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The Canisters page in the DFX Dashboard provides a centralized interface for viewing and managing all your canisters across different projects, including both user canisters and Network Nervous System (NNS) canisters. This powerful tool allows you to interact with and monitor your Internet Computer canisters efficiently with full dfx 0.25.0 compatibility.

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Overview

Canisters Overview The Canisters page displays:

Unified Table

A unified table listing all user and NNS canisters from all your projects

Advanced Filtering

Advanced filtering options to find specific canisters by type, network, or search terms

Visual Indicators

Visual indicators to distinguish between user and NNS canisters

Canister Actions

Direct access to canister management and interaction tools

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Canister Types

The dashboard supports two types of canisters:
  • User Canisters
  • NNS Canisters

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User Canisters

Your Deployed Canisters

  • Canisters deployed by you in your projects
  • Full management capabilities available
  • Complete control over lifecycle and configuration
  • Interactive command interface for all operations

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Advanced Filtering

Efficiently manage large numbers of canisters with powerful filtering:
Real-time search by canister name or canister ID - results update as you type
  • All Canisters: Show both user and NNS canisters
  • User Canisters: Show only your deployed canisters
  • NNS Canisters: Show only Network Nervous System canisters
  • All Networks: Show canisters from all networks
  • Local: Canisters on your local dfx network
  • IC: Canisters on the Internet Computer mainnet

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Canister List Table

The table displays essential canister information:
1

Canister Name

Canister name with NNS badge for Network Nervous System canisters
2

Type

“User”, “Network Nervous System”, or other canister types
3

Project Name

Project association (clickable for user canisters, “Network Nervous System” for NNS)
4

Action

“Canister Actions” button leading to the detail page
Click column headers to sort canisters by name, type, or project for easier management across multiple networks.

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Canister Detail Pages

Click any canister to access comprehensive management tools with two main tabs:
  • User Canisters
  • NNS Canisters

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User Canister Detail View

User Canister DetailInterface:
  • Methods Tab: Interactive command interface for canister operations
  • Metadata Tab: Comprehensive canister metadata and configuration
Management Actions:
  • Top Up, Status, Config, Remove buttons in header
  • Full control over canister lifecycle

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Canister Actions

Comprehensive management capabilities for user canisters:

Top Up

Add cycles to keep the canister running

Status

View current status, cycle balance, and health metrics

Config

View and edit canister configuration

Remove

Delete canister (irreversible - use with caution)
The “Remove” action permanently deletes the canister and all associated data. Always ensure you have backups before proceeding.

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Command Interface (dfx 0.25.0)

The Methods tab provides direct access to dfx commands with full 0.25.0 compatibility:

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Key Features

Updated Commands

All dfx 0.25.0 commands with latest options

Dynamic Interface

Command-specific options appear automatically

Direct Execution

Execute commands directly from the dashboard

Real-time Output

View command results immediately

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Available Commands

dfx canister call
dfx canister create
dfx canister delete
dfx canister status
dfx canister install

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Command Execution

Command Output After execution, view:
  • Executed Command: Exact command with timestamp
  • Output: Command results and data
  • Errors: Detailed error messages if command fails

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Canister Status & Configuration

  • Status Information
  • Configuration
Canister StatusStatus Details:
  • Controller information and permissions
  • Runtime status (Running, Stopped)
  • Cycle balance and memory usage
  • Performance metrics

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Best Practices

  • Use filtering to quickly locate specific canisters
  • Monitor cycle balances regularly
  • Use descriptive naming conventions
  • Leverage NNS canisters for network monitoring
  • Use query interfaces for governance insights
  • Monitor system canister health
  • Backup critical data before major changes
  • Test commands in development environments first
  • Keep dfx version at 0.25.0 or newer

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Troubleshooting

Not responding: Check status, cycles, and network connectivity Command failures: Review output for error details and verify parameters
Can’t find canisters: Clear filters and search terms, verify correct type/network selection
NNS errors: Ensure query-only operations and verify network connectivity

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Additional Resources

IC Canister Development

Complete canister development guide

DFX Commands Reference

Official dfx canister command documentation

Cycles & Computation

Understanding cycles and costs

Network Nervous System

NNS documentation and governance
Ready to manage your digital identities? Continue to the Identities & Ledger page to learn about identity management and ICP operations.
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