# Object quick view

From a host in the target list to its key metrics in one click.

Last reviewed 2026-10-10

Where this page ends: metrics for a few selected hosts without having to work out the query first, and "the hosts and metrics I check every morning" saved as a view you just reopen.

## Two routes, pick one[​](#two-routes-pick-one "Direct link to Two routes, pick one")

| What you want                                     | Route                                                     |
| ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Look at a few hosts once and move on              | Tick rows on the host list, click the icon in the toolbar |
| Look at the same hosts and the same metrics daily | Quick view — configure it once and save it                |

Both read the same [built-in metric catalogue](https://n9e.github.io/docs/query/built-in-views.md); they differ in where you enter and whether the selection is saved.

## 1. One click from the host list[​](#1-one-click-from-the-host-list "Direct link to 1. One click from the host list")

**Infrastructure → Hosts** (`/targets`), tick one or more hosts. The last button in the toolbar is icon-only; hovering it shows "View monitoring metrics of selected hosts". It stays disabled until at least one row is ticked.

It opens a full-width drawer titled **Built-in metrics**: the catalogue on the left, **already filtered to the hosts you ticked**, and a chart on the right when you click a metric.

Expected result: tick `n9e-web-01`, click `cpu_usage_idle`, and you get that host's line — not every host in the environment.

**It does not navigate and has no URL of its own**; closing the drawer returns you to the host list. So it is for a look, not for keeping. To keep it, see the next section.

## 2. Quick view: save the set you keep coming back to[​](#2-quick-view-save-the-set-you-keep-coming-back-to "Direct link to 2. Quick view: save the set you keep coming back to")

**Explorer → Metrics → Quick view** (`/object/explorer`).

![Quick view](https://n9e.github.io/img/docs/query/object-explorer.webp)![Quick view](https://n9e.github.io/img/docs/query/object-explorer.dark.webp)

**Pick a data source at the top right first.** Without one, all three columns are empty — which is the most common reason the page "looks blank", and it is not a data problem.

Each column does one job:

| Column  | What it does                                                                                                                                                         |
| ------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| List    | The existing views. **+** at the top right creates one; a view marked **Public** is usable by others                                                                 |
| Filters | Lists every value of the dimension the view defines (`ident` in the screenshot); tick a few to look at only those. **Select all** and **Clear** sit at the top right |
| Metrics | Categories across the top, derived from the metric-name prefix (all / cpu / disk / mem / net / processes / system…); click a metric name to chart it below           |

Below the chart area: the time range, **Max data points**, **Min step** and **Clear**. Charts also accept a function, an offset comparison, an aggregation and its grouping labels.

## 3. Create your own quick view[​](#3-create-your-own-quick-view "Direct link to 3. Create your own quick view")

Click **+** at the top of the **List** column:

| Field                | What to put in it                                                                                                      |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Name                 |                                                                                                                        |
| Public               | Turn on to let others use this view                                                                                    |
| Filters              | Fixed label conditions, e.g. keeping only one set of hosts                                                             |
| Dynamic labels       | Labels that can be chosen on the page itself                                                                           |
| Dimension labels     | **Required.** The middle column lists the values of this label; for hosts, use `ident`                                 |
| Ignore metric prefix | The categories on the right come from the metric-name prefix. Setting `monitor_` files `monitor_cpu_usage` under `cpu` |

**Preview** before saving; if the preview shows no values, fix the filters rather than saving. The list also exports a view's config JSON and imports one back.

## What it stores, and what it does not[​](#what-it-stores-and-what-it-does-not "Direct link to What it stores, and what it does not")

* It stores **filters and dimensions**, not a fixed set of charts. Everything is picked and drawn on the spot, which is also why it is not a wall display;
* It only accepts **Prometheus-type** data sources;
* For a fixed layout, for sharing outside, or for embedding elsewhere, use a dashboard — see [Build a dashboard](https://n9e.github.io/docs/query/dashboards.md).

## Next[​](#next "Direct link to Next")

* Maintaining what is in the catalogue: [Built-in metric views](https://n9e.github.io/docs/query/built-in-views.md)
* How hosts get into the list: [Targets and heartbeat](https://n9e.github.io/docs/data/categraf/targets.md)
* Charts you want to keep: [Build a dashboard](https://n9e.github.io/docs/query/dashboards.md)