Netdata Agent Configuration

info

You can configure Netdata Agents on the fly using Netdata Cloud. Check the Dynamic Configuration Manager documentation for details.

You configure your Netdata Agent using the main configuration file netdata.conf. This guide shows you how to locate, edit, and manage this configuration file.

note

On a freshly installed system, netdata.conf contains only comments and instructions for how to obtain the running configuration. This is normal and expected, a comment-only file means the Agent is running with built-in defaults, and no changes are required unless you want to override those defaults.

Check below for instructions on editing configuration files.

Locate Your Config Directory

First, you need to find where your configuration files are stored. On most Linux systems, you'll find your Netdata config directory at /etc/netdata/. This directory contains:

• Several configuration files with the .conf extension
• A few directories for specific configurations
• A shell script named edit-config for safely editing files

tip

Some operating systems use /opt/netdata/etc/netdata/ as the config directory. If you're not sure where yours is located, navigate to http://NODE:19999/netdata.conf in your browser (replace NODE with your node's IP address or hostname) and find the # config directory = setting. The value listed shows your system's config directory.

note

All of Netdata's documentation assumes your config directory is at /etc/netdata, and that you run any scripts from inside that directory.

On Windows

On Windows, the Netdata config directory is located at C:\Program Files\Netdata\etc\netdata. Like on Linux, this directory contains configuration files, a few directories for specific configurations (including health.d for your alert overrides), and the edit-config helper script.

note

edit-config requires the bundled MSYS2 shell that ships with Netdata for Windows — see Editing configuration files for how to open it and use edit-config there. Because C:\Program Files\Netdata is a protected system directory, run the MSYS2 shell with Administrator privileges.

For alert-specific configuration on Windows — where the stock alert templates ship, where to place your overrides, and how to reload without restarting the Agent — see How to Edit Health Configuration Files in the health configuration reference.

Edit Configuration Files

Method 1: Using edit-config (Recommended)

You should use the edit-config script for making configuration changes. This script lives inside your config directory and helps you manage and safely edit configuration files.

On Windows, run edit-config from the bundled MSYS2 shell — see On Windows above.

To edit netdata.conf:

1. Navigate to your config directory and run the edit script:

   cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
   sudo ./edit-config netdata.conf

2. Your default editor will open with the configuration file

3. Make your changes and save the file

Method 2: Download Current Configuration

If you want to work with the exact configuration currently running on your Agent, you can download it directly.

You can download the running version of netdata.conf from your running Netdata Agent at this URL:

http://agent-ip:19999/netdata.conf

To download and replace your current configuration file:

cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
curl -ksSLo /tmp/netdata.conf.new http://localhost:19999/netdata.conf && sudo mv -i /tmp/netdata.conf.new netdata.conf 

This method is useful when you want to:

• Backup your current running configuration
• Start with the default settings that are currently active
• Replicate configuration across multiple agents