Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is dakkio?
dakkio is a time-series monitoring API designed for IoT devices, sensors, and real-time data applications. It provides data storage, natural language alerts, webhooks, and analytics.
Who is dakkio for?
dakkio is perfect for:
- IoT developers building sensor networks
- Companies monitoring equipment and infrastructure
- Developers needing time-series data storage
- Anyone wanting simple, powerful alerting
How does pricing work?
We offer three plans:
- Free: 3 buckets, 30 days retention, 10,000 API calls/month
- Pro: 25 buckets, 365 days retention, 1M API calls/month ($29/mo)
- Enterprise: Unlimited everything, custom pricing
See pricing page for details.
Getting Started
Do I need a credit card to sign up?
No! The Free plan requires no credit card. Start using dakkio immediately.
How do I get started?
- Create an account
- Create a bucket
- Generate an API key
- Start sending data
Follow our Quick Start guide for detailed steps.
Can I test dakkio before committing?
Yes! The Free plan includes everything you need to evaluate dakkio. No time limit.
Authentication
What's the difference between JWT and API keys?
- JWT tokens: For dashboard and management operations (create buckets, configure alerts)
- API keys: For data operations (send and query data from IoT devices)
Learn more in the Authentication guide.
How do I keep my API key secure?
Best practices:
- Store in environment variables, never in code
- Use different keys for dev/staging/production
- Rotate keys periodically
- Revoke compromised keys immediately
- Never commit keys to version control
Can I have multiple API keys?
Currently, each organization has one API key. Multiple API keys per organization are coming soon.
Do JWT tokens expire?
Yes, JWT tokens expire after 24 hours. Your application should handle token refresh or re-authentication.
Data Management
How is data organized?
Organization (your account)
└── Buckets (projects/applications)
└── Data Sources (sensor types)
└── Time-Series Data Points
Learn more about Core Concepts.
What's the maximum data retention?
- Free plan: 30 days
- Pro plan: 365 days
- Enterprise plan: Custom (up to 10 years)
Can I export my data?
Yes! Query your data via the API and export to JSON, CSV, or your preferred format. Bulk export features coming soon.
What happens when data exceeds retention period?
Data is automatically deleted after the retention period. This is permanent and cannot be undone.
Can I back up my data?
Yes, use the query API to periodically export your data to your own storage.
API & Integration
What's the API rate limit?
Based on your plan:
- Free: 10,000 calls/month
- Pro: 1,000,000 calls/month
- Enterprise: Unlimited
What happens if I exceed my rate limit?
You'll receive 429 Too Many Requests errors. Upgrade your plan or wait for the next billing cycle.
Do you have SDKs?
Official SDKs for:
- JavaScript/Node.js
- Python
- Go
Plus REST API documentation for any language.
Can I use dakkio with [specific platform]?
dakkio works with any platform that can make HTTP requests:
- Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266
- Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone
- AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions
- Any web application
Does dakkio support MQTT?
Not yet. Currently, dakkio uses REST API. MQTT support is on our roadmap.
Can I integrate with my existing system?
Yes! Use webhooks to send events to your systems, or query data via the API.
Alerts & Webhooks
How do natural language alerts work?
Write conditions in plain English:
- "Temperature exceeds 30°C for 5 minutes"
- "Humidity is less than 40%"
dakkio parses and monitors these automatically. Learn more in the Alert Rules guide.
Can I send alerts to multiple destinations?
Yes! Create multiple webhooks for the same bucket. Each webhook can go to a different service (Slack, email, SMS, etc.).
How quickly are alerts triggered?
Alerts are checked within seconds of data arrival. Webhook delivery typically occurs within 1-2 seconds of alert triggering.
What if my webhook URL is down?
dakkio automatically retries failed webhooks 3 times with exponential backoff.
Can I test alerts without real data?
Yes! Send test data via the API with values that should trigger your alerts.
Security & Privacy
Is my data secure?
Yes. We use:
- HTTPS/TLS for all API communication
- bcrypt for API key hashing
- Data isolation between organizations
- Regular security audits
Who can access my data?
Only users in your organization. Data is completely isolated between organizations.
Do you sell my data?
No, never. Your data is yours. We don't sell, share, or use your data for any purpose other than providing our service.
Is dakkio GDPR compliant?
Yes, dakkio is GDPR compliant. We provide data export and deletion capabilities.
Where is data stored?
Data is stored in secure MongoDB databases in AWS data centers (US East). EU data centers coming soon.
Billing
Can I downgrade my plan?
Yes, you can downgrade at any time. Changes take effect at the next billing cycle.
What happens if I downgrade?
- API calls are limited to new plan
- Buckets exceeding limit become read-only
- Data older than retention period is deleted
- No refunds for partial months
Do you offer annual billing?
Yes! Annual billing includes 2 months free (save 17%). Contact us for details.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes, cancel anytime. No long-term contracts or commitments.
Technical
What database does dakkio use?
MongoDB with time-series collections for optimal performance.
What's the maximum request size?
- Single data point: 100 KB
- Batch request: 10 MB (max 1000 data points)
What's the request timeout?
API requests timeout after 30 seconds.
Do you support IPv6?
Not yet. IPv6 support is on our roadmap.
What's your uptime SLA?
- Free plan: No SLA
- Pro plan: 99.5% uptime
- Enterprise plan: 99.9% uptime with support
Check current status at status.dakkio.io
Do you have a status page?
Yes: status.dakkio.io
Subscribe to get notifications about incidents and maintenance.
Troubleshooting
Why am I getting 401 Unauthorized?
Common causes:
- Invalid API key or JWT token
- Missing authentication header
- Expired JWT token
- Revoked API key
Why am I getting 404 Not Found?
- Bucket ID is incorrect
- Bucket doesn't belong to your organization
- Bucket was deleted
- Wrong API endpoint URL
Data isn't showing up in dashboard
- Verify data was sent successfully (check 201 response)
- Confirm correct bucket ID
- Check browser console for errors
- Try refreshing the page
Alerts aren't triggering
- Check alert status is "active"
- Verify data is being ingested
- Review condition syntax
- Check if alert is in cooldown period