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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pixeltable.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The Pixeltable dashboard is a local web UI for exploring your data. It starts automatically when you use Pixeltable and runs at http://localhost:22089. No extra install is needed. The dashboard ships inside the pixeltable package.

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Opening the dashboard

The dashboard server launches in the background the first time your script or notebook calls any Pixeltable API. To open it in a browser explicitly: 
import pixeltable as pxt

pxt.dashboard.serve()            # opens http://localhost:22089 in your default browser
pxt.dashboard.serve(open_browser=False)  # start the server without opening a browser
The dashboard binds to 127.0.0.1 only and is not accessible from other machines on the network. For remote access to tables and queries, see HTTP Serving.

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What you can do

The dashboard is a read-only inspector. You browse and debug your data visually; all mutations (inserts, schema changes, etc.) happen through the Python SDK or CLI.

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Browse the catalog

The left sidebar shows your full directory tree: directories, tables, views, and snapshots. Each entry displays its kind and error count. Click any table to open it, or click a directory to see a summary with aggregate stats and a list of child tables. A global search panel (Cmd/Ctrl + K) lets you find directories, tables, and columns by name.

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Inspect table data

The main table view has three tabs:
  • Data - paginated rows with typed columns, sortable by indexed columns, with configurable page sizes. Cells render inline previews for images, video, audio, and documents.
  • Lineage - shows the table’s position in the pipeline: its base table, derived views, and column-level dependency graphs.
  • History - version list with change types (inserts, updates, deletes) and timestamps.
Above the data grid, a collapsible Schema panel shows every column with its type, whether it is computed (with the Python expression), stored vs. unstored, and any embedding indexes.

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Filter and search rows

A filter panel lets you narrow down the current page:
  • Free-text search across all columns (debounced)
  • Faceted filters: text contains, numeric ranges, datetime ranges, boolean/enum checklists
  • Errors-only mode: server-side filter that shows only rows with computation errors, useful for debugging failed computed columns

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Preview media

Images and videos render inline in the data grid. Click any media cell to open a lightbox with keyboard navigation (arrow keys for prev/next). For image-heavy tables, a gallery view displays thumbnails in a grid with a detail overlay per row.

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Explore the pipeline

The Lineage page (accessible from the sidebar) shows a full-instance pipeline graph built with React Flow. Every table and view appears as a node, with edges showing relationships (base table, iterator, query dependencies). Click any node to open a detail drawer with:
  • Row count and version info
  • Column breakdown (insertable, computed, stored)
  • Embedding index definitions
  • Computed column expressions with dependency graphs
  • Version history
A Find table search on the canvas lets you jump to any node and fit it into view.

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Export data

Download the current table as CSV (up to 100,000 rows) from the table view.

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Copy SDK snippets

The table view includes a Copy button that generates the Python SDK code for opening the current table, making it easy to switch from visual inspection to scripted work.

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Configuration

SettingDefaultEnvironment variableDescription
start_dashboardtruePIXELTABLE_START_DASHBOARDSet to false to prevent auto-start
dashboard_port22089PIXELTABLE_DASHBOARD_PORTPort the dashboard listens on
You can also set these in your Pixeltable config file: 
[pixeltable]
start_dashboard = false
dashboard_port = 3000

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Keyboard shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Cmd/Ctrl + KOpen global search
Cmd/Ctrl + FFocus in-table row filter
EscClose search, modals, or lightbox
Arrow keysNavigate media in lightbox

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Troubleshooting

Port already in use: If another process occupies port 22089, set a different port via PIXELTABLE_DASHBOARD_PORT=3000 or the config file. The dashboard detects port conflicts and prints the alternative in the console. Dashboard not starting: Verify the dashboard is not explicitly disabled: 
import pixeltable as pxt
pxt.dashboard.serve()  # force-start and open browser
Static files missing: The React app ships as pre-built static files inside the pixeltable package. If you installed from source, ensure the dashboard was built (npm run build in the dashboard/ directory).
Last modified on May 17, 2026