How to Customize Dashboardspublic

Last verified 9 Oct 2026

DigitalOcean Insights provides observability for supported resources through metrics, logs, traces, custom dashboards, and metric alerts.

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Configure dashboards with charts, queries, variables, and groups to monitor resource health and performance over a selected time range.

Note

Metrics are currently available for Droplets, Kubernetes, Managed Databases, Load Balancers, App Platform, Functions, AI/ML products, and networking services.

To access your dashboards, go to the DigitalOcean Control Panel, in the left menu, click DATA & LEARNING, click Insights, and then click the Dashboards tab.

The Dashboards tab lists your existing dashboards and provides options to create, edit, and delete dashboards.

To configure or view a dashboard, find and select the dashboard you want to use. If you have not already created one, create a dashboard.

Enable Insights During Resource Creation

After you opt in to the public preview, you can enable the available Insights telemetry from the resource creation page when you create a supported DigitalOcean resource. For Droplets and GPU Droplets, select Install the Observability agent to install the agent during resource creation.

For supported managed resources that do not require the Observability agent, the resource creation page displays the available logs and traces options directly. When creating Managed Agents resources, Insights is enabled by default.

Add a Chart

To add a chart to your dashboard, in the top bar, click + Add chart to open the Add chart window. As you configure the chart, in the top-left, the chart preview updates immediately to reflect your configurations.

Set Time Range

In the top-right corner, click the Time range dropdown menu to select the time range shown for the chart. Options range from 5 minutes through 7 days, with 1 hour selected by default. Use shorter ranges for recent activity and longer ranges for broader trends.

At the bottom of the time range menu, use the Timezone field to select the timezone used to display metric timestamps. The default is your local browser timezone.

Choose a Name

In the right panel, configure the general chart settings. In the Name field, enter a descriptive name that identifies the metric or resource the chart displays.

Add a Description

In the Description field, optionally enter additional context about the chart, such as what it measures, which resources it includes, or how to interpret the data.

Optionally, enable Hide header to hide the chart’s name and description on the chart.

Select a Chart Type

In the Chart type section, select how to visualize the metric:

Note

Each chart type has different configuration options. Configure the options for the chart type you select.

Time Series Chart

Time series displays how metric values change over time. Use a time series chart to identify trends, spikes, or other changes during the selected time range.

In the Visual section, customize how the chart displays data:

  • Click the Display dropdown menu to select Line or Bar. The default is Line.
  • In the Line Width field, enter the line thickness. The default is 1.25.
  • Click the Line Style dropdown menu to select Solid, Dashes, or Dots. The default is Solid.
  • In the Area Opacity field, enter the opacity of the area below each line. The default is 0.2.
  • Click the Show points dropdown menu to select Auto or Always. The default is Auto.
  • In the Point Radius field, enter the size of the points displayed on the line. The default is 2.75.
  • Click the Stack Series dropdown menu to select None or All. The default is None.
  • Enable the Connect Nulls toggle to connect lines across intervals with no data. This toggle is disabled by default.

In the Y-Axis section, enable or disable the Show toggle to display or hide the y-axis. This toggle is enabled by default.

When enabled, configure the y-axis using the following settings:

  • In the Label field, enter a label that describes the values shown on the y-axis.
  • Click the Format dropdown menu to select how values are displayed.
  • Enable the Short values toggle to abbreviate large values. This toggle is enabled by default.
  • Click the Decimal places dropdown menu to select Default or a value from 0 through 4. The default is Default.
  • Click the Log Scale dropdown menu to select None, 2, or 10. The default is None.
  • In the Min field, enter the minimum value displayed on the y-axis. The default is Auto.
  • In the Max field, enter the maximum value displayed on the y-axis. The default is Auto.

In the Threshold section, configure visual thresholds for the chart:

  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select Absolute or Percent.
  • In the Steps section, configure the threshold steps. Each step contains a threshold value and color.
  • Click + Add step to add another threshold. Enter the value at which the step begins, and then select the color used to represent that threshold.
  • Click Remove next to a step to delete it.

In the Legend section, enable the Show legend toggle to display the chart legend. This toggle is disabled by default. When enabled, configure the legend using the following settings:

  • Click the Position dropdown menu to select Bottom or Right. The default is Bottom.
  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select List or Table. The default is List.
  • If you select Table, use the Legend columns field to select the values displayed in the table, such as the mean or minimum value.

In the Query Settings section, customize the appearance of individual queries. For each query, enable the Use custom settings toggle to override the chart’s default display settings for that query. This toggle is disabled by default.

