# Instances

## What is an Instance?

An instance is a running UMH Core container - a single Docker container that hosts your entire Unified Namespace. Each instance is identified by its location path (like `enterprise.site.area.line`) which determines where data is organized in your industrial data infrastructure.

## Instance Overview Page

![Instance Overview](https://3966587046-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPQ7UY9eT1SiICDqYFZdA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-ec30c3474ace0adbdab0080868120a61efc65f2f%2Finstance-overview.png?alt=media)

The instance overview shows all your UMH instances at a glance:

* **Instance Name**: Your chosen identifier for the instance
* **Type**:
  * **Core**: Single container deployment (UMH Core)
  * **Classic**: Kubernetes-based deployment (legacy)
* **Version**: Container version identifier (e.g., `9e22396`)
* **Data Flows**: Number of configured bridges and stand-alone flows
* **Topics**: Total data points in your Unified Namespace
* **Latency**: Network response time in milliseconds
* **Throughput**: Messages per second flowing through the system

**Status indicators:**

* Green dot: Instance is online and reachable
* Gray dot: Instance is offline or unreachable

**Quick actions:** Click the context menu (⋮) on any instance for:

* Instance Details
* Config File
* Delete

## Instance Details Page

![Instance Details](https://3966587046-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPQ7UY9eT1SiICDqYFZdA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b0af1a9961fd555792b453666d44bf99fd20faa6%2Finstance-detail.png?alt=media)

The instance details page provides comprehensive monitoring and management:

### Agent Panel

* **Name**: Instance identifier (e.g., `sk-core-hetzner`)
* **Location path**: Your organizational structure
  * Level 0: Enterprise (required)
  * Level 1-4: Site, Area, Line, etc. (optional)
* **Latency**: Connection health indicator (N/A when healthy)
* **Logs button**: Access S6 system logs for diagnostics

### Container Panel

Real-time resource monitoring:

* **CPU**: Usage percentage of available cores
* **Memory**: Usage of available RAM (GiB)
* **Disk**: Storage usage (GiB)
* **Architecture**: System architecture (e.g., `amd64`)
* **Hardware ID**: Unique container identifier

### Data Flows Panel

Bridge and flow status breakdown based on [state machines](https://docs.umh.app/reference/state-machines):

* **Active**: Currently processing data (messages flowing)
* **Neutral**: Includes:
  * `idle`: Healthy but no data for 30+ seconds
  * `stopped`: Intentionally disabled
  * `starting`: Initialization in progress
  * Various transition states

Example states:

* `starting_dfc (port is open)`: Connection verified, waiting for Benthos initialization
* `starting: stopping: stopping`: Complex state transition in progress

**Bridges count**: Total configured with active/neutral breakdown

### Redpanda Panel

The message broker powering your [Unified Namespace](https://docs.umh.app/usage/unified-namespace):

* **Incoming Throughput**: Data rate into the broker (KiB/s)
* **Outgoing Throughput**: Data rate from the broker (KiB/s)
* **Logs/Metrics buttons**: Direct access to Redpanda diagnostics

### Topic Browser Panel

* **Topics count**: Total number of data topics
* Quick access to the [Topic Browser](https://docs.umh.app/usage/unified-namespace/topic-browser) for data exploration

### Release Panel

Version information for support and updates:

* **Version**: Full semantic version (e.g., `v0.43.4`)
* **Channel**: Release channel (`stable`, `beta`, etc.)
* **Software versions**: Individual component versions (S6 Overlay, Benthos, Redpanda)

## Next Steps

* **Configure your instance**: [Edit the config file](https://docs.umh.app/usage/instances/config-file)
* **Connect devices**: [Create bridges](https://docs.umh.app/usage/data-flows/bridges)
* **View your data**: [Topic Browser](https://docs.umh.app/usage/unified-namespace/topic-browser)
* **Understand states**: [State Machines reference](https://docs.umh.app/reference/state-machines)