Important Changes to the Netdata Agent Dashboard

General
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Important Notice: These changes ONLY impact users of the Netdata Agent Dashboard not connected to Netdata Cloud.

Dear Netdata Community,

We are writing to inform you of upcoming changes to the Netdata Agent Dashboard, which will take effect in the coming weeks. This change impacts users from the soon to be released Netdata v2.0 onwards (and also on the Netdata v1.46 nightly a few days before the Netdata v2.0 release).

Currently, the Open-Source Netdata Agents allow unauthorized and unlimited Agent dashboard access. From Netdata v2.0 onwards, all Netdata Dashboards (Agent and Cloud) will offer exactly the same functionality under the same policy. Netdata Agent Dashboard will use Netdata Cloud as an SSO provider, ensuring all dashboard access is authenticated and validated by Netdata Cloud.

Changes to Netdata Agent Dashboard

  1. Netdata V3 Dashboards: The new V3 dashboards will become the default Agent and Cloud dashboard and will require users to sign in.
  2. Fallback to Netdata V2 Dashboards: Users will have the option to fallback to unauthenticated Netdata V2 dashboards.
  3. Deprecation of old Dashboards: The Netdata V0 and V1 dashboards will be deprecated and no longer be compatible with the Netdata Agent API.
  4. Community Plan Limits: All Netdata Agent dashboards will be subject to the Community Plan limitation of a maximum of 5 active nodes monitored at a time.

Why Are We Making These Changes?

We understand that these updates represent a significant shift in how you access and use the Netdata Agent Dashboard. Here are the main reasons driving these changes:

  1. Improved Security: To better protect your data and ensure that all access is authenticated, we are integrating Netdata Cloud Single Sign-On (SSO) as a requirement for all dashboard access and further provide a fully secure (TLS based) solution in the next releases.
  2. Unified Experience: We aim to provide a seamless and consistent experience across all Netdata platforms. By linking the Agent Dashboard with Netdata Cloud and automated claiming, we aim to provide enhanced features and capabilities that can better support your monitoring needs, especially as your infrastructure grows. Netdata Cloud offers many more features that you haven’t been able to experience as an OSS user like logs, functions, processes and more.
  3. Offering Enterprise Grade Monitoring for Air-gapped environments of all sizes - For large deployments Netdata Cloud On-Prem has offered a way for full-featured monitoring of air-gapped environments, but for smaller deployments this was not the most viable option. Netdata agent installations of any size can now avail of the full feature set of Netdata using an enterprise license.
  4. Maintenance Overheads: As our technology evolves, we need to retire older versions of our dashboards to support new features and improvements. This modernization allows us to introduce innovative functionalities and maintain a high standard of performance.

Have no fear of our Cloud offering: Due to Netdata’s unique distributed architecture, none of your metrics data are stored on our cloud; they will always be stored on your premises

Plans to Suit Every Monitoring Need

Whatever your use-case or requirement, Netdata has the right plan for you.

  1. Business: Make the most out of Netdata Cloud. Netdata Business is the most cost-effective, comprehensive real-time monitoring solution available. Get access to the full feature set, including Enterprise SSO, RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), Unlimited Custom Dashboards, Centralized Configurations, Mobile App, and more.
  2. Enterprise/Self-Hosted: For those with stringent security and privacy regulations requiring complete data isolation. Self-host Netdata Cloud and access all Netdata Business features fully hosted on your own premises.
  3. Enterprise Agent with License Manager (NEW): For those who want to have an enterprise grade solution for monitoring fully air-gapped solutions using a license manager and having an on-prem monitoring solution.
  4. Homelab: Perfect for home setups and students. Get access to all the features you need to effectively monitor your homelab. Priced at less than a beer per month, this plan is governed by a fair usage policy.
  5. Community: For basic monitoring needs. Monitor up to 5 nodes at the same time for free with Netdata Community or with streaming and Netdata Parent Agent Dashboards.

For any questions or concerns, please email us at info@netdata.cloud.

Best regards,
The Netdata Team