Quick Start Guide
Get up and running with DFX Dashboard in minutes - Essential features and workflows for Internet Computer development
Welcome to the DFX Dashboard, your all-in-one tool for managing Internet Computer projects with full dfx 0.25.0 compatibility. This guide will walk you through the essential features to help you start developing quickly and efficiently with our latest v0.3.0 enhancements.
Prerequisites
Before diving into the features, ensure you have the DFX Dashboard installed on your system. For detailed installation instructions, please refer to our Installation Guide.
Make sure you have DFX Dashboard v0.3.0 or later installed to access all features including wallet management, ledger operations, cache management, NNS canister support, advanced filtering, and shell completion.
Dashboard Overview
Upon launching the DFX Dashboard, you’ll see a sidebar with the following main sections:
Projects
Unified project management
Canisters
User and NNS canister management with advanced filtering
Identities & Ledger
Identity management with integrated ICP operations
Wallet
Comprehensive wallet management with controllers and custodians
Cycles
Professional cycle operations with tabbed interface
Network
Network configuration management
Logs
Command history and execution logs
Settings & Cache
Environment configuration, shell completion, and cache management
The top right corner shows your active identity and provides options for refreshing, closing, and adjusting display settings.
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the layout. The sidebar is your main navigation tool for accessing different features of the Dashboard.
Getting Started Workflow
Configure Your Environment
Start by setting up your development environment and shell completion.
Settings, Shell Completion, and Cache Management
- Navigate to the Settings & Cache page
- General Tab: Choose between bundled DFX (v0.25.0) and system DFX
- Shell Completion Tab: Set up shell completion for enhanced command-line productivity:
- The dashboard automatically detects your shell (bash, zsh, fish)
- Use one-click setup for supported shells
- Copy manual setup commands for unsupported shells
- Cache Tab: Manage your DFX version installations:
- View all installed DFX versions
- Install new versions or remove unused ones
- Monitor cache size and clear when needed
- Configure important environment variables like
CANISTER_CANDID_PATHandDFX_VERSION
Enable shell completion to get tab completion for dfx commands, options, and canister names in your terminal.
Ensure you understand the implications of changing environment variables, as they can affect your project’s functionality.
Create or Import a Project
Set up your first Internet Computer project.
Managing Projects
- Go to the Projects page
- Click Create New Project to start a new Internet Computer project
- Fill in the project details:
- Project name
- Project path
- Frontend type (e.g., React, Vue)
- Canister type (e.g., Motoko, Rust)
- Use the Open With button to launch your project in your preferred code editor
Use descriptive names for your projects to easily identify them in the dashboard and leverage the enhanced filtering capabilities.
Manage Identities and ICP
Set up your digital identities and handle ICP operations.
Identities and Ledger Operations
- Visit the Identities & Ledger page
- Identities Tab: Manage your digital identities:
- Click Create New Identity to add a new identity
- Choose between creating a new identity, importing an existing one, or using Internet Identity
- Use the Select button to set an active identity for your operations
- Ledger Tab: Handle ICP operations with three sub-tabs:
- Account Management: View balances and convert principals to account IDs
- ICP Operations: Transfer ICP, create canisters, top-up operations, and fabricate cycles
- Transaction History: Monitor and track all your ICP transactions
Use different identities for development and production environments to enhance security. The integrated ledger functionality allows you to manage ICP directly from the identity page.
Deploy and Manage Canisters
Work with both user and NNS canisters using advanced filtering.
Working with Canisters (Enhanced with NNS Support)
- Navigate to the Canisters page to view all canisters across your projects
- Use advanced filtering to manage large numbers of canisters:
- Filter by type: All, User, or NNS canisters
- Filter by network: Local, IC, or custom networks
- Search by name, ID, or project
- Explore NNS canisters for network-level operations:
- View governance, ledger, and other system canisters
- Use specialized NNS query interfaces
- Access read-only operations for safety
- Use the Canister Actions button to:
- View comprehensive metadata
- Check canister status
- Top up with cycles
- Access method calling interfaces
- Utilize the command interface for advanced canister operations with dfx 0.25.0 compatibility
Use the filtering options to quickly find specific canisters in large deployments, and explore NNS canisters to understand network-level operations.
Be cautious when performing actions like stopping or deleting canisters, as these can affect your application’s functionality. NNS canisters are read-only for safety.
Advanced Features
Comprehensive Wallet Operations
Navigate to the Wallet page for complete wallet operations:
Be very careful when managing controllers and custodians. Always verify addresses before transfers and maintain secure backups of wallet credentials.
Comprehensive Wallet Operations
Navigate to the Wallet page for complete wallet operations:
Be very careful when managing controllers and custodians. Always verify addresses before transfers and maintain secure backups of wallet credentials.
Professional Cycle Operations
On the Cycles page, explore the new tabbed interface:
Use subaccounts to organize cycles for different projects or purposes, and leverage cycle approvals for automated systems.
Always double-check recipient addresses and amounts when transferring cycles, as these transactions cannot be reversed.
Network Configuration and Monitoring
Configure Networks:
- Access the Network page to view and edit your
networks.jsonconfiguration - Modify the JSON directly in the editor to add or change network settings
- Define custom networks for different development stages or environments
Review Logs:
- Check the Logs page for a history of commands executed in the Dashboard
- Use the action buttons to:
- View command outputs
- Re-execute commands
- Copy command text
Use descriptive names for custom networks to easily identify their purpose within the Dashboard and leverage network filtering in the canisters page.
Best Practices
Security
- Use different identities for development and production
- Regularly backup your wallet credentials
- Verify addresses before making transfers
- Keep your dfx version updated
Organization
- Use descriptive project and canister names
- Leverage filtering to manage large deployments
- Organize cycles using subaccounts
- Maintain an address book for frequent contacts
Development
- Enable shell completion for better CLI experience
- Use the bundled dfx for consistency
- Monitor logs for troubleshooting
- Test on local networks before mainnet deployment
Monitoring
- Regularly check canister status and cycles
- Monitor transaction history
- Use the logs page for debugging
- Keep track of wallet balances
Next Steps
Explore Features
Dive deeper into each feature
Join Community
Connect with other developers
Report Issues
Help improve the dashboard
This quick start guide covers the essential workflows. For detailed information about each feature, explore the individual feature documentation pages.