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.

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.

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.

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