When enabled, configure the following:

  • Click the Scale dropdown menu to select Linear or Logarithmic. The default is Linear.
  • Click the Units dropdown menu to select how values for the query are displayed.
  • Enable the Short values toggle to abbreviate large values. This toggle is enabled by default.
  • Click the Decimal places dropdown menu to select Default or a value from 0 through 4. The default is Default.
  • Click the Color mode dropdown menu to select Fixed or Fixed Single. The default is Fixed.
  • Click the Color field to select the color used for the query.
  • Click the Line Style dropdown menu to select Solid, Dashes, or Dots. The default is Solid.
  • In the Area Opacity field, enter the opacity of the area below the query line. The default is 0.15.
Stat Chart

Stat displays a single calculated value. Use a stat chart to highlight a current value or summary, such as average CPU utilization.

Note

Stat charts do not support configuring query settings separately for each query.

In the Data & Formatting section, configure how the stat value is calculated and displayed:

  • Click the Format dropdown menu to select how values are displayed.
  • Click the Decimal places dropdown menu to select Default or a value from 0 through 4. The default is Default.
  • Click the Calculation dropdown menu to select how the displayed value is calculated.

In the Visual style section, configure how the stat chart appears:

  • Click the Color mode dropdown menu, and then select None, Text, or Background. The default is Text.
  • Click the Font size dropdown menu, and then select Auto, 18px, 24px, 32px, 48px, or 56px. The default is Auto.
  • Enable Sparkline to display a small trend line for the metric behind the stat value. This is enabled by default.

In the Legend section, click the Legend mode dropdown menu to select how to configure the chart legend:

  • Auto displays the legend for multiple series and hides it for a single series. This is the default.
  • On always displays the legend.
  • Off always hides the legend.

In the Threshold section, configure visual thresholds for the stat value:

  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select Absolute or Percent.
  • Click the Default color field to select the color used for values below the first configured threshold.
  • In the Steps section, configure the threshold steps. Each step contains a threshold value and color.
  • Click + Add step to add another threshold. Enter the value at which the step begins, and then select the color used to represent that threshold.
  • Click Remove next to a step to delete it.
Gauge Chart

Gauge displays a value relative to a defined range or thresholds. Use a gauge to quickly determine whether a metric is within an expected range.

Note

Gauge charts do not support configuring query settings separately for each query.

In the Data & Formatting section, configure how the gauge value is calculated and displayed:

  • Click the Format dropdown menu to select how values are displayed.
  • Click the Decimal places dropdown menu to select Default or a value from 0 through 4. The default is Default.
  • Click the Calculation dropdown menu to select how the displayed value is calculated.
  • In the Max Value field, enter the maximum value represented by the gauge. The default is Auto.

In the Threshold section, configure visual thresholds for the gauge value:

  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select Absolute or Percent.
  • Click the Default color field to select the color used for values below the first configured threshold.
  • In the Steps section, configure the threshold steps. Each step contains a threshold value and color.
  • Click + Add step to add another threshold. Enter the value at which the step begins, and then select the color used to represent that threshold.
  • Click Remove next to a step to delete it.

In the Legend section, enable the Show legend toggle to display the chart legend. This toggle is disabled by default.

Bar Chart

Bar chart displays metric values as bars. Use a bar chart to compare values across resources or groups.

Note

Bar charts do not support configuring query settings separately for each query.

In the Data & Formatting section, configure how the bar chart values are calculated and displayed:

  • Click the Format dropdown menu to select how values are displayed.
  • Click the Decimal places dropdown menu to select Default or a value from 0 through 4. The default is Default.
  • Click the Calculation dropdown menu to select how the displayed value is calculated.
  • Click the Sort dropdown menu to select Ascending or Descending. The default is Descending.
  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select Value or Percentage. The default is Value.
  • Click the Orientation dropdown menu to select Horizontal or Vertical. The default is Horizontal.
Pie Chart

Pie chart displays metric values as portions of a whole. Use a pie chart to compare the relative proportions of values across resources or groups.

Note

Pie charts do not support configuring query settings separately for each query.

In the Data & Formatting section, configure how the pie chart values are calculated and displayed:

  • Click the Calculation dropdown menu to select how the displayed value is calculated.
  • Click the Format dropdown menu to select how values are displayed.
  • Enable the Short values toggle to abbreviate large values. This toggle is enabled by default.
  • Click the Decimal places dropdown menu to select Default or a value from 0 through 4. The default is Default.
  • Click the Sort dropdown menu to select Ascending or Descending. The default is Descending.
  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select Value or Percentage. The default is Value.
  • Enable the Show labels toggle to display labels on the pie chart. This toggle is disabled by default.

In the Legend section, enable the Show legend toggle to display the chart legend. This toggle is enabled by default. When enabled, configure the legend using the following settings:

  • Click the Position dropdown menu to select Bottom or Right. The default is Right.
  • Click the Mode dropdown menu to select List or Table. The default is List.
  • If you select Table, use the Legend columns field to select the values displayed in the table, such as the mean or minimum value.
Log Table Chart

Log table displays log data in a table. Use a log table to review individual log entries and their associated fields.

In the Limits section, to configure how many log entries the table displays, in the Max log entries field, enter the maximum number of log entries to display. The default is 500.

