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+<!--
+title: "Common configuration changes"
+description: "See the most popular configuration changes to make to the Netdata Agent, including longer metrics retention, reduce sampling, and more."
+custom_edit_url: "https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/configure/common-changes.md"
+sidebar_label: "Common configuration changes"
+learn_status: "Published"
+learn_topic_type: "Tasks"
+learn_rel_path: "Configuration"
+-->
+
+# Common configuration changes
+
+The Netdata Agent requires no configuration upon installation to collect thousands of per-second metrics from most
+systems, containers, and applications, but there are hundreds of settings to tweak if you want to exercise more control
+over your monitoring platform.
+
+This document assumes familiarity with
+using [`edit-config`](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/configure/nodes.md) from the Netdata config
+directory.
+
+## Change dashboards and visualizations
+
+The Netdata Agent's [local dashboard](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/category-overview-pages/accessing-netdata-dashboards.md), accessible
+at `http://NODE:19999` is highly configurable. If
+you use Netdata Cloud
+for [infrastructure monitoring](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/quickstart/infrastructure.md), you
+will see many of these
+changes reflected in those visualizations due to the way Netdata Cloud proxies metric data and metadata to your browser.
+
+### Increase the long-term metrics retention period
+
+Read our doc
+on [increasing long-term metrics storage](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md)
+for details, including a
+[calculator](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md#calculate-the-system-resources-ram-disk-space-needed-to-store-metrics)
+to help you determine the exact settings for your desired retention period.
+
+### Reduce the data collection frequency
+
+Change `update every` in
+the [`[global]` section](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/daemon/config/README.md#global-section-options)
+of `netdata.conf` so
+that it is greater than `1`. An `update every` of `5` means the Netdata Agent enforces a _minimum_ collection frequency
+of 5 seconds.
+
+```conf
+[global]
+    update every = 5
+```
+
+Every collector and plugin has its own `update every` setting, which you can also change in the `go.d.conf`,
+`python.d.conf` or `charts.d.conf` files, or in individual collector configuration files. If the `update
+every` for an individual collector is less than the global, the Netdata Agent uses the global setting. See
+the [enable or configure a collector](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/collectors/REFERENCE.md#enable-and-disable-a-specific-collection-module)
+doc for details.
+
+### Disable a collector or plugin
+
+Turn off entire plugins in
+the [`[plugins]` section](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/daemon/config/README.md#plugins-section-options)
+of
+`netdata.conf`.
+
+To disable specific collectors, open `go.d.conf`, `python.d.conf` or `charts.d.conf` and find the line
+for that specific module. Uncomment the line and change its value to `no`.
+
+## Modify alerts and notifications
+
+Netdata's health monitoring watchdog uses hundreds of preconfigured health entities, with intelligent thresholds, to
+generate warning and critical alerts for most production systems and their applications without configuration. However,
+each alert and notification method is completely customizable.
+
+### Add a new alert
+
+To create a new alert configuration file, initiate an empty file, with a filename that ends in `.conf`, in the
+`health.d/` directory. The Netdata Agent loads any valid alert configuration file ending in `.conf` in that directory.
+Next, edit the new file with `edit-config`. For example, with a file called `example-alert.conf`.
+
+```bash
+sudo touch health.d/example-alert.conf
+sudo ./edit-config health.d/example-alert.conf
+```
+
+Or, append your new alert to an existing file by editing a relevant existing file in the `health.d/` directory.
+
+Read more about [configuring alerts](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/health/REFERENCE.md) to
+get started, and see
+the [health monitoring reference](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/health/REFERENCE.md) for a full listing
+of options available in health entities.
+
+### Configure a specific alert
+
+Tweak existing alerts by editing files in the `health.d/` directory. For example, edit `health.d/cpu.conf` to change how
+the Agent responds to anomalies related to CPU utilization.
+
+To see which configuration file you need to edit to configure a specific
+alert, [view your active alerts](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/monitor/view-active-alerts.md) in
+Netdata Cloud or the local Agent dashboard and look for the **source** line. For example, it might
+read `source  4@/usr/lib/netdata/conf.d/health.d/cpu.conf`.
+
+Because the source path contains `health.d/cpu.conf`, run `sudo edit-config health.d/cpu.conf` to configure that alert.
+
+### Disable a specific alert
+
+Open the configuration file for that alert and set the `to` line to `silent`.
+
+```conf
+template: disk_fill_rate
+       on: disk.space
+   lookup: max -1s at -30m unaligned of avail
+     calc: ($this - $avail) / (30 * 60)
+    every: 15s
+       to: silent
+```
+
+### Turn of all alerts and notifications
+
+Set `enabled` to `no` in
+the [`[health]`](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/daemon/config/README.md#health-section-options)
+section of `netdata.conf`.
+
+### Enable alert notifications
+
+Open `health_alarm_notify.conf` for editing. First, read the [enabling
+notifications](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/monitor/enable-notifications.md#netdata-agent) doc
+for an example of the process using Slack, then
+click on the link to your preferred notification method to find documentation for that specific endpoint.
+
+## Improve node security
+
+While the Netdata Agent is both [open and secure by design](https://www.netdata.cloud/blog/netdata-agent-dashboard/), we
+recommend every user take some action to administer and secure their nodes.
+
+Learn more about the available options in the [security design documentation](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/netdata-security.md).
+
+## Reduce resource usage
+
+Read
+our [performance optimization guide](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/guides/configure/performance.md)
+for a long list of specific changes
+that can reduce the Netdata Agent's CPU/memory footprint and IO requirements.
+
+## Organize nodes with host labels
+
+Beginning with v1.20, Netdata accepts user-defined **host labels**. These labels are sent during streaming, exporting,
+and as metadata to Netdata Cloud, and help you organize the metrics coming from complex infrastructure. Host labels are
+defined in the section `[host labels]`.
+
+For a quick introduction, read
+the [host label guide](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/guides/using-host-labels.md).
+
+The following restrictions apply to host label names:
+
+- Names cannot start with `_`, but it can be present in other parts of the name.
+- Names only accept alphabet letters, numbers, dots, and dashes.
+
+The policy for values is more flexible, but you can not use exclamation marks (`!`), whitespaces (` `), single quotes
+(`'`), double quotes (`"`), or asterisks (`*`), because they are used to compare label values in health alerts and
+templates.