netdata/docs/netdata-cloud/node-rule-based-room-assignment.md

Node Rule-Based Room Assignment

Organize Nodes within Rooms automatically using configurable label-based rules. This feature simplifies infrastructure management by dynamically assigning Nodes to appropriate Rooms based on their host labels, eliminating manual intervention.

Important:

• Rules work with all Rooms except the "All Nodes" Room, as it includes all Nodes by default.
• Creating and editing Rules requires Node management permissions.
• Rules are evaluated in real-time as labels change.
• Exclusion rules always override inclusion rules.

Rule Structure

The rules consist of the following elements:

Element	Description
Action	Determines whether matching Nodes will be included or excluded from the Room
Clauses	Set of conditions that determine which Nodes match the Rule (all must be satisfied - logical AND)

Each clause consists of:

Element	Description
Label	The host label to check
Value	The comparison method
Operator	The value to compare against

Below is a conceptual representation of a rule that includes all production database Nodes. The structure is shown in YAML format for clarity:

Action: Include
Clauses:
  - Label: environment
    Operator: equals
    Value: production
  - Label: service-type
    Operator: equals
    Value: database

Comparison Operators

The following operators can be used to compare label values:

Operator	Description
equals	Matches the exact value
starts_with	Matches if the value begins with the specified text
ends_with	Matches if the value ends with the specified text
contains	Matches if the text appears anywhere in the value

Rule Evaluation Order

• Exclusion rules are evaluated first
• Inclusion rules are evaluated second

In cases where both an inclusion and exclusion rule match, the exclusion rule takes precedence.

Creating Rules

1. Access Settings
   • Click ⚙️ (Room settings)
   • Select "Nodes" tab
2. Create Rule
   • Click "Add new Rule"
   • Select Action (Include/Exclude)
   • Add clause(s)
   • Save changes

Membership Status

Nodes can have multiple membership types in a Room:

Status	Description
STATIC	Manually added to the Room
RULE	Added by matching Rule(s)
STATIC and RULE	Both manual and Rule-based

You can view each Node's membership status in the Room's Nodes table under the "Membership" column.

Note

Group membership can be either STATIC or RULE—these work independently. A node can belong to groups through STATIC assignments (added manually) or through RULE assignments (matched automatically). RULEs cannot override STATIC memberships, and removing a node's STATIC membership does not affect its RULE memberships.