> ## 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.

# Local Dashboard

> Browse Pixeltable tables, inspect pipelines, preview multimedia, and debug computed columns from a local web dashboard that starts automatically.

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](http://localhost:22089).

No extra install is needed. The dashboard ships inside the `pixeltable` package.

## 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:

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"light-plus","dark":"dark-plus"}}
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
```

<Info>
  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](/howto/deployment/serving).
</Info>

## 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](/platform/cli).

### 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.

### 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.

### 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

### 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.

### 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.

### Export data

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

### 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.

## Configuration

| Setting           | Default | Environment variable         | Description                          |
| ----------------- | ------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `start_dashboard` | `true`  | `PIXELTABLE_START_DASHBOARD` | Set to `false` to prevent auto-start |
| `dashboard_port`  | `22089` | `PIXELTABLE_DASHBOARD_PORT`  | Port the dashboard listens on        |

You can also set these in your [Pixeltable config file](/platform/configuration):

```toml theme={"theme":{"light":"light-plus","dark":"dark-plus"}}
[pixeltable]
start_dashboard = false
dashboard_port = 3000
```

## Keyboard shortcuts

| Shortcut         | Action                            |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Cmd/Ctrl + K** | Open global search                |
| **Cmd/Ctrl + F** | Focus in-table row filter         |
| **Esc**          | Close search, modals, or lightbox |
| **Arrow keys**   | Navigate media in lightbox        |

## 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:

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"light-plus","dark":"dark-plus"}}
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).