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Overview

A canvas is a flexible, drag-and-drop workspace where you combine data sources, charts, AI chat sessions, and freeform notes into a single view. Canvases auto-save as you work and support version history so you can always roll back to a previous state.
The fastest way to get started is to create a canvas from one of the Global Templates. These are pre-built layouts designed by the nOps team that give you a ready-to-use dashboard in seconds. Prefer to talk first? Try Ask Clara from the Dashboard, then jump into a canvas when you are ready.

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Getting started with Global Templates

Global Templates are pre-configured canvas layouts built by the nOps team. They come loaded with the right data sources, chart types, and filters for common cost optimization workflows — so you can start analyzing costs immediately instead of building from scratch.
1

Create a new canvas

From the Dashboard or Canvas, click Create. Give your canvas a name and choose a scope (Private or Shared).
2

Choose Load Template

In the creation dialog, select Load template to browse the available templates.
3

Pick a Global Template

Filter by Global scope to see the templates provided by nOps. Browse or search for the one that fits your use case, then click to apply it.
4

Start exploring

Your canvas is pre-populated with widgets, data sources, and configurations from the template. You can immediately interact with the data, apply filters, and customize the layout to fit your needs.
You can also start from scratch or follow the onboarding walkthrough:
  • Start fresh — open an empty canvas and build from the ground up.
  • Start walkthrough — launch a guided tour that introduces the canvas controls step by step.

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Canvas layout

The canvas is a full-page workspace built around an infinite, pannable grid. The key UI areas are:

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Adding widgets (Palette)

The (+) button at bottom-center opens the Palette popover. It has two tabs:

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Tools tab

Draggable tool pills you can drop onto the canvas:
  • Scratch Pad — freeform notes
  • Text Box — rich text labels and callouts
  • Global Filters — shared date and dimension filters that drive data source widgets
  • Nexus — commitment management (visible only on accounts with the Nexus tool enabled)

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Data Sources tab

  • Search — filter the list by name.
  • Provider filter — narrow by cloud provider: All, AWS, GCP, or Azure. Data sources for providers your organization has not onboarded are grayed out.
  • Draggable cards — drag any data source onto the canvas to create a widget.
  • Refresh — reload the data source list.
  • + New — create a new data source (only available on accounts with elevated data source access).
Widgets snap to the grid automatically when dropped.

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Widget reference

Connect to a cloud cost data source and visualize it with any of the 19 supported chart types. Configure dimensions, measures, filters, and save the configuration as a reusable preset.
A Clara-generated chart or table. Can be created standalone by Clara or linked to a parent data source widget for AI-driven analysis.
A simple notepad for freeform notes, checklists, or observations while you work.
A rich-text block for adding headings, callouts, or contextual information to your canvas.
A filter widget that drives one or more data source widgets on the same canvas. Set shared date ranges or dimension filters once and apply them everywhere. Data source and AI chart widgets automatically receive global filter values; you can override specific filters per widget when needed (e.g., one chart with a different date range).
A commitment and purchase management widget for reviewing reservations and savings plans. Only available on accounts with the Nexus tool enabled.
An auto-placed header displaying the canvas name, scope badge, owner, and last-updated timestamp. Not saved as a persisted widget — it is always present.

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Chart types

Data source widgets support 19 chart types grouped by category:

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Configuring a data source widget

1

Select a chart type

Open the widget configuration and choose one of the 19 chart types listed above.
2

Choose an X-axis dimension

Pick the dimension for the horizontal axis (e.g. date, service, region).
3

Choose Y-axis measure(s)

Select one or more measures for the vertical axis (e.g. cost, usage).
4

Add a series dimension (optional)

Choose a series dimension to break down the data by a second attribute, creating grouped or stacked visualizations.
5

Apply filters

Add include or exclude filters and set a date range to narrow the data shown.
6

Save as preset (optional)

Save your chart configuration — chart type, dimensions, measures, and filters — as a reusable preset that you or your team can apply to future widgets.

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Chart customization

Data source widgets support a Chart Settings panel for fine-tuning the visual appearance of your charts without changing the underlying data.

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Opening the Chart Settings panel

Click the settings icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner of any data source widget to open the panel. A second settings panel may also appear to the right of the first, providing additional configuration options.

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Customization options

Title and labels Series formatting Axis and scale Rendering (for large datasets)

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Series color customization example

  1. Open the Chart Settings panel on your widget.
  2. Look for the Series Order section, which lists all series in your chart.
  3. Click the colored dot next to any series name to open the color picker.
  4. Select a color from the palette or enter a custom hex code.
  5. The chart updates in real-time with the new color.
Note: Color customizations are specific to each widget and are preserved when you save your canvas.

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Clara AI on canvas

On canvas, Clara opens as a dedicated overlay — a different surface from the Ask Clara floating panel on Dashboard, Explorer, Feed, and AI Optimization (see Ask Clara).

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Clara overlay

Click the Clara button in the top-right corner (or press Cmd+J) to open a floating, resizable panel or docked assistant view. Clara can generate charts, answer questions about your data, and create or update widgets directly on the canvas.

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@ mentions in Clara

In the Clara composer (overlay or dock on the canvas), type @ to mention a data source or widget on the current canvas. Pick an item from the list so Clara knows exactly which data or chart you mean. This is especially helpful on busy boards with many widgets. Some in-app links open a canvas with Clara already active, skipping an extra click. The address bar is cleaned up automatically once Clara opens, so bookmarks stay clean.

