboard. A dashboard is a set of pages, and each page is a grid of panels. Because each panel is self-contained, it can be edited, commented on, and versioned on its own without touching the rest of the dashboard.

## How it works in dvt

Every dvt panel has an `id`, a `title`, and a `type`, plus a `spec` for its configuration. The type decides what renders it: `chart:bar` and `chart:line` are charts, while `table`, `filter`, `kpi`, and `text` are some of the non-chart types. Most panels also carry a `data` block that names the connection (`sourceId`) and the query to run. Its place on the page is a grid coordinate: `x` and `y` for the top-left corner, `w` and `h` for width and height, on a 24-column grid by default.

```json
{ "id": "revenue-by-month", "title": "Revenue by month", "type": "chart:bar",
  "spec": { "series": [{ "type": "bar", "barMaxWidth": 48 }] } }
```

Panel-level granularity is what makes review practical. A reviewer pins a comment to one panel; an agent reads that thread over MCP, edits only that panel, and resolves the thread. The [revision history](https://dvt.dev/glossary/dashboard-version-history) records the change against that element, and a restore keeps each panel's identity so later edits stay correct. Every available type is documented in the [chart reference](https://dvt.dev/reference/charts/).

## Related terms

- [Dashboard spec](https://dvt.dev/glossary/dashboard-spec)
- [Design tokens and themes](https://dvt.dev/glossary/design-tokens)
- [Dashboard version history (revision)](https://dvt.dev/glossary/dashboard-version-history)
- [Dashboards as code, the dvt implementation](https://dvt.dev/solutions/dashboards-as-code)