Configuration files are placed in /etc/netdata.

The daemon configuration file is read from /etc/netdata/netdata.conf.

In this file you can configure all aspects of netdata. Netdata provides configuration settings for plugins and charts found when started. You can find all these settings, with their default values, by accessing the URL https://netdata.server.hostname:19999/netdata.conf. For example check the configuration file of netdata.firehol.org.

The configuration file has sections stated with [section]. There will be the following sections:

1. [global] for global netdata daemon options
2. [plugins] for controlling which plugins the netdata will use
3. [plugin:NAME] one such section for each plugin enabled
4. [CHART_NAME] once such section for each chart defined

The configuration file is a name = value dictionary. Netdata will not complain if you set options unknown to it. When you check the running configuration by accessing the URL /netdata.conf on your netdata server, netdata will add a comment on settings it does not currently use.

In this section there will be a boolean (yes/no) option for each plugin. Additionally, there will be the following options:

The configuration options for plugins appear in sections following the pattern [plugin:NAME].

Most internal plugins will provide additional options. Check Internal Plugins for more information.

External plugins will have only 2 options at netdata.conf:

External plugins that need additional configuration may support a dedicated file in /etc/netdata. Check their documentation.

This config file is not needed by default. You can just touch it (to be empty) to get rid of the error message displayed when missing.

The whole idea came up when I was evaluating the documentation involved in maintaining a complex configuration system. My intention was to give configuration options for everything imaginable. But then, documenting all these options would require a tremendous amount of time, users would have to search through endless pages for the option they need, etc.

I concluded then that configuring software like that is a waste for time and effort. Of course there must be plenty of configuration options, but the implementation itself should require a lot less effort for both the devs and the users.

So, I did this:

1. No configuration is required to run netdata
2. There are plenty of options to tweak
3. There is minimal documentation (or no at all)

The configuration file is a name = value dictionary with [sections]. Write whatever you like there as long as it follows this simple format.

Netdata loads this dictionary and then when the code needs a value from it, it just looks up the name in the dictionary at the proper section. In all places, in the code, there are both the names and their default values, so if something is not found in the configuration file, the default is used. The lookup is made using B-Trees and hashes (no string comparisons), so they are super fast. Also the names of the settings can be my super duper setting that once set to yes, will turn the world upside down = no - so goodbye to most of the documentation involved.

Next, netdata can generate a valid configuration for the user to edit. No need to remember anything. Just get the configuration from the server (/netdata.conf on your netdata server), edit it and save it.

Last, what about options you believe you have set, but you misspelled? When you get the configuration file from the server, there will be a comment above all name = value pairs the server does not use. So you know that whatever you wrote there, is not used.