In the bottom-left, in the Table Settings section, configure which log entries appear in the table and which columns are displayed.

In the Filters section, click + Add filter to configure which log entries appear in the table. Then, configure the filter using the following settings:

  • In the Label field, enter the field or attribute you want to filter by.
  • Click the Operator dropdown menu to select =, in, >, >=, <, or <=.
  • In the Value field, enter the value to compare against.
  • To remove a filter, click the trash icon next to it. To delete all filters, click Clear all.

In the Columns section, click the checkboxes to show or hide the Body, Timestamp, and Severity columns.

Note

You cannot reorder the Timestamp column.

Markdown Chart

Markdown displays formatted text on the dashboard. Use a Markdown chart to add descriptions, instructions, links, or other contextual information.

In the bottom-left, use the Markdown text field to enter content using Markdown syntax. For example:

## Production API

Monitor the health of the production environment and review related metrics before deploying changes.

The chart preview displays the rendered Markdown as you configure the chart.

For more information about Markdown syntax, see the Markdown Guide.

Configure a Query

For metric chart types, the bottom-left panel contains the chart’s queries. Each metric chart must contain at least one query. A query determines which metric data the chart retrieves and how that data is filtered, calculated, aggregated, and grouped.

Note

Log table and Markdown charts do not use metric queries.

In the Mode section, select one of the following:

  • Visual builder lets you construct a metric query using Control Panel fields and controls without writing PromQL.
  • PromQL lets you write the query directly using Prometheus Query Language (PromQL).

In the Visual builder tab, you can build a metric query by selecting a metric, applying filters, and configuring aggregation and grouping options.

In the Metric field, enter or select the metric you want to query. To change the selected metric, click x next to it, and then select another metric.

In the Filters section, click + Filter to filter the metric by label values.

In the Calculate over section, select the time window used for the calculation: 1m, 2m, 5m, or 10m. The default is 5m.

In the Aggregate as section, select None, sum, avg, min, or max. The default is sum.

In the Group by section, click + Group by, and then enter or select a label, such as __resource_type__. To remove a label, click x next to it. To remove all groups, click Clear all.

In the Legend field, enter the text displayed for the query in the chart legend and tooltip. Use {{label_name}} to interpolate label values. For example, {{__resource_type__}}.

The PromQL Preview field displays the PromQL generated from your Visual builder configuration. This field is read-only. For example:

sum by (__resource_type__)(
  increase({
    __name__="do.droplets.cpu.utilization",
    __resource_type__!="standard"
  }[5m])
)

Use the PromQL tab when you want to write the metric query directly instead of using the Visual builder.

PromQL, or Prometheus Query Language, is a query language for selecting and calculating time-series data. You can use it to filter metrics by labels, aggregate series, perform calculations over time ranges, and combine metric data.

In the PromQL field, enter a valid PromQL expression. For information about PromQL syntax and query expressions, see the Prometheus querying documentation.

In the Legend field, enter the text displayed for the query in the chart legend and tooltip. Use {{label_name}} to interpolate label values. For example, {{__resource_type__}}.

To manage the chart’s queries, you can add new queries, configure existing queries, or remove queries you no longer need:

  • Click Clone query to create a copy of the current query. Use this when you want to create a similar query and modify only some of its settings.
  • To add another query, click + next to the existing query tabs.
  • Click Delete query to remove the selected query.

In the Links section, add links to related resources, dashboards, or other destinations.

To add a link, click + Add link, and then in the URL field, enter the destination URL.

In the Name (optional) field, enter a name for the link.

In the Tooltip (optional) field, enter the text displayed when users hover over the link, such as “View resource details”.

Then, select the Open in new tab checkbox if you want to open the destination in a new browser tab.

Then, select the Render variables in URL checkbox if you want to replace variables in the URL with their current dashboard values.

If needed, click Remove link to delete the link.

Finalize

After creating a chart, click Add chart, and then you can reorder, resize, or copy it. To delete a chart, click the trash icon in the chart’s top-right corner.

After organizing the chart within its group, click Save in the dashboard’s top bar. If the dashboard contains chart groups, new charts appear in the first group at the top of the dashboard by default.

Set Up and Group Charts

Optionally, organize related charts into groups to make larger dashboards easier to navigate. For example, you can create separate groups for compute, database, and network metrics.

Add a Group

To add a group to your dashboard, in the dashboard’s top bar, click Add group.

Choose a Name

To update the name, in the New group section, click … on the right, and then click Edit to open the Edit group name window.

In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the group, such as “Compute Metrics”.

Then, click Save.

Add a Chart to the Group

To add a chart to the group, click + Add chart on the right side of the group, and then add a new chart.

Manage a Group

To manage a group, click … on the right side of the group, and then select one of the following:

  • Click Clone to create a copy of the group and its charts.
  • Click Delete to delete the group.

After configuring your group, click Save in the dashboard’s top bar.

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