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+<!--
+title: "Enable or configure a collector"
+description: "Every collector is highly configurable, allowing them to collect metrics from any node and any infrastructure."
+custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/collect/enable-configure.md
+-->
+
+# Enable or configure a collector
+
+When Netdata starts up, each collector searches for exposed metrics on the default endpoint established by that service
+or application's standard installation procedure. For example, the [Nginx
+collector](https://learn.netdata.cloud/docs/agent/collectors/go.d.plugin/modules/nginx) searches at
+`http://127.0.0.1/stub_status` for exposed metrics in the correct format. If an Nginx web server is running and exposes
+metrics on that endpoint, the collector begins gathering them.
+
+However, not every node or infrastructure uses standard ports, paths, files, or naming conventions. You may need to
+enable or configure a collector to gather all available metrics from your systems, containers, or applications.
+
+## Enable a collector or its orchestrator
+
+You can enable/disable collectors individually, or enable/disable entire orchestrators, using their configuration files.
+For example, you can change the behavior of the Go orchestrator, or any of its collectors, by editing `go.d.conf`.
+
+Use `edit-config` from your [Netdata config directory](/docs/configure/nodes.md#the-netdata-config-directory) to open
+the orchestrator primary configuration file:
+
+```bash
+cd /etc/netdata
+sudo ./edit-config go.d.conf
+```
+
+Within this file, you can either disable the orchestrator entirely (`enabled: yes`), or find a specific collector and
+enable/disable it with `yes` and `no` settings. Uncomment any line you change to ensure the Netdata daemon reads it on
+start.
+
+After you make your changes, restart the Agent with `sudo systemctl restart netdata`, or the [appropriate
+method](/docs/configure/start-stop-restart.md) for your system.
+
+## Configure a collector
+
+First, [find the collector](/collectors/COLLECTORS.md) you want to edit and open its documentation. Some software has
+collectors written in multiple languages. In these cases, you should always pick the collector written in Go.
+
+Use `edit-config` from your [Netdata config directory](/docs/configure/nodes.md#the-netdata-config-directory) to open a
+collector's configuration file. For example, edit the Nginx collector with the following:
+
+```bash
+./edit-config go.d/nginx.conf
+```
+
+Each configuration file describes every available option and offers examples to help you tweak Netdata's settings
+according to your needs. In addition, every collector's documentation shows the exact command you need to run to
+configure that collector. Uncomment any line you change to ensure the collector's orchestrator or the Netdata daemon
+read it on start.
+
+After you make your changes, restart the Agent with `sudo systemctl restart netdata`, or the [appropriate
+method](/docs/configure/start-stop-restart.md) for your system.
+
+## What's next?
+
+Read high-level overviews on how Netdata collects [system metrics](/docs/collect/system-metrics.md), [container
+metrics](/docs/collect/container-metrics.md), and [application metrics](/docs/collect/application-metrics.md).
+
+If you're already collecting all metrics from your systems, containers, and applications, it's time to move into
+Netdata's visualization features. [See an overview of your infrastructure](/docs/visualize/overview-infrastructure.md)
+using Netdata Cloud, or learn how to [interact with dashboards and
+charts](/docs/visualize/interact-dashboards-charts.md).
+
+