See Everything in 60 Seconds, Master Anything in Minutes

Netdata dashboards are generated by algorithms based on the semantic meaning and relationships of collected data, not manually configured. The NIDL framework (Nodes, Instances, Dimensions, Labels) structures all data consistently, enabling automatic generation of meaningful visualizations for every metric without human intervention. When you install Netdata, dashboards appear instantly - you don’t build them.

Grafana requires importing templates, connecting data sources, and customizing panels manually. Even with templates, you must understand your data structure, write PromQL queries, and configure each dashboard. Netdata eliminates this entirely - there’s nothing to import, configure, or customize. Dashboards generate automatically based on discovered data, and each chart provides 20-25× more analytical capability than typical Grafana panels through interactive point-and-click exploration.

No. Netdata eliminates the need for query languages entirely. The NIDL framework enables point-and-click analysis - filter by labels, group by dimensions, aggregate across nodes - all through interactive dropdowns and controls. For advanced users, REST APIs are available, but typical operations require zero query writing.

Within 60 seconds. Installation takes approximately 60 seconds, auto-discovery runs immediately, and dashboards populate in real-time as metrics are collected. You’ll see hundreds of pre-configured visualizations within the first minute, with more appearing as additional services are discovered. See our installation guide for details.

Yes. Netdata provides fully automated dashboards as the foundation, which you can extend with custom dashboards using drag-and-drop creation. Most users find automated dashboards sufficient for daily operations, using custom dashboards only for specific business views or executive summaries. This saves significant time compared to building everything manually.

Dashboards adapt automatically. New services are discovered instantly, appropriate visualizations generate automatically, ML models begin training, and pre-configured alerts activate. When resources are deleted, they’re removed from dashboards automatically. This dynamic adaptation eliminates maintenance overhead as infrastructure evolves. Learn more about auto-discovery.

Every metric gets 18 unsupervised ML models that train automatically (consensus-based detection for 99% false positive reduction). Anomaly flags appear as visual overlays on every chart, with Anomaly Advisor surfacing the top 30-50 correlated metrics during incidents. No configuration required - ML starts working 15 minutes after installation.

No. Netdata’s edge-native architecture ensures each node operates independently, maintaining per-second granularity and sub-2-second latency regardless of fleet size. Adding nodes doesn’t affect existing performance. We’ve proven this at 100,000+ node deployments processing billions of metrics per second globally. See our scalability documentation.

Industry data shows many organizations spend months building dashboards manually, with teams spending significant hours per analyst per month on dashboard maintenance. Netdata delivers comprehensive dashboards in 60 seconds with near-zero ongoing maintenance, representing substantial time and labor cost savings.

Absolutely. Netdata integrates with existing observability stacks through Prometheus export (scrape endpoint + Remote Write), native Grafana plugin, and OpenTelemetry. Many organizations use Netdata for real-time operations and keep Grafana for long-term analytics or business dashboards. This reduces risk during adoption.

Netdata uses predictable per-node pricing with volume discounts, not per metric, log volume, or user charges. This means you can collect unlimited metrics, logs, and dimensions without cost penalties. All ML features, AI capabilities, and advanced visualizations are included - there are no premium tiers that gate functionality. See our pricing page for details.

All metrics and logs stay on your infrastructure (Agents or Parents). Only metadata (node names, chart titles, alert configurations) syncs to Netdata Cloud for unified dashboards. This ensures data sovereignty and compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS. For complete air-gapped deployments, Netdata Cloud On-Premises is available.

Netdata offers two AI integration paths: (1) Managed AI via Netdata Cloud (AI Troubleshoot, Ask AI for alerts, AI Insights reports), and (2) Model Context Protocol (MCP) for bring-your-own-LLM integration. AI doesn’t replace algorithmic dashboards - it enhances them by providing natural language explanations, automated report generation, and interactive troubleshooting guidance.

Yes. For custom applications, instrument them using Prometheus/OpenMetrics format, StatsD, or OpenTelemetry. Once metrics are collected, Netdata’s algorithmic engine automatically generates appropriate visualizations based on metric types and labels. You don’t need to build dashboards - just expose metrics in standard formats. See our integrations for details.