> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/kubernetes-retired/dashboard/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dashboard Settings

> Configure global Dashboard settings and UI behavior

The Kubernetes Dashboard settings control the UI behavior, default namespaces, auto-refresh intervals, and pinned resources in the navigation menu.

Settings are configured via Helm values under `app.settings` and stored in a ConfigMap named `kubernetes-dashboard-settings`.

## Global Settings

Global settings control the overall Dashboard UI behavior and defaults.

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.clusterName" type="string" default="">
  Cluster name that appears in the browser window title.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        clusterName: "Production Cluster"
  ```

  When set, the browser tab title will show the cluster name, making it easier to distinguish between multiple Dashboard instances.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.itemsPerPage" type="number" default="10">
  Maximum number of items displayed on each list page.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        itemsPerPage: 25
  ```

  Increase this value for larger displays or decrease for better performance in large clusters.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.labelsLimit" type="number" default="3">
  Maximum number of labels displayed by default on most views.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        labelsLimit: 5
  ```

  Additional labels can be viewed by expanding the labels section. This setting helps keep the UI clean when resources have many labels.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.logsAutoRefreshTimeInterval" type="number" default="5">
  Number of seconds between automatic log refreshes.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        logsAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 10
  ```

  Set to 0 to disable auto-refresh of logs.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.resourceAutoRefreshTimeInterval" type="number" default="10">
  Number of seconds between automatic resource list refreshes.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        resourceAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 15
  ```

  Set to 0 to disable auto-refresh. This can reduce API server load in large clusters.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.disableAccessDeniedNotifications" type="boolean" default="false">
  Hide access denied warnings in the notification panel.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        disableAccessDeniedNotifications: true
  ```

  Useful when users have limited permissions and frequent access denied notifications become noise.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.hideAllNamespaces" type="boolean" default="false">
  Hide the "All namespaces" option in the namespace selection dropdown.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        hideAllNamespaces: true
  ```

  **Important**: Enable this in large clusters to prevent accidental selection of all namespaces, which can cause OOM (Out Of Memory) errors.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.defaultNamespace" type="string" default="default">
  Namespace selected by default after logging in.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        defaultNamespace: kube-system
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="app.settings.global.namespaceFallbackList" type="array" default="[]">
  List of namespaces presented to users without namespace list privileges.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      global:
        namespaceFallbackList:
          - default
          - kube-system
          - kube-public
  ```

  When users don't have permission to list all namespaces, these namespaces will be available in the dropdown.
</ParamField>

## Pinned Resources

Pinned resources appear in the Dashboard's left navigation menu, providing quick access to Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs).

<ParamField path="app.settings.pinnedResources" type="array" default="[]">
  List of custom resources to pin in the navigation menu.

  ```yaml theme={null}
  app:
    settings:
      pinnedResources:
        - kind: customresourcedefinition
          name: prometheus.monitoring.coreos.com
          displayName: Prometheus
          namespaced: true
        - kind: customresourcedefinition
          name: servicemonitors.monitoring.coreos.com
          displayName: Service Monitor
          namespaced: true
        - kind: customresourcedefinition
          name: alertmanagers.monitoring.coreos.com
          displayName: Alert Manager
          namespaced: true
  ```

  Each pinned resource requires:

  * `kind`: Must be `customresourcedefinition`
  * `name`: Fully qualified name of the CRD
  * `displayName`: Name shown in the navigation menu
  * `namespaced`: Whether the CRD is namespaced
</ParamField>

## How Settings are Applied

Settings are stored in a Kubernetes ConfigMap and read by the Web module at startup. The ConfigMap structure:

```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: kubernetes-dashboard-settings
  namespace: kubernetes-dashboard
data:
  settings: '{"clusterName":"Production","itemsPerPage":20}'
  pinnedResources: '[{"kind":"customresourcedefinition","name":"..."}]'
```

The Web module reads this ConfigMap using the `--settings-config-map-name` argument (default: `kubernetes-dashboard-settings`).

## Example Configurations

### Production Cluster with Limited Permissions

```yaml theme={null}
app:
  settings:
    global:
      clusterName: "Production Cluster"
      itemsPerPage: 15
      resourceAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 30  # Reduced frequency
      hideAllNamespaces: true  # Prevent OOM in large cluster
      defaultNamespace: production
      namespaceFallbackList:
        - production
        - staging
        - default
      disableAccessDeniedNotifications: true
```

### Development Cluster with Enhanced Monitoring

```yaml theme={null}
app:
  settings:
    global:
      clusterName: "Dev Cluster"
      itemsPerPage: 50
      labelsLimit: 10
      resourceAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 5
      logsAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 3
    pinnedResources:
      - kind: customresourcedefinition
        name: prometheus.monitoring.coreos.com
        displayName: Prometheus
        namespaced: true
      - kind: customresourcedefinition
        name: servicemonitors.monitoring.coreos.com
        displayName: Service Monitors
        namespaced: true
      - kind: customresourcedefinition
        name: certificates.cert-manager.io
        displayName: Certificates
        namespaced: true
      - kind: customresourcedefinition
        name: issuers.cert-manager.io
        displayName: Issuers
        namespaced: true
```

### Large Enterprise Cluster

```yaml theme={null}
app:
  settings:
    global:
      clusterName: "Enterprise Production"
      itemsPerPage: 20
      labelsLimit: 5
      resourceAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 60  # 1 minute for large cluster
      logsAutoRefreshTimeInterval: 10
      hideAllNamespaces: true  # Critical for large clusters
      defaultNamespace: monitoring
      disableAccessDeniedNotifications: true
      namespaceFallbackList:
        - monitoring
        - production
        - staging
        - development
```

## Updating Settings at Runtime

While settings are typically configured via Helm values, you can also update the ConfigMap directly:

```bash theme={null}
# Edit the settings ConfigMap
kubectl edit configmap kubernetes-dashboard-settings -n kubernetes-dashboard

# Restart the web pods to apply changes
kubectl rollout restart deployment kubernetes-dashboard-web -n kubernetes-dashboard
```

<Warning>
  Settings changes via direct ConfigMap edits will be overwritten on the next Helm upgrade. Always update Helm values for persistent changes.
</Warning>

## Performance Considerations

### Auto-Refresh Intervals

* **Small clusters (less than 50 nodes)**: Default values work well
* **Medium clusters (50-200 nodes)**: Increase `resourceAutoRefreshTimeInterval` to 30-60 seconds
* **Large clusters (more than 200 nodes)**: Increase to 60-120 seconds and enable `hideAllNamespaces`

### Items Per Page

* Higher values reduce pagination but increase memory usage
* In large clusters, keep this at 10-20 to prevent browser performance issues

### All Namespaces Option

In clusters with many namespaces (>100) and resources (>10,000 pods), selecting "All namespaces" can:

* Cause browser Out Of Memory errors
* Overload the API server
* Make the Dashboard unresponsive

**Solution**: Set `hideAllNamespaces: true` and provide a `namespaceFallbackList`.

## Related Configuration

* [Arguments Reference](/configuration/arguments) - Web module arguments including `--system-banner`
* [Helm Values Reference](/configuration/helm-values) - Complete Helm values documentation
* [Security Configuration](/configuration/security) - RBAC and access control settings