> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.carto.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.carto.com/carto-self-hosted/operations/licensing-and-admin/kots-admin-console.md).

# Kots Admin Console

## Overview

The Kots Admin Console is a web UI that lets you configure, deploy, and manage your CARTO Self-Hosted installation without editing YAML files directly. It is available for both the Standard Orchestrated container deployment and the Single Virtual Machine deployment (both managed with Kots).

**Accessing the Admin Console:**

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Single VM (embedded cluster)" %}
The Admin Console is served directly on the VM. Open a browser and navigate to:

```
http://<vm-public-ip>:30000
```

No port-forwarding is needed. Ensure port 30000 is reachable from your workstation (restrict it to your ops team's IP range via your firewall).
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Standard Orchestrated container deployment" %}
Port-forward the Admin Console to your local machine:

```bash
kubectl kots admin-console --namespace <carto-namespace>
```

Then open `http://localhost:8800` in your browser.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## Configuration sections

The Admin Console is organized into the following tabs:

### Dashboard

The Dashboard provides a high-level status view of your CARTO deployment:

* **Application status** — whether all CARTO components are running and healthy
* **Version** — current deployed version and available updates
* **License** — license status, domain, and expiry date

### Version history

The Version History tab shows all deployed versions of CARTO Self-Hosted. From here you can:

* **Deploy** a specific version
* View the diff between versions (config changes and image updates)

### Config

The Config tab contains all editable deployment settings. Changes made here are applied to the cluster on the next deployment. Key configuration groups include:

| Section            | What you configure                                         |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Application**    | Self-hosted domain, organization name                      |
| **Database**       | External PostgreSQL host, port, database name, credentials |
| **Object Storage** | Cloud provider, bucket names, service account credentials  |
| **Cache**          | External Valkey host, port, password, TLS settings         |
| **Networking**     | Proxy settings, TLS mode                                   |
| **SSO**            | Identity provider settings for Single Sign-On              |
| **AI Features**    | OpenAI API key, enable/disable AI capabilities             |

After modifying settings, click **Save config** and then **Deploy** to apply changes.

### Troubleshoot

The Troubleshoot tab lets you generate a support bundle: a compressed archive of logs, configuration, and diagnostic data from your CARTO deployment. Share this bundle with CARTO Support to help diagnose issues.

To generate a support bundle:

1. Open the **Troubleshoot** tab in the Admin Console.
2. Click **Analyze** to collect diagnostic data.
3. Download the generated bundle and send it to CARTO Support.

### Custom Configuration

The **Custom Configuration** field (at the bottom of the Config tab) is a free-form YAML textarea that lets CARTO Support provide advanced Helm values for your deployment. When populated, its content is **deep-merged** into the Helm values on every deploy, taking precedence over the values set by the other Admin Console fields.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The Custom Configuration field is intended for use with CARTO Support guidance only. Do not modify it unless instructed by the Support team. Incorrect values can break your deployment.
{% endhint %}

**Common use cases (always with Support guidance):**

* Enabling EKS Pod Identity (`commonBackendServiceAccount`, `externalPostgresql.awsEksPodIdentityEnabled`)
* Per-component resource overrides
* Feature flags or advanced tuning not exposed in the standard UI

**How it works:** The YAML you paste is applied as the last values file in the Helm release, so it can override any setting including those set by other Admin Console fields.

### License

The License tab displays your current license details.


---

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