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Interacting with widgets

  • Move — drag a widget by its header to reposition it on the grid.
  • Resize — drag the bottom-right corner handle.
  • Copy / Paste — select one or more widgets, then Cmd+C to copy and Cmd+V to paste.
  • Select all — Cmd+A to select every widget.
  • Delete — press Backspace or Delete to remove selected widgets.
  • Lock canvas — lock the canvas to prevent accidental moves while reviewing data (Cmd+L).
  • Pin to dashboard — on chart widgets in shared canvases, click the pin icon in the widget header to add it to your organization’s dashboard. Your organization can pin up to 25 items total (canvas charts and Explorer reports combined); the dashboard lays them out responsively and adds paging when needed.

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Keyboard shortcuts

On Windows and Linux, substitute Ctrl for Cmd. Keyboard shortcuts are disabled while your cursor is in a text input, textarea, or content-editable area.

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Command palette

Open the command palette by clicking the gear icon at the bottom-left of the canvas. It provides quick actions and canvas settings: Actions Settings

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Version history

nOps automatically creates a version snapshot when you add, remove, or restore widgets. You can browse the last 10 versions from the Version History button in the top-right corner. Each version shows:
  • Change type — add, remove, position change, dimension change, or restore
  • Timestamp — when the snapshot was created
  • Widget count — the number of widgets at that point
  • User — who made the change
Click Restore on any version to replace the current canvas with that snapshot. Your current state is automatically saved as a new version before the restore takes effect.

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Scopes and sharing

Every canvas has a scope that controls visibility and access: Change a canvas’s scope from the scope badge dropdown in the canvas header. When a canvas is shared, presence avatars appear in the top-right corner, and a warning is shown if another user is actively editing.
Global canvases are no longer created directly. Use global templates instead — any user can apply a global template to create their own canvas from it.

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Sharing private canvases

If you have a private canvas that you want specific team members to view or edit, create a share link for them:
1

Open your private canvas

From the dashboard, open the canvas you want to share.
2

Open the share dialog

Click the Share Reports button (mail icon) in the top-right corner of the canvas, and find Share private canvas link in the panel.
3

Select recipients

Choose which team members in your organization can access the canvas via the share link.
4

Share or copy the link

Send the recipient an invitation, or copy the share link directly to share via email, chat, or your preferred method.
5

Manage share links

You can view, revoke, or create additional share links from the sharing panel at any time.
Note: Share links are user-specific — they grant access only to the selected recipients. Other team members cannot use the link to access your private canvas. You can revoke any share link at any time to immediately remove access.

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Templates

Templates let you save a canvas layout and reuse it later. They are the recommended way to get started with nOps.

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Global Templates

Global Templates are created by the nOps team and available to every organization. They provide best-practice dashboards for common workflows like cost allocation, savings tracking, and commitment management. When you create a new canvas, selecting a Global Template is the fastest way to get productive.

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Saving your own template

Once you have a canvas layout you like, save it as a template from the Command palette > Templates > Save as Template. Choose a name, description, and scope:
  • Private — visible only to you.
  • Shared — visible to your organization.
  • Global — visible to everyone (requires elevated permissions).
You can also assign a Provider (AWS, Azure, or GCP) when saving. This tags the template so it appears under the correct cloud-provider filter in the template browser and on the dashboard Global Templates section. Leave it unset if the template is provider-agnostic. You can optionally add a prompt when saving a template. When someone applies the template, Clara will automatically run that prompt on the new canvas — useful for guiding users through a specific analysis or pre-populating charts with a common question.

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Applying a template

Apply a template in two ways:
  1. When creating a canvas — select Load template from the creation dialog.
  2. From the Command palette — open Templates, browse or search, and apply to the current canvas.
In both places, the template browser groups templates by cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP). Templates with no provider assigned are listed under Unassigned. Use the search bar or scroll within a group to find the right template.

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Folders

Organize canvases into folders for better structure. New canvases created inside a folder inherit its scope by default (e.g., a canvas created inside a Private folder will be Private). This helps keep your canvases organized as your workspace grows.

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Automated chart refresh (canvas data)

Separate from email reports (below), you can keep chart data on this canvas fresh on a schedule:
  1. In the top toolbar, open Auto refresh (calendar + clock icon).
  2. Use Refresh Now for an immediate refresh when you have edit access.
  3. Turn on Auto refresh this canvas to let nOps refresh chart data about once per day while the toggle stays on. You can still refresh manually anytime.
  4. Review Past refreshes in the same menu for recent run status.
For a deeper refresh that runs chart jobs in the background, use Shift + click on Refresh Now when the UI offers it — nOps waits for those jobs to finish before reloading the canvas.

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Scheduled reports

Email reports are different from the Auto refresh menu above: here you configure messages sent to people’s inboxes with a snapshot of the canvas. Click the Share Reports button (mail icon) in the top-right corner of the canvas to send or schedule email reports.

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Send now

Select recipients, add a subject and message, and send immediately. The report includes a captured thumbnail of the current canvas state.

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Schedule recurring

Set a recurring schedule — daily, weekly, or monthly — with your preferred time. Scheduled reports run automatically and are delivered to the selected recipients. You can view all pending and past scheduled reports for the canvas from the same panel, and cancel any upcoming report at any time. The badge on the Share Reports button shows the number of pending scheduled reports.

Next: Users and roles

Learn how to invite team members, assign roles, and manage permissions.