See Everything. Understand Instantly. Act Immediately.

Netdata takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of providing building blocks (Grafana), we provide finished intelligence. Dashboards generate algorithmically from metric metadata - no manual building required. The NIDL framework enables point-and-click analysis that would require dozens of PromQL queries in Grafana. Each Netdata chart provides the analytical depth equivalent to 25+ Grafana panels while remaining simpler to use. It’s not a tradeoff - it’s a different architecture that eliminates the complexity-power dilemma.

Netdata follows a layered approach: Layer 1 (80% of needs) is handled by algorithmic dashboards automatically. Layer 2 (15% of needs) uses drag-and-drop custom dashboards with full NIDL capabilities - no coding required. Layer 3 (5% of needs) can integrate with Grafana or export to existing tools. Most organizations discover the algorithmic dashboards cover far more than expected, and when customization is needed, drag-and-drop is faster than writing queries.

The NIDL framework provides capabilities that would require dozens of PromQL queries. Example: ‘Show CPU usage per Kubernetes namespace for nodes in region us-east, sorted by anomaly rate’ takes 15-20 minutes to write in PromQL but just 3 clicks in Netdata (Group by Label: namespace, Filter Nodes: us-east, Sort: anomaly rate). The algorithmic dashboard already created the chart - NIDL just lets you slice it interactively. For ad-hoc investigation during incidents, this is dramatically faster than procedural queries.

This is Netdata’s primary advantage. Onboarding time is minutes to hours (vs. weeks to months for PromQL). No query language to learn - point-and-click for everything. Algorithmic dashboards work identically across all infrastructures. New team members are productive from day one. Organizations report adoption is ’night and day’ compared to traditional tools, with zero training required for basic troubleshooting.

High cardinality is built into Netdata’s design. Dashboard virtualization renders millions of time-series without browser lag. Ephemeral containers automatically appear and disappear from dashboards. The NIDL framework provides instant aggregation and filtering. No performance degradation from cardinality - it’s expected, not exceptional. Scenarios like Kubernetes with hundreds of pods, microservices with dynamic instances, and auto-scaling infrastructure are handled natively.

Yes. Many organizations add Netdata for true real-time troubleshooting while keeping Grafana for historical analysis, or export Netdata metrics to existing Prometheus storage. Netdata can coexist with current tools while delivering immediate value. The question isn’t ‘replace everything’ but ‘what’s the fastest path to better visibility?’ Most teams discover Netdata’s algorithmic approach handles day-to-day monitoring better than manually-built dashboards.

True per-second collection and visualization with 1-2 second total latency - 10-60× faster than industry standard. This isn’t just speed - it’s capability. Per-second granularity reveals microbursts, transient issues, and cascading failures that minute-averaged monitoring completely misses. During incidents, you see problems as they happen, not minutes later. Changes are verified instantly, not hopefully. This transforms troubleshooting from reactive investigation to interactive debugging.

Dashboard virtualization technology renders 100,000+ metrics without browser lag. The number of charts is irrelevant to performance - Netdata handles 3,000-20,000 metrics/second per node seamlessly. Edge-native architecture means adding nodes doesn’t degrade existing ones. Same 1-2 second latency whether monitoring 10 or 10,000 nodes. Proven at 100,000+ node deployments processing 4.5+ billion metrics/second globally.

Netdata provides two approaches: Native iOS/Android apps for real-time alert delivery and management (Business plan), and responsive web interface accessible from any browser. While optimized for desktop, the web interface works on mobile devices for emergency access. Most customers find the web interface on laptop/desktop provides the detail needed for troubleshooting, with mobile alerts keeping them informed when away from desk.

Netdata provides component-level alerts that are more accurate and actionable than generic fixed-threshold alerts. Alerts can be grouped by category, class, or any label in dashboards for better organization. Visual anomaly ribbons on every chart enable proactive investigation before issues trigger alerts. AI Chat provides one-click explanations for any alert context. While alert fatigue cannot be completely eliminated, component-level precision and intelligent grouping significